Osborne C. COLE Jr
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NUMBER OF SERVICE | 37219620 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
AGE | -- yo | |||||||||||||||||||||||
DATE OF BIRTH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
ETAT | KANSAS | |||||||||||||||||||||||
FAMILY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
RANK | Private 1st Class | |||||||||||||||||||||||
FONCTION | Infantry | |||||||||||||||||||||||
JOB BEFORE ENLISTEMENT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
DATE of ENLISTEMENT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
COMPANY | Company C | |||||||||||||||||||||||
REGIMENT | 329th Infantry Regiment | |||||||||||||||||||||||
DIVISION |
83rd Infantry Division “Thunderbolt” | |||||||||||||||||||||||
ARMY | 3rd Army | |||||||||||||||||||||||
DATE OF DEATH | 7 August 1944 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
STATUS | KIA | |||||||||||||||||||||||
PLACE OF DEATH | Sector St Servan | |||||||||||||||||||||||
CEMETERY | BRITTANY AMERICAN CEMETERY of St James | |||||||||||||||||||||||
GRAVE |
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DECORATION |
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STORY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Private 1st Class Osborne C. Cole, Jr. was a native born Johnson County Resident who served in C Company, 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd “Thunderbolt” Infantry Division, during WW II. 12 days after the Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, PFC Cole along with the rest of the 83rd Infantry Division, commanded by Major General Robert C. Macon, landed at Omaha Beach and entered the hedgerow struggle south of Carentan. By July 25 at the end of the Normandy campaign the 83rd had reached the St. Lo-Periers Road and advanced 8 miles against tough opposition. In August at the start of Operation Overlord the 83rd Infantry Division, under the command of Patton’s 3rd Army, was given the mission to clear enemy forces from the St. Malo peninsula in Brittany. St. Malo was one of Hitler’s “fortresses” where retreat was not an option and every German soldier must fight until the bitter end. Hitler refused to let the port cities fall which could be used to assist the Allies in transporting men and munitions directly into the European Theater. As part of the 83rd Infantry Division’s mission to secure the peninsula PFC Cole’s Regiment was given orders to seize and hold the town of St. Servan just south of St. Malo. On August 5th after meeting resistance near Chateauneuf a day before, the 329th Infantry Regiment formed an attack to liberate the town from German forces. PFC Cole and his fellow GIs fought hard and by mid-afternoon the town was in the hands of the Allies. Unfortunately, the fighting wasn’t over. Fierce resistance was met just north of the town as the Regiment continued to push towards their objective of St. Servan. PFC Cole fought admirably through wire, mine fields, mortar and artillery fire, and machine gun crossfire from pillboxes, but on August 7, 1944 while advancing toward St. Servan PFC Cole, Jr. was mortally wounded. PFC Cole’s extraordinary efforts and his service to his country reflect great credit to himself, the 329th Infantry Regiment, 83rd Infantry Division, 3rd Army, and to the United States Army. PFC Cole’s grave site is at the Brittany American Cemetery in St. James, France. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
83rd INFANTRY DIVISION - THUNDERBOLT
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SOURCE INFORMATION & PHOTO | Kslegion350.org - Facebook.com - JF PELLOUAIS - Findagrave.com |
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PROGRAMMER | Garrett, Clive, Frédéric & Renaud |