The Last Offensive: The European Theater of Operations

by Charles B. MacDonald

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.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction

556 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Charles B. MacDonald was a former Deputy Chief Historian for the United States Army. He wrote several of the Army's official histories of World War II.

After graduating from Presbyterian College, MacDonald was commissioned as a US Army officer through the Army ROTC and deployed to Europe. By September 1944, as a 21 year old Captain , he commanded a rifle company in the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. MacDonald received the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.

His first book, ''Company Commander'', was published in 1947, while his wartime experiences were fresh in his mind.

MacDonald wrote the final volume of the Green Series on the European Theatre, ''The Last Offensive''. He retired as Deputy Chief Historian, United States Army Center of Military History in 1979.

After his retirement, MacDonald wrote ''A Time for Trumpets'', his last book, a personal history of the Ardennes Offensive which concentrates on the first two weeks of the battle, which he spent five years researching. MacDonald also wrote or co-wrote two other books of the Green Series, ''The Siegfried Line Campaign'' and ''Three Battles: Arnaville, Altuzzo, and Schmidt''. He also contributed to ''Command Decisions''.

MacDonald suffered from cancer and lung disease and he died on December 4, 1990 at his home in Arlington, Virginia.

Reviews

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and exhaustive in some areas, this book is best used as a reference to overall units and armies from November 1944 to May 1945 in western Europe.

[David Key]

Superb summary of the last stage of WW2 in Europe from the Battle of the Bulge to VE Day. MacDonald was an officer in the American Army in Europe and wrote one the most popular autobiographical accounts of the Battle of the Bulge, "Company Commander".

His post war career included a long stint as one of the US Army's official historians. I read his book, Company Commander 30 years ago, and only recently discovered how many books he had authored. Kindle has allowed me to indulge myself without going broke in the process.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This final volume of the US Defense Department's World War II history of the European discusses operations inside Germany itself. There are excellent maps and photographs. This easy to read history is a good read for the World War II buff.