Well, God damn it then, Rangers, lead the way! He asked the commander of the 5th Ranger Battalion, ‘What outfit is this?’ When told, he replied, The Allies couldn’t get a foothold on the beach under intense enemy fire and around obstacles and mines.Ībout one hour after the invasion started, Norman Cota rode a landing craft into a crossfire of bullets, artillery and mortar. Troops landed in the wrong places and the German defenses were stronger than anticipated. On Omaha BeachĬota had correctly warned his men of the terrible confusion they’d encounter that day. He was also one of the highest ranking officers on Omaha Beach that day and possibly the oldest person. On D-Day he was a 51-year-old brigadier general, assistant commander of the 29 th division. Commissioned a lieutenant, Cota earned a promotion to major by war’s end. Norman Cota graduated two months early from West Point in April 1917 when America entered World War I.Īt West Point, Cota and Dwight Eisenhower became good friends playing football. He got the name Dutch from his friends while working in his father’s store. He was born May 30, 1893, in Chelsea, Mass., to George William Cota, a telegrapher and later a storekeeper, and Jessie Mason, a schoolteacher from Croatia. Then he topped that performance the next day. Norman Cota on D-Day personally led traumatized soldiers through a gap off bloody Omaha Beach. He was highly decorated, remembered for his leadership, his courage, his ability to visualize a battle and his preparation of his men. Army troops in the parade down the Champs Elysees celebrating the liberation of Paris.
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