World War II Honoree

Robert G. Cole

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

San Antonio, Texas

Honored By

Friends of American Heroes

HE PARACHUTED INTO NORMANDY WITH HIS UNIT AS PART OF THE AMERICAN AIRBORNE LANDINGS IN NORMANDY. BY THE EVENING OF JUNE 6, HE HAD GATHERED 75 MEN. THEY CAPTURED EXIT 3 AT SAINT MARTIN-DE-VARREVILLE BEHIND UTAH BEACH AND WERE AT THE DUNE LINE TO WELCOME MEN FROM THE U.S. 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION COMING ASHORE. AFTER BEING IN DIVISION RESERVE, HIS BATTALION HAD GUARDED THE RIGHT FLANK OF THE 101ST AIRBORNE ATTEMPTS TO TAKE THE APPROACHES TO CARENTAN. ON THE AFTERNOON OF JUNE 10, HE LED 400 MEN OF HIS BATTALION SINGLE FILE DOWN A LONG, EXPOSED CAUSEWAY (PURPLE HEART LANE), WITH MARSHES AT EITHER SIDE. A HEDGEROW BEHIND A LARGE FARMHOUSE WAS OCCUPIED BY WELL DUG-IN GERMAN TROOPS. DURING THE ADVANCE HIS BATTALION WAS SUBJECTED TO CONTINUOUS FIRE FROM ARTILLERY, MACHINE GUNS AND MORTARS. HIS BATTALION TOOK NUMEROUS CASUALTIES. DURING THE NIGHT, HIS MEN WERE EXPOSED TO SHELLING BY GERMAN MORTARS AND BY A STRAFING AND BOMBING ATTACK BY TWO AIRCRAFT, CAUSING FURTHER CASUALTIES AND KNOCKING COMPANY I OUT OF THE FIGHT. HOWEVER THE FIRE FROM THE FARM SLACKENED AND THE REMAINING MEN INFILTRATED THROUGH THE OBSTACLE AND TOOK UP POSITIONS FOR AN ASSAULT. WITH THE GERMANS STILL RESISTING ANY ATTEMPT TO MOVE BEYOND THE BRIDGES, AND AFTER ARTILLERY FAILED TO SUPPRESS THEIR FIRE, HE CALLED FOR SMOKE ON THE DUG-IN GERMANS AND ORDERED A BAYONET CHARGE. HE CHARGED TOWARD THE HEDGEROW, LEADING ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF HIS UNIT AT FIRST. THE REMAINDER OF THE BATTALION, SEEING WHAT WAS HAPPENING FOLLOWED AS HE LED THE PARATROOPERS INTO THE HEDGEROWS, ENGAGING AT CLOSE RANGE AND WITH BAYONETS IN HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT. THE GERMAN SURVIVORS RETREATED, TAKING MORE CASUALTIES AS THEY RAN AWAY. THE ASSAULT BECAME KNOWN AS 'COLE'S CHARGE'. WITH HIS BATTALION EXHAUSTED, HE CALLED FOR THE 1ST BATTALION TO PASS THROUGH HIS LINES AND CONTINUE THE ATTACK. HOWEVER, THEY WERE ALSO SEVERELY DEPLETED BY MORTAR FIRE CROSSING BRIDGE #4. AT THE HEIGHT OF THE ATTACK, AT APPROXIMATELY 1900 HOURS, HIS ARTILLERY OBSERVER MANAGED TO BREAK THROUGH RADIO JAMMING AND CALLED DOWN A CONCENTRATION BY THE ENTIRE CORPS ARTILLERY THAT BROKE UP THE ATTACKS FOR GOOD. AT 0200 ON JUNE 12 THE 506TH PARACHUTE INFANTRY REGIMENT PASSED THROUGH THEIR LINE AND CAPTURED HILL 30 TO THE SOUTH OF CARENTAN. FROM THERE, LED BY COMPANY E, THE 2ND BATTALION OF THE 506TH 'BAND OF BROTHERS' ATTACKED NORTH INTO CARENTAN AT DAYLIGHT AS PART OF A 3-BATTALION ASSAULT. THE GERMAN 6TH PARACHUTE REGIMENT, VIRTUALLY OUT OF AMMUNITION, HAD ABANDONED THE TOWN DURING THE NIGHT, LEAVING ONLY A SMALL REAR GUARD. BY 0730 OF JUNE 12 CARENTAN WAS CAPTURED. HE WAS RECOMMENDED FOR A MEDAL OF HONOR FOR HIS ACTIONS THAT DAY, BUT DID NOT LIVE TO RECEIVE IT. ON SEPTEMBER 18, 1944, DURING OPERATION MARKET GARDEN, WHILE COMMANDING THE 3RD BATTALION OF THE 502ND PARACHUTE INFANTRY REGIMENT IN BEST, NETHERLANDS, HE GOT ON THE RADIO. A PILOT ASKED HIM TO PUT SOME ORANGE IDENTIFICATION PANELS IN FRONT OF HIS POSITION. HE DECIDED TO DO IT HIMSELF. HE WAS PLACING A PANEL ON THE GROUND WHEN HE WAS SHOT AND KILLED BY A GERMAN SNIPER. TWO WEEKS LATER, HE WAS AWARDED THE MEDAL OF HONOR FOR HIS BAYONET CHARGE NEAR CARENTAN ON JUNE 11. HE IS BURIED AT NETHERLANDS AMERICAN CEMETERY AND MEMORIAL, IN MARGRATEN, THE NETHERLANDS.