101st Airborne

Remembering Robert G. Cole, MOH In Normandy On Memorial Day

We’ve been focusing on Memorial Day in the past week, writing about some of the heroes of past conflicts who despite all odds persevered and made it thru the horrors of war and were awarded the Nation’s highest award. Today on Memorial Day, we remember a hero who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his incredible courage during the D-Day Normandy invasion and survived the battle but was tragically killed during the invasion of Holland a few months later.

Robert G. Cole was an airborne battalion commander in the 101st Airborne Division leading the 3rd Bn, of the 502nd Parachute Infantry into D-Day landing outside of Carentan. He led his battalion on an assault on German positions and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Cole was born at Ft. Sam Houston, TX in March of 1915, his father was an Army doctor. He joined the Army on July 1, 1934, and a year later was granted a discharge so that he could attend the US Military Academy at West Point.

Cole graduated as a 2LT of Infantry in 1939 and joined the paratroopers in 1941, earning his wings in March 1941. As the airborne forces were being rapidly expanded, he quickly attained rank and just three years later, Cole was commanding a battalion in the 502nd.

Cole was a tall, muscular Texan with a booming voice that he seldom lowered, he reigned over a tough, wild battalion of paratroopers with an iron hand. And his men respected and feared him as much as they did the Germans. One trooper, Ralph Kelly remembered, “I was more afraid of Cole than I ever was of the Germans.”

On D-Day, the entire 101st Airborne was spread all over Normandy in their first combat jump. Units were separated and small groups with troops from several different commands would link up and conduct assigned missions. So by midday on June 6, Cole had only 75 men with him but he was still able to effect linkup with the 4th Infantry Division behind Utah Beach by capturing Exit 3 at Saint-Martin-de-Varreville.

The battalion had the assigned mission of being in reserve in the initial invasion. But by June 10, Cole’s battalion had reorganized into 400 men. And he would need every one of them during the next assault.

With the 101st assigned the mission of taking Carentan, the men of Cole’s battalion were assigned to taking the narrow causeway leading up to the town. The causeway was very narrow and totally exposed on either side where there were marshes with no cover. Cole’s troops would be in the sights of the German paratroopers who were guarding the town. The causeway was called Purple Heart Lane by the troops.

The German troops were dug in well on one side behind a hedgerow and at the far end of the causeway was a bridge over the Douve River that Cole’s troops were to take after moving down the causeway. Past the bridge was Carentan.

As Cole moved his troops up, they were hit with accurate devastating fire from German mortars, artillery, and machine-gun fire. The troops huddled against the side of the causeway bank after taking horrendous casualties. They decided to take up defensive positions for the night.

The darkness offered the 502nd little respite. The Germans continued to hit them with concentrated artillery and mortar fire, including strafing from German aircraft. This cause even more casualties and completely knocked out one of Cole’s companies right out of the fight.

By morning, Cole had 265 men left for an assault. Cole decided to call for smoke and would personally lead a bayonet charge into the German positions. His attack gained momentum and they finally advanced thru the hedgerow and a farm behind it, driving the Germans out and killing and wounding a large amount of them in the fighting and then cutting the German paratroopers down as they attempted to flee.

The attack was costly, with 130 of his 265 becoming casualties. Both Cole’s 3rd Battalion and the 1st Battalion suffered high casualties and after taking the bridge, couldn’t advance inside the town of Carentan. The German paratroopers of the 6th Parachute Regiment (Fallschrimjaeger) counter-attacked and tried to drive the Americans back. During the night, the American artillery turned the tables on the Germans and pounded the Nazi paratroopers and broke up their attacks.

The Germans decided that they couldn’t hold Carentan as their ammunition was running out and pulled out, leaving just small, blocking forces inside the town. The 506th Parachute Infantry made famous in the “Band of Brothers” book and television series would be tasked with taking the town just after dawn on June 12th.

On the 7oth anniversary of the battle, the French citizens of Carentan erected a monument to the courage of “Cole’s Charge” as it had been called. The Stars and Stripes of the United States float on the monument beside the Tricolour,” said a French administrator.

Cole was recommended for the Medal of Honor but tragically would not live to see it. Just a few months later during the invasion of Holland in Operation Market-Garden, Cole’s battalion was contacted by American P-47s and was asked to place orange marker panels in front of his unit’s position. The Thunderbolts had been trying to strafe German positions and were hitting some American ones as well.

Cole, rather than task a subordinate to it, decided to do it himself. As soon as Cole laid down the panel, the P-47s began putting devastating fire on the German positions and the amount of fire being received from them slackened perceptibly. Cole, standing in the open and shielding his eyes against the sun, he raised his head to catch a glimpse of the plane. A German sniper about 100 yards away in a farmhouse saw this and shot Cole in the temple killing him instantly.

