Battery Commander: Five Battle Stars

About the Book

First time author, Captain James McLeod, is obviously not a first time storyteller. And his book, “Battery Commander: Five Battle Stars”, is not your typical story of war. The storytelling is flawless and the perspectives and insights are unique. You won’t be able to put this book down.

Effortlessly woven into the grim, candid images of war you’ll find a chance encounter under fire with Ernest Hemingway and a treasure trove of other real stories and fascinating characters, brilliantly told and affectionately portrayed by an author who clearly liked and admired these courageous men and women. Amid the constant fear and death you’ll find a special love story about “the real heroines at home”, all written with a wonderful sense of humor and humanity.

The author creates, with remarkable recall, an honest, clear-eyed self-portrait of a typical soldier that could have been any one of the thousands of young men who set aside their lives to face death and “do the job” to free Europe, Africa and the Far East from Fascism. With great skill the author draws the reader into this compelling saga. It could be the reader’s relative or friend, the self-described “country bumpkin”, that this true story follows through stateside Artillery training, England, D-Day, the five major battles of Northern Europe, Occupation and an emotional Homecoming. Captain McLeod was among the lucky ones that returned. After several close scrapes, some that killed his close friends, the author reveals the inevitable, gripping fear that his luck had run out--that he would never see his new son.

On another level, with an engineer’s precision and the skill of a seasoned storyteller, the author masterfully constructs a looking glass into the sweep of history and mood of these critical years. At the beginning of the 21st Century, when America’s values seem to be flagging, you’ll come away with a profound appreciation for the everyday values that were the bedrock for the courage and sacrifice that was so typical of the time. Captain McLeod describes his encounters with the Soviet Army during occupation and leaves you with little doubt why there were other “isms” yet to defeat. The reader, at the Captain’s side during a guided tour of just liberated concentration camps, is inevitably lured to a contemporary question, “Should the Allies have acted preemptively to stop the slaughter?”

About the Author

Jim was born in 1917 and was 13 years old when the Great Depression started. He worked his way through college and received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1941. He also was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in Field Artillery through the R.O.T.C. program. He was called to active duty in October 1941. He was assigned to the 188th Field Artillery Battalion and was with them until he was separated in December 1945. He was made a Captain in April 1943. He was in combat for ten months in the five major battles in Northern Europe.