John T. Cole
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John Tupper Cole (July 23, 1895 – April 24, 1975) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Army with the rank of Brigadier General. A graduate of the United States Military Academy and veteran of both World Wars, he is most noted for his service as Colonel and Commanding officer, Combat Command B, 5th Armored Division during combats on the
Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...
. Following the War, he remained in the Army and rose to the rank of Brigadier general and served as Chief, United States Military Assistance Advisory Group in Thailand during the Korean War and completed his career as Acting commanding general, 3rd Armored Division.


Early years

John T. Cole was born on July 23, 1895 at West Point, New York as the son of Cavalry Colonel James A. Cole and Marry Tupper, daughter of Major Tullius Tupper, also a Cavalryman and West Point graduate. Following high school, John followed his father's footsteps and received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in summer 1913. During his time at the Academy, he captained the basketball team and was also active on the football team. He was a member of the class which produced more than 55 future general officers, including two Army Chiefs of Staff Joseph L. Collins and
Matthew B. Ridgway General Matthew Bunker Ridgway (March 3, 1895 – July 26, 1993) was a senior officer in the United States Army, who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1952–1953) and the 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1953–1955). Altho ...
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. Cole graduated with Bachelor of Science degree on April 20, 1917 shortly following the United States' entry into World War I and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Cavalry Branch. He completed his basic training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, while attached to 3rd Cavalry Regiment and embarked for France. His regiment was tasked with the operation of three major horse remount depots. The three squadrons were charged with the purchase of horses, mules and forage, the care, conditioning, and training of remounts before issue, and the distribution and issue of remounts to the
American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...
. He was later consecutively promoted to first lieutenant and Captain and participated in the support operations of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in late 1918. Following the Armistice, Cole was transferred to the
Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces The Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces was the mechanized unit that engaged in tank warfare for the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front during World War I. Organization Brigadier General Samuel D. Rockenbach ...
and appointed an instructor at the tank school at
Bourg Bourg or Le Bourg may refer to: Places France Bourg * Bourg, Aisne, a former commune in France, now part of Bourg-et-Comin * Bourg, Bas-Rhin, a former commune in Bas-Rhin, now part of Bourg-Bruche * Bourg, Gironde, also known as Bourg-sur-Gir ...
. During his service with Tank Corps in World War I, he met and befriended
George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...
.


Interwar period

Following his return to the United States, he served with 3rd Cavalry until summer 1922, when he entered the Troop Officers' Course at Army Cavalry School at Fort Riley, Kansas and graduated one year later. Cole then rejoined 3rd Cavalry for a brief period, but subsequently was ordered to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York as Tactical officer and Instructor in equitation. Cole spent four years in this capacity and returned to the Army Cavalry School at Fort Riley, Kansas in May 1929 for Troop Officers' advanced course, which he completed in June 1929. He then entered the Cavalry School Advanced Equitation Course, which he completed in May 1930. He then joined the Army Horse Show Team and the U. S. Olympic Equestrian Team and was reserve rider during the
1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...
. Captain Cole remained with the Equestrian teams until 1934 and joined 7th Cavalry Regiment as Commander of the 2nd Squadron. He was garrisoned with that unit at Fort Bliss, Texas until June 1937, when he entered the Army Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and graduated one year later. Upon the graduation, he was assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment at Fort Riley, Kansas and served as Regimental Executive Officer until April 1941, when he succeeded another brilliant equestrian,
Harry Chamberlin Harry Dwight Chamberlin (May 19, 1887 – September 29, 1944) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the Moro Rebellion, Pancho Villa Expedition, World War I, and World War II, he attained the rank of brigadier gene ...
in command of the regiment. Cole was promoted to the rank of Colonel at that time.