Later, the Americans saw a German try to hightail it from the farmhouse, a .30 caliber machine-gun cut him down before he got far. The word passed quickly thru the battalion that the men had gotten the German that killed Cole and they all felt much better about it.

Grave of Robert G. Cole in the Netherlands. (US Army)

Just two weeks later, his Medal of Honor was awarded to his mother, wife, and son at Ft. Sam Houston. Cole was buried with his troops in the American military cemetery in Margraten, the Netherlands.

Medal of Honor Citation:

For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty on 11 June 1944, in France. Lt. Col. Cole was personally leading his battalion in forcing the last 4 bridges on the road to Carentan when his entire unit was suddenly pinned to the ground by intense and withering enemy rifle, machine gun, mortar, and artillery fire placed upon them from well-prepared and heavily fortified positions within 150 yards of the foremost elements.

After the devastating and unceasing enemy fire had for over 1 hour prevented any move and inflicted numerous casualties, Lt. Col. Cole, observing this almost hopeless situation, courageously issued orders to assault the enemy positions with fixed bayonets.

With utter disregard for his own safety and completely ignoring the enemy fire, he rose to his feet in front of his battalion and with drawn pistol shouted to his men to follow him in the assault. Catching up a fallen man’s rifle and bayonet, he charged on and led the remnants of his battalion across the bullet-swept open ground and into the enemy position. His heroic and valiant action in so inspiring his men resulted in the complete establishment of our bridgehead across the Douve River.

The cool fearlessness, personal bravery, and outstanding leadership displayed by Lieutenant Colonel Cole reflect great credit upon himself and are worthy of the highest praise in the military service.

Photos: US Army of General Eisenhower talking to LTC Robert Coe just prior to the D-Day invasion.

West Point Grad Esper Confirmed as New Army Secretary

The US Army finally has a new Secretary. Dr. Mark T. Esper was confirmed by a vote in the Senate, 89-6, to become the 23rd secretary of the Army on Wednesday. Esper was nominated by President Trump back in July to take over the Secretary’s job.

Esper testified before Congress two weeks ago and laid out what he sees as his priorities.

“If confirmed, my first priority will be readiness — ensuring the total Army is prepared to fight across the full spectrum of conflict,” Esper said. “With the Army engaged in over 140 countries around the world, to include combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, training rotations to Europe to deter Russia, and forward deployed units in the Pacific defending against a bellicose North Korea, readiness must be our top priority.”

Readiness, he said, starts with ensuring the Army has the best possible Soldiers in the force.

“This means recruiting and retaining the best our nation has to offer, ensuring these young men and women are well-trained and well-led, and equipping them with the best weapons and technology available,” Esper said. “Every unit must be prepared to deploy and accomplish its mission. These are the fundamental Title 10 duties of the Secretary of the Army, and, if confirmed, I intend to do them well.”

Esper named four broad priorities he would focus on if he were confirmed as secretary of the Army. Those include ensuring Soldiers, their families, and Army civilians are “well-led, well-supported, and well-cared for.”

Also top priorities for Esper, he said, are modernization, efficiency, and most-importantly, readiness.

“This means that units are fully manned, weapons and equipment are well maintained, munitions stocks are sufficient, and training — particularly for high end combat — is ample, rigorous and realistic,” Esper wrote.

Esper graduated in 1986 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, and served on active duty for over 10 years before transitioning into the Reserve, eventually reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel. He had a combat deployment with the 101^st Airborne where he was awarded a Bronze Star.

For the past several years, Estep has been a successful lobbyist.

To read the entire article from the US Army, click here:

Operation Market Garden Begins Sept. 17,1944, The Biggest Mistake of the War?

On September 17, 1944, the Allies launched an operation they hoped would end the war in the west by Christmas. By the end of August 1944, the German army in the west was smashed and in full-retreat mode. After the Allies had come ashore at Normandy, they had to slug their way thru the thick bocage country where the hedgerows made life difficult for the attackers and gains were measured in feet. But by the end of July, the Allies had broken out of the hedgerows and hit the open fields of France.

On the right flank, General Patton’s Third Army was unleashed just as “Operation Cobra” began to break thru the German defenses. His army swept across Brittany and then joined the rest of the Allies as they raced to the Meuse River and eventually Paris.

The Germans had counter-attacked at Falaise and tried to drive a wedge between the American and British forces. As a result, their troops were caught in a pocket and virtually annihilated. Allied air power mercilessly raked the Germans who were caught in a maelstrom of hell. Of the 56 infantry divisions that were ready on D-Day, by late August only about 20 were still fit for action. The twelve Panzer divisions in the west had been wiped out, with only one still a viable force. The Germans had lost 1800 of their 2200 tanks and assault guns that were available on June 6th.

