Norman Dike
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Norman Dike
| Norman Dike | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Foxhole Norman |
| Born | May 19, 1918 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | June 23, 1985 (aged 67) Rolle, Switzerland |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/branch |  United States Army |
| Rank |  Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Relations | -Norman S. Dike, Sr. (father) -Evelyn M. Biddle (mother) -Robin Auchincloss (daughter) |
Lieutenant Colonel Norman Staunton Dike, Jr. (May 19, 1918 – June 23, 1985[citation needed]) was a commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Dike was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Peter O'Meara.
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Contents
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Youth
He was a graduate of Brown University[1] and the son of a New York State Supreme Court judge.[2] His mother was from the famous New York "Biddle" jewelry family.[2]
Military service
Dike was transferred from Division HQ to Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division in the first week of November 1944 becoming commanding officer.[3][4][5] During the assault on Foy, Dike had ordered a platoon to go on a flanking mission around the rear of the town.[6] During their charge, he ordered them to take cover.[6] His squad mates informed him they were going to get killed because they were sitting ducks.[6] At the same time, Captain Richard Winters, former commander of Easy Company and the Battalion X.O., tried radioing him to tell him the same thing. Having no idea how to control the situation, Dike froze.[6][7] "He fell apart," as Carwood Lipton, at that time the company's first sergeant, later put it.[6] He was relieved during fighting at Bastogne by 1LT Ronald Speirs, then moved on to become an aide to Maxwell Taylor, 101st Airborne Division.[6][8]
Winters later spoke in unflattering detail about Dike in his autobiography, Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Richard Winters. Likewise, in Brothers in Battle—Best of Friends, William Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron do not refer to him favorably.[9][10] His constant unexplained disappearances, inattention to the men under his command, and his preference for remaining in a foxhole, rather than fighting, earned him the pejorative nickname of "Foxhole Norman" among the members of Easy Company.[3]
Later years
After the war he earned his law degree from Yale University.[1] Dike died in Switzerland in 1985.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b "Alumna of Walker-Engaged to Lieut. Norman-S, Dike Jr." New York Times. 1942-05-25.
- ^ a b "Robin Auchincloss Married to a Banker". New York Times. 1986-12-19. http://www.nytimes.com/1986/12/19/style/robin-auchincloss-married-to-a-banker.html. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ a b Guarnere and Heffron, p.147.
- ^ Ambrose, p.163.
- ^ Ambrose, p.204.
- ^ a b c d e f Ambrose, pp.208-210.
- ^ Guarnere and Heffron, p.189.
- ^ World War II Honoree
- ^ Guarnere and Heffron, p.160.
- ^ Guarnere and Heffron, p.190.
Bibliography
- Guarnere, William J., and Edward J. Heffron, with Robyn Post (2008). Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends: Two WWII Paratroopers from the Original Band of Brothers Tell Their Story. Berkley Trade. ISBN 0-425-22436-8.
- Ambrose, Stephen E. (1992). Band of Brothers: Easy Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7434-6411-6.
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