Charles B. MacDonald

On the 80th anniversary of the war's end, 5 classic memoirs capture firsthand the shock, terror, and courage of the American fight against the Axis powers in Europe "The emotional environment of warfare has always been compelling," writes J. Glenn Gray in his incomparable World War II memoir and mediation, The Warriors. "Reflection and calm reasoning are alien to it." The struggle to make sense of the experience of war, to find some meaning in the savagry and senseless destruction, animates the five brilliant and unforgettable memoirs gathered here. Company Commander (1947), by Charles B. MacDonald, describes with startling immediacy and candor the "cold, dirty, rough, frightened, miserable" life of the infantryman and company commander from the aftermath of D-Day in September 1944 through the war's terrifying final days. The Warriors (1959), by J. Glenn Gray, a counterintelligence officer who served in Italy, France, and Germany and a scholar with a PhD. in philosophy, is a sensitive and revelatory meditation on the nature of war and its effects on both soldiers and civilians, interspliced with his letters, journals, and wartime memories. All the Brave Promises (1966) is novelist Mary Lee Settle's memoir of her year as an airfield radio operator in the Royal Air Force. Settle brilliantly evokes both the working-class culture of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force's "other ranks" and the petty and demeaning regimentation inherent in military life. The Fall of Fortresses (1980), by former B-17 navigator Elmer Bendiner, vividly recalls the fear and excitement he experienced flying bomber missions deep into Germany in 1943 without fighter escort. The Buffalo Saga (2009) is James Harden Daugherty's heartfelt account of his frontline service as a Black soldier in the 92nd Infantry Division, as he fights the Germans, endures the harsh Italian winter, and confronts the racism of his own army. This deluxe Library of America volume includes full-color endpaper maps of the European Theater, an eight-page photo insert, an introduction by West Point professor Elizabeth D. Samet, and detailed notes.

'Mr. MacDonald's knowledge, perception, and insight, together, with his narrative power and grace, are impressive. The best and most readable account to date, The Mighty Endeavor will be unsurpassed for many years to come' - Martin BlumensonCovering such famous and dramatic episodes as the landing in North Africa, D-Day, the liberation of Paris and the Battle of the Bulge, The Mighty Endeavor tells the gripping story of American participation in World War II. Exploring the friction between American and European leaders, this riveting book also delves into the aerial war over Germany, the bombing of Dresden, and the final surrender of the Nazis. His sources include U. S. Army records and interviews with non-commissioned officers, privates and other participants, such as General Eisenhower and General Bradley. He also has worked with extensive original documents and new sources, as well as relating his own experiences in the war as commander of an infantry rifle company. Praise for The Mighty Endeavor: 'No other military historian of World War II has Charles MacDonald's insight into the inner workings of the American military establishment... The Mighty Endeavor is an objective account, impeccably accurate, eminently fair and, just as important, always readable' - John TolandCharles B. MacDonald (1922-1990) rose to the rank of Captain of the 23rd Infantry of the 2nd Division. After the war, in which he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star, he became an official Army Historian, retiring as Deputy Chief Historian in 1979.

Recovering rapidly from the shock of German counteroffensives in the Ardennes and Alsace, Allied armies early in January 1945 began an offensive that gradually spread all along the line from the North Sea to Switzerland and continued until the German armies and the German nation were prostrate in defeat. This volume tells the story of that offensive, one which eventually involved more than four and a half million troops, including ninety-one divisions, sixty-one of which were American. The focus of the volume is on the role of the American armies -First, Third, Seventh, Ninth, and, to a lesser extent, Fifteenth- which comprised the largest and most powerful military force the United States has ever put in the field. The role of Allied armies -First Canadian, First French, and Second British- is recounted in sufficient detail to put the role of American armies in perspective, as is the story of tactical air forces in support of the ground troops.

In September 1944, three months after the invasion of Normandy, the Allied armies prepared to push the German forces back into their homeland. Just south of the city of Aachen, elements of the U. S. First Army began an advance through the imposing Huertgen Forest. Instead of retreating, as the Allied command anticipated, the German troops prepared an elaborate defense of Huertgen, resulting in a struggle where tanks, infantry, and artillery dueled at close range. The battle for the forest ended abruptly in December, when a sudden German offensive through the Ardennes to the south forced the Allied armies to fall back, regroup, and start their attack again, this time culminating in the collapse of the Nazi regime in May 1945. In The Battle of the Huertgen Forest, Charles B. MacDonald assesses this major American operation, discussing the opposing forces on the eve of the battle and offering a clearly written and well-documented history of the battle and the bitter consequences of the American move into the forest. Drawing on his own combat experience, MacDonald portrays both the American and the German troops with empathy and convincingly demonstrates the flaws in the American strategy. The book provides an insight into command decisions at both local and staff levels and the lessons that can be drawn from one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.

Presents a graphic account of infantry warfare from the shores of Normandy to the German lines at Leipzig, by a twenty-one-year-old infantry captain

On December 16, 1944, German troops attacked U. S. forces in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg. In the most abysmal failure of battlefield intelligence in the history of the Army, the Americans were taken completely by surprise by Hitler's last desperate attempt to win the war. The brutal confrontation that ensued became known as the Battle of the Bulge. Historian Charles B. MacDonald fought in the Battle of the Bulge as an infantry commander. In A Time for Trumpets, he presents an exhaustively researched, honestly recounted, and movingly authentic account of this crucial moment in history. Mingling firsthand experience with the insights of a distinguished historian, MacDonald brings to life the greatest battle fought by the U. S. Army. The late Charles B. MacDonald served in four European campaigns and received the Purple Heart and the Silver Star. After the war, he wrote the World War II classic Company Commander. After retiring in 1979 as Deputy Chief Historian, U. S. Army, he devoted the next five years to writing A Time for Trumpets. "Combines an historian's detachment and precision with the personal feeling of a man who was there." -- New York Times Book Review