It seemed nothing could stop the Allies from bursting thru the Siegfried Line and into Germany and ending the war in 1944. But the Allies paused unsure of how to proceed next. Germany was certainly the goal but on a broad front or a dagger thrust.

The Germans used this lull to rescue their shattered army in Normandy. Field Marshal Walter Model, “the fireman of the Eastern Front” was given the command. He began a series of brilliant withdrawals at night over the Seine for the most beat up of the German formations. The more intact divisions began a series of good screening actions to cover the withdrawal.

The brief respite allowed the Germans to recover and they surprisingly did so much quicker than anyone had thought possible. The Allies after much debate decided to go with British Field Marshal Montgomery’s plan of a bold dagger thrust into Germany through Holland. That way, the Allies could cross the crucial Rhine River and drive into the German industrial center of the Ruhr.

The bold, imaginative plan called “an airborne carpet” of three divisions, the American 82nd, and 101st and the British 1st Airborne to drop in daylight and seize five major bridges, two over canals and three over rivers. The bridges were key. The airborne divisions would drop in and seize the bridges and hold them until the armor units of the British XXX Corps, the spearhead of the advance, could race up the highway and establish a linkup. If successful, it would bypass the Siegfried Line and cut off all of the German troops in Holland.

But early intelligence estimates were already beginning to point to the Germans moving SS and Panzer Divisions into Holland to refit. Those would a harbinger of the things to come.

The Plan: The British had told Eisenhower that they insisted that their airborne division “be given the toughest, most advanced assignment.” And they were.

The 101st Airborne, under General Maxwell Taylor, was to drop north of Eindhoven, they were to capture the town, the four railway and road bridges over the Aa River and the Zuid Wilems Vaart Canal at Vegel. They also had to the bridge in St. Oedenrode over the Dommel as well as the bridge over the Wilhemina Canal at Son.

The 82nd Airborne under General Jim Gavin was to capture two major bridges, the Mass bridge over the Grave and the Waal at Nijmegen.

The toughest nut to crack was given, per their request to the British 1st Airborne under General Roy Urquhart, Arnhem. The staff had to plan this entire operation in just six days. The amount of planning going into the operation was ridiculous and the problems for Urquhart were foreboding. The flak on both sides of the river for the bridge at Arnhem made a drop there an impossibility. He had to drop 4 miles north of Arnhem and fight their way into the town. And worst of all, due to the lack of aircraft to shuttle three divisions in Holland, the British would have to be dropped piecemeal. As General Browning told Urquhart, the priority had to go to the American 101st. The XXX Corps to reach Arnhem and had to cross all of the bridges in the Screaming Eagles sector before they could make it to the 82nd Airborne’s sector in Nijmegen before they could hope to cross the bridge at Arnhem.

The Operation Begins: The drops, made in daylight went well, taking off from 22 airfields in Britain (4 British, 18 American) the aircraft delivered the troops on the targets with minimal losses. General Horrocks watched the drop and then his XXX Corps begin their advance up the one narrow highway. By nightfall, they had already linked up with the 101st and passed thru Eindhoven.

The narrow corridor for Horrocks’ tanks was open all the way to Nijmegen. The bridge over the Waal was proving to be a tough nut to crack. The Germans, in much more strength than previously believed in intelligence estimates, were able to push back an assault. They decided on a two-pronged assault from both the north and south sides of the bridge simultaneously. The 504th Parachute Infantry had the task of rowing across the swift-flowing river in flimsy storm boats. Major Julian Cook led the assault and less than half of the boats of the first wave made it across the river. But the men began assaulting in small groups while the boats made subsequent trips to bring more troops to the shore.

By late afternoon, they smashed their way onto the northern end of the bridge. The Irish Guards tanks in the vanguard of the assault on the southern end smashed their way through German 88mm anti-tank guns to reach the southern side. By 2100 hrs the first two tanks reached the far end and linked up with the American paratroopers. The road to Arnhem was clear. But the advance had been slowed by heavy German resistance and the enemy had been able to cut the narrow highway time and again which slowed the supply chain and blocked the narrow lifeline of the operation.

Arnhem: The British airborne forces in Arnhem had already held out for three days when they’d be told that they’d be relieved in two. And the resistance, supposedly divisions that had decimated in Normandy and filled with old men and boys, were the SS panzer troops led by General Willi Bittrich Commander of the II SS Panzer Corps.

Urquhart’s men were operating blind, although only C-47 was shot down on the drop, several of the gliders were lost on the trip due to broken tow ropes and these included all of the Reconnaissance Squadron’s vehicles. They were to lead the way into Arnhem for Colonel J.D. Frost, the Battalion Commander tasked with taking the bridge.

