On December 16, 1944, the vanguard of three German armies, totalling half a million men, attacked U.S. forces in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg, achieving what had been considered impossible — total surprise.

In the most abysmal failure of battlefield intelligence in the history of the U.S. Army, 600,000 American soldiers found themselves facing Hitler’s last desperate effort of the war.

The brutal confrontation that ensued became known as the Battle of the Bulge, the greatest battle ever fought by the U.S. Army — a triumph of American ingenuity and dedication over an egregious failure in strategic intelligence.

A Time for Trumpets is the definitive account of this dramatic victory, told by one of America’s most respected military historians, who was also an eyewitness to the conflict: MacDonald commanded a rifle company in the Battle of the Bulge.

His account of this unique battle is exhaustively researched, honestly recounted, and movingly authentic in its depiction of hand-to-hand combat.

Mingling first-hand experience with the insights of a distinguished historian, MacDonald places this profound human drama unforgettably on the landscape of history.

A Time for Trumpets is a thorough account of an immensely influential battle.

Praise for Charles MacDonald

'Charles B. MacDonald writes not just military history but history of people caught up in momentous events. His is an epic account of one of history’s most dramatic battles.' — John Toland, historian

'Combines a historian’s detachment and precision with the personal feeling of a man who was there...Moving beyond expectations' — The New York Times

The trumpets of the title peal throughout these pages...in a book that will appeal specialists and general readers alike.' — Publishers Weekly

Charles B. MacDonald 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.