Recommended by another of my ex-Navy friends, I have just completed my 3rd read of this book.  I first read it in 1996, and have considered it one of the most important books I have ever read.  I love combat books written from the point of view of the man in the trenches; this is the one that started it all.  I prize my copy so highly that I will not lend it to anyone.

Company Commander is the experiences of Captain Charles MacDonald, US Army, from the fighting at the Siegfried Line to the end of fighting of World War II.  He is put in command of I Company as a replacement for the previous CO killed during their last engagement.  His baptism of fire during the Wehrmacht's last offensive at the battlements is a stunning introduction to the front.  Mac works us through his fears and nervousness as a new commander and gives us witness to the elation of survival in the trenches.

This book is one of the most memorable I have read about combat infantrymen in WWII.  I dare say it may be one of the most important I have ever read.  Although I have no way of knowing its accuracy, I suspect that the frank portrayal of the front-line infantryman is the reason for the gripping read.  Ironically, he has also captured the long stretches of boredom followed by the frantic moments of utter panic.  Yet the slow areas are more a relief than they are dull passages.  The only complaint I might have is the near complete absence of any technologic detail of the weaponry used, although that is more than made up for by the detailed analysis of the order of battle used during the conflict.  If you have any interest in infantry combat in WWII, this is a must-read book.