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General taylor ww2

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Norman Cota

U.S. Army Major General

Norman Daniel "Dutch" Cota Sr. (May 30, 1893 – October 4, 1971) was a senior United States Army officer who fought during World War II. Cota was heavily involved in the planning and execution of the Alliedinvasion of Normandy, in June 1944, codenamed Operation Neptune, and the subsequent Battle of Normandy. He is known for rallying demoralized troops on Omaha Beach on D-Day, by engaging in combat beside them and personally leading their first successful breakout, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC).

Early life and military career

Cota was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, son of George William Cota, a former railroad telegrapher (later a merchant), and Jessie H. Mason, a school teacher who came from Croatia.[3][4] He attended Worcester Academy for three years beginning in the fall of 1910. While playing football there, his teammates nicknamed him Dutch, and the name stuck with him, but its origins remained unclear.

In June 1913, he was accepted to the United States Military Academy (

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The service of General Norman Cota

Norman Cota (right) with Eisenhower during the battle of Hürtgen Forest (Photo: U.S. Army)

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Norman Daniel "Dutch" Cota, Sr.
Major General, U.S. Army

Norman Daniel Cota, Sr. was born on 30 May 1893 in Chelsea, MA, the son of George William Cota, a former railroad telegrapher (later a merchant), and Jessie H. Mason, a school teacher who came from Croatia. He attended Worcester Academy for three years beginning in the fall of 1910. While playing football there, his teammates nicknamed him "Dutch" and the name stuck with him, although its origins remained unclear.

In June 1913, he was accepted to the U.S. Military Academy. He and the rest of his class graduated two months ahead of schedule in April 1917 because of America's entry into World War I. Cota (class of 1917) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (class of 1915) got to know one another while playing football at West Point. They became and remained good friends.

World War I

After being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry at graduation from the Academy, Cota was quickly promoted to First Lieutenant and then to Captain, after only a few months. After 18 months of active duty, he was a Major. He was assigned as

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Norman Cota (1893-1971) was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts. His father, George William Cota, was a railroad telegrapher turned merchant; his mother, Jessie Mason, a school teacher born in Croatia. He got his nickname "Dutch" in the early 1910s from his football teammates at Worcester Academy, where he was studying. Cota studied at Worcester for three years, then enrolled at West Point to pursue a military career. He found himself in an illustrious class. Matthew Ridgway, future commanding officer of the 82nd "All American" Airborne Division; Joseph Lawton Collins, one of the few generals who would serve both in the Pacific and Europe, and several other of Cota's classmates would go on to serve as general officers in World War II. "Dutch" also became good friends with Dwight Eisenhower. The class graduated seven weeks ahead of schedule, on April 20, 1917, due to America's entry into World War I.