The British were hindered by two key factors, the drop zones assigned to the airborne troops were too far away from the bridge and the outpouring of Dutch civilians, who swarmed out to greet the British with mugs of tea, milk and fresh fruit slowed their advance. To the Dutch who had suffered under German rule for four years, this meant the war was soon to be over….they were wrong.

Despite the heavier German resistance encountered, Frost’s men reached the bridge and secured the northern end of it along with some of the surrounding buildings. Two attempts to take the southern end of the bridge were repelled with heavy losses.

The Germans were reinforcing the southern end of the bridge with infantry, artillery, and armor including the new King Tiger tanks. Urquhart was unable to direct the operations of his troops due to a failure of his radios and lost control of the situation. His battalions would be forced to fight piecemeal.

Urquhart was forced to take cover in a house in Zwarteweg with some members of his staff when German Panzer Grenadiers surrounded the area. A German self-propelled gun was directly under the window of the house and Urquhart was forced to stay the entire night incommunicado.

The Germans had a complete set of plans, found on a dead British officer and knew where the subsequent drops were planned. They were intent on driving the British off of the drop zones. Frost’s men were holding out and four battalions were fighting their way slowly through the German defenses to reach he and his men.

When the resupply drops fell later, they fell into German hands. All of the attacks attempting to reach Frost were repelled with horrible casualties. Frost’s men were still holding out but were nearly out of ammunition, with no food and no water.

The Germans on Thursday morning September 21, (the operation began on Sunday), finally broke through and drove Frost’s men out. But they had to do it house-by-house, room-by-room. A German officer wrote of the “indescribable fanaticism” of the British airborne forces who “offered resistance to their last breath.”

The rest of Urquhart’s division aligned in a horseshoe perimeter to the west of Osterbeek. He had hoped that if he could hold on, 2nd Army and XXX Corps reached him, they were just 10 miles away. He received a message that the “43rd Division ordered to take all risks to effect relief today.” But Bittrich’s Panzers were making that 10 miles of road, an inferno.

Particularly galling for Urquhart’s paratroops was the sight of RAF and American resupply planes, braving murderous anti-aircraft fire, dropping their bundles on drop zones now held by the Germans. They were out of food, water and nearly out of ammunition.

On the 22nd the Independent Polish Parachute Brigade of General Sosabowski landed on the south side of the river at Driel. Sosabowski had been appalled during the planning at the nonchalant attitude of the British who were believing that they were heading for a cake walk.

On Friday night of 22-23 September, Sosabowski tried to have his men swim across the river to reach 1st Airborne. They were driven back with terrible casualties. The next night the Dorset Regiment, spearheading XXX Corps tried to reach the far side of the river in boats. But not to reinforce the bridgehead but to withdraw the surviving forces. Finally, on Monday night, the withdrawal began and the Germans sensing what was happening, unleashed terrific amounts of artillery fire on the British.

Aftermath: The mission had failed. The objectives, as General Browning had mentioned prior to the operation was that perhaps the Allies were going a bridge too far had come true.

The losses suffered by the Airborne forces were staggering:
British 1st Airborne 1,446 Dead (inc 229 Glider Pilots), 6,414 Wounded & POW
Polish Indep Brigade 97 Dead & 111 Wounded & POW
US 82nd Airborne 215 Dead 790 Wounded & 427 Missing
US 101st Airborne 315 Dead 1,248 Wounded & 547 Missing
plus 122 US Glider pilots, of which 12 were killed

Why did the plan fail? One can point to a number of factors, not the least of which was the failure of Allied intelligence to recognize that the Germans had placed SS Panzer troops in the area around Arnhem. They even discounted the Dutch underground reports of the same, and those underground operatives were known to be very accurate.

The lack of aircraft was a major contributing factor. Urquhart’s 1st Airborne drops were spread out over three days. Had they been able to all drop on Sunday the 17th and closer to their objective, the bridge may have been taken …and held.

Failures in communications and communications gear were unconscionable. It never allowed the units in Arnhem to be able to communicate with one another. But the biggest reason for failure? The one highway. The 101st called it Hell’s Highway. There was a ridiculous amount of congestion on it between Eindhoven and Nijmegen and the troops were never able to get adequate resupply. The Germans expertly applied pressure on both sides of the highway, cutting it in several places during the battle.

Was it the biggest blunder of the Allies in the west? One could make that argument. Although the supply chain was stretched to the breaking point from the Normandy beaches, the broad front strategy had the German army reeling and it is at least debatable that they could have collapsed if the Allies kept up the pressure much longer.

However, even though the attack failed, the Allies had effected crossings of the Waal and the Maas Rivers and they had a good jumping off point to launch another attack on Germany. It would be delayed due to the defeat here, but the writing was still on the wall for the Germans…the end was coming.

Photos courtesy: Wikipedia