Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Robert G. Cole
502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
On June 6, 1944, Lt. Col. Robert G. Cole parachuted into Normandy with the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, landing behind Utah Beach as part of the Allied invasion of France. During the Battle of Carentan, Cole’s mission was to seize the bridge over the Douve River and establish a link with the 29th Infantry Division advancing inland from Omaha Beach. To reach the objective, Cole led his men down a narrow, heavily exposed causeway under intense German fire, suffering significant casualties along the way.
On June 11, 1944, with his unit pinned down and taking mounting losses, Cole rallied his paratroopers and personally led a bayonet charge against entrenched German positions. The assault successfully drove the defenders from the area and secured the objective. The attack became legendary as “Cole’s Charge” and earned him a recommendation for the Medal of Honor.
During Operation Market Garden in September 1944, Cole again parachuted into combat with his regiment, this time in the Netherlands near the town of Best. On September 18, while coordinating close air support by radio, the pilot requested that friendly positions be marked with orange identification panels to avoid striking Allied troops. Cole personally moved forward to place the panel along the edge of a tree line, where he was killed by a German sniper.
Lt. Col. Robert G. Cole was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism during the June 11, 1944 assault near Carentan. He is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, Netherlands.
#historyadventures #netherlands #abridgetoofar #sfrproductions
Robert G. Cole
502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division
On June 6, 1944, Lt. Col. Robert G. Cole parachuted into Normandy with the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, landing behind Utah Beach as part of the Allied invasion of France. During the Battle of Carentan, Cole’s mission was to seize the bridge over the Douve River and establish a link with the 29th Infantry Division advancing inland from Omaha Beach. To reach the objective, Cole led his men down a narrow, heavily exposed causeway under intense German fire, suffering significant casualties along the way.
On June 11, 1944, with his unit pinned down and taking mounting losses, Cole rallied his paratroopers and personally led a bayonet charge against entrenched German positions. The assault successfully drove the defenders from the area and secured the objective. The attack became legendary as “Cole’s Charge” and earned him a recommendation for the Medal of Honor.
During Operation Market Garden in September 1944, Cole again parachuted into combat with his regiment, this time in the Netherlands near the town of Best. On September 18, while coordinating close air support by radio, the pilot requested that friendly positions be marked with orange identification panels to avoid striking Allied troops. Cole personally moved forward to place the panel along the edge of a tree line, where he was killed by a German sniper.
Lt. Col. Robert G. Cole was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism during the June 11, 1944 assault near Carentan. He is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten, Netherlands.
#historyadventures #netherlands #abridgetoofar #sfrproductions