World War II

Following the United States entry into World War II, Cole was transferred to the Armored Force in July 1942 and assigned to the 5th Armored Division that October. He later assumed command of 81st Armor Regiment and remained in command of that outfit until September 1943, when he was ordered to Pine Camp,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
to rejoin the 5th Armored Division. Cole was subsequently appointed Commanding officer, Combat Command B, a combined brigade size unit of tanks, armored infantry, armored field artillery battalions and engineer units. He embarked with the division for France in June 1944 and landed on Utah Beach on July 24. He led his unit during the last phase of
Invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
and Combat Command B participated in the combats near
Argentan Argentan () is a commune and the seat of two cantons and of an arrondissement in the Orne department in northwestern France. Argentan is located NE of Rennes, ENE of the Mont Saint-Michel, SE of Cherbourg, SSE of Caen, SW of Rouen and N ...
and
Dreux Dreux () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. Geography Dreux lies on the small river Blaise, a tributary of the Eure, about 35 km north of Chartres. Dreux station has rail connections to Argentan, Paris and Granvi ...
. The Combat Command B (CCB) cleared the enemy between the Eure and Seine Rivers and streaked north through the Compiegne Forest to the Belgian border at Conde. Following a fighting in Luxembourg, Cole's troops were the first Allied units to cross the German border, when a small patrol from Troop B, 85th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron crossed the Our River boundary at Stalzemburg at on September 11, 1944. Cole then led the CCB during the fighting in the pillbox area beyond Wallendorf in order to draw large German forces from the
Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
area. The CCB then capture the city of
Rheindahlen Rheindahlen (called ''Dalen'' from the Early Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period around 1700, and ''Dahlen'' until 1878) is a town in the western and largest borough of the city of Mönchengladbach in the German state of North Rhine-Westphali ...
in February 1945 and stopped at the Elbe river on April 13, 1945. During that period, CCB participated in the total destruction of
Panzer Division Clausewitz Panzer-Division ''Clausewitz'' was a German panzer division during World War II, named for Carl von Clausewitz. It was formed in central Germany area at the beginning of April 1945 under the command of Generalleutnant Martin Unrein, from the 2 ...
. For his leadership of Combat Command B throughout the War, Cole was decorated
Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...
,
Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
, five
Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...
s and Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat. The Allies awarded him with several decorations including
Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
, French ''Croix de guerre 1939-1945'' with Palm,
Belgian Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de guerre'' ( French) or ''Oorlogskruis'' (Dutch), both literally translating as "Cross of War", is a military decoration of the Kingdom of Belgium established by royal decree on 25 October 1915. It was primarily awarded for bravery ...
or Luxembourg War Cross (see below for complete list).


Postwar career

After a period of occupation duty in Germany, Tupper returned to the United States and became Chief of Staff, later interim Commanding Officer of the Military District of Washington (as a colonel). While in this capacity, he was responsible for the defense of National Capital Region including The Pentagon and for the ceremonial tasks of the district. Cole was promoted to the rank of Brigadier general in mid-1950 and appointed U.S. member to the Security Council of the United Nations. In September that year, he was ordered to Bangkok, Thailand and tasked with the organization of the United States Military Assistance Advisory Group. Cole served as the Chief of Advisory Group during the Korean War and helped to train the Thai Armed Forces for combat deployment. He also served as an observer of Thai troops in Korea. For his part in this assignment, Cole was decorated with the Order of the White Elephant by the Government of Thailand. He later returned to the United States and served as Assistant Division Commander, 3rd Armored Division, which was tasked with the training of replacement tank units during Korean War. Cole also served as Acting division commander from November to December 1952 and retired in mid-1953.


Retirement

Following his retirement from the Army after almost 36 years, Cole settled in
Huntington Bay, New York Huntington Bay is a village in the Town of Huntington in Suffolk County, on East Neck on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 1,425 at the time of the 2010 census. History Huntington Bay incorporated ...
, where he built a house. He was nomited for Supervisor of Huntington Township by the United Citizens Party and was active in the
United States Armor Association The United States Armor Association is a non-profit organization with over 6,000 members dedicated to disseminating knowledge of the military art and sciences, with special attention to mobility in ground warfare. History The United States Armor ...
and enjoyed Golf. Cole later served as Director of the
National Horse Show The National Horse Show is the oldest continually held horse show in the United States. It was founded in 1883 in New York and held there until 2002, when it moved to Florida and then to Kentucky. The National Horse Show offers competition for hu ...
and was decorated from the Swedish Government for his work in connection with the equestrian Olympic events in Stockholm in 1956. Brigadier general John T. Cole died on April 24, 1975, aged 79, in
Denville, New Jersey Denville Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, located west of Manhattan. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 16,635, reflecting an increase of 811 (+5.1%) from the 15,824 counted in the 2000 census. ...
and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. His wife Janet MacKay Cole is buried beside him. They had together a son and a daughter.


Decorations

Here is Brigadier general Cole´s ribbon bar:


See also

*
3rd Armored Division (United States) The 3rd Armored Division (also known as "Spearhead", 3rd Armored, and 3AD) was an armored division of the United States Army. Unofficially nicknamed the "Third Herd," the division was first activated in 1941 and was active in the European Theat ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, John T. 1895 births 1975 deaths People from West Point, New York United States Army generals American male equestrians United States Military Academy alumni United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni United States Army personnel of World War I United States Military Academy faculty United States Army personnel of the Korean War Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Legion of Merit Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Burials at Arlington National Cemetery United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel