Cole's Charge

"Very little goes through your mind when you're knocked out by a bomb from a low flying Stuka. You're not really awake or asleep, you're just sort of... there. It's pleasant really, while you're out. But somewhere in the back of your mind you know when you come back, it won't be pleasant. God, I hate being right all the time."

— Baker's Monologue

Cole's Charge is the 15th chapter of Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30. It introduced to the final character to the team and replaced the late Desola, Pfc. Courtland. It also demonstrates the famous 'Cole's Charge' in this chapter.

Summary[]

Carentan is defended from the outskirts. Lt. Colonel Robert Cole has a bold plan to rout the defenders...

Plot[]

Baker woke up from his knock out yesterday and helped by Corrion. It is revealed that Desola died in a gruesome death and Red was grieving silently. Corrion asked Red to come to Cole for the charge, before that Red throw his helmet to the river. Baker and Red arrived to Cole and welcomed by Obi. Cole lay down the plans to capture the farmhouse as a CP for the attack on Carentan.

As the artillery fired smoke into the battlefield, the paratroopers charged into the smoke with the Germans confused. Cole charged valiantly with Baker's squad joining him. They managed to clear the main line of defense and the farmhouse itself.

Their new objective is to clear the remaining defenders around the farmhouse. Baker's squad faced resistance from the Germans as use their surroundings as cover with one MG near the farmhouse. They managed to clear all the Germans in the area and later praised by Mac who arrived as reinforcement.

Objectives[]

Capture the farmhouse[]

Lt. Colonel Cole is leading a charge to uproot the German defense of Carentan. The Ingouf farm will become his command post.

Secure the area behind the farmhouse[]

With the farm cleared, the fight is not over. Clear the area of enemies and hold it against any counter-attacks.

Characters[]

Lieutenant Colonel Robert G. Cole
Staff Sergeant Gregory Hassay
Sergeant Matthew Baker (Playable)
Corporal Samuel Corrion
Corporal Joseph Hartsock
Private First Class Jack Courtland (does not speak)
Private First Class Kevin Leggett (does not speak)
Private First Class Stephan Obrieski
Private First Class Harry Wheaton (cameo)
Private First Class Thomas Zanovich (does not speak)
Private Michael Desola (corpse only)
Private Dale McCreary
Private James York (cameo)

Weapons[]

American Weapons[]

German Weapons[]

Kar 98k
MP 40
MG 42 (Mounted)

Teams[]

Fire Team[]

Cpl. Hartsock - B.A.R. M1918
Pfc. Zanovich - M1 Garand
Pfc. Obrieski - M1 Garand

Assault Team[]

Cpl. Corrion - M1A1 Thompson
Pfc. Courtland - M1A1 Carbine
Pvt. McCreary - M1A1 Carbine

Transcript[]

Main article: Cole's Charge/Transcript

Extras[]

Col's Antal's Weapons Training for Gearbox - Easy[]

Col's Antal's Weapons Training for Gearbox (1)

A team of Gearbox developers at a live fire shoot in Ft. Hood, TX. The team fired authentic WW2 weapons to record their sounds.

Col's Antal's Weapons Training for Gearbox (2)

US Army Major Petraka assisted the Gearbox team during the shoot. Here, he insturcts the group in the use of a German K-98 rifle.

Col's Antal's Weapons Training for Gearbox (3)

Colonel Antal (left) holds an M1 Garand while Major Petraka holds a K-98.

Col's Antal's Weapons Training for Gearbox (4)

Colonel Antal at the indoor range fires a M1911 caliber .45 pistol.

Col's Antal's Weapons Training for Gearbox (5)

Gearbox artist, Jen Wildes, shoots.

Col's Antal's Weapons Training for Gearbox (6)

Ubisoft's Marc Blondeau is trained by Colonel Antal in the operation of the M1 Garand.

Col's Antal's Weapons Training for Gearbox (7)

Ubisoft's Matthieu Boulard with the M1.

Col's Antal's Weapons Training for Gearbox (8)

Randy Pitchford (left), Colonel John Antal (center) and Brian Martel (right) pose in front of a tank they each operated from the gunner's position.

Lt.Col. Cole's CMH Citation - Normal[]

Lt. Col. Robert Cole earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for "Cole's Charge". he is the sole CMH Winner in the entire 101st ABD in Normandy.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty on 11 June 1944, in France. Lt. Col. Cole was personally leading his battalion in forcing the last 4 bridges on the road to Carentan while his entire unit was suddenly pinned to the ground by intense and withering enemy rifle, machine gun, mortar, and artillery fire placed upon them from well-prepared and heavily fortified positions within 150 yards of the foremost elements. After the devastating and unceasing enemy fire had for over 1 hour prevented any move and inflicted numerous casualties, Lt. Col. Cole, observing this almost hopeless situation, courageously issued orders to assault the enemy positions with fixed bayonets.

With utter disregard for his own completely safety and completely ignoring the enemy fire, he rose to his feet in front of his battalion and with drawn pistol shouted to his men to follow him in the assault. Catching up a fallen man's rifle and bayonet, he charged on and led the remnants of his battalion across the bullet-swept open ground and into enemy position. His heroic and valiant action in so inspiring his men resulted in the complete establishment of our bridgehead across the Douve River. The cool fearlessness, personal bravery, and outstanding leadership displayed by Lt. Col. Cole reflect great credit upon himself and are worthy of the highest praise in the military service.

Ingouf Farmhouse, Then and Now and In Game - Difficult[]

This aerial reconnaissance photograph was taken shortly before the invasion. The Ingouf farmhouse (center) became Lt. Col. Cole's command post.

Lt. Col. Cole stands in front of the Ingouf farmhouse for this photograph taken hours after the action.

60 years after the fight, Randy Pitchford stands in front of the house with the woman who lives here today.

The Ingouf Farmhouse as it appears in Brothers in Arms.

Cole's Charge Official After Action Reports - Authentic[]

Cole's Charge Official After Action Reports (1)

This is one of about 60 pages in the Official After Action Reports that cover Lt. Col. Robert Cole's attack into Carentan.

Cole's Charge Official After Action Reports (2) — An excerpt from the AAR describing the first moments of the charge from Cole's perspective.

Cole trotted halfway across the field. Then he stopped, knelt on one knee and looked back. Fire was clipping the grass all around him and more of it was passing overhead. He saw that his men were trailing behind him...

Cole's Charge Official After Action Reports (3) — Another excerpt from the AAR.

He kept firing his Colt .45 wildly in the general direction of the farm house and as he fired he yelled: "God damn, I don't know what I'm shooting at, but I gotta keep on." (His exact words as recalled by Cole and by several of the men who heard him and who remembered that they laughed at the spectacle.) About 5 or 6 men were killed by bullet fire...

Cole's Charge Official After Action Reports (4)

Lt. Col. Robert Cole was the only 101st Airborne Division Paratrooper to be awarded the Congressional Medal of honor in the Normandy Campaign.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

At the start of the level, if you look back at the ruined 'Belgian gate' the 3 dead men had the exact same death pose.
If one carefully inspects the corpses at the bridge, one of them uses the model of Allen Garnett's dead body, and Richard Doe's for that matter.
This is 1 of 2 levels that Red is without his Helmet on account he threw it in the stream,before he got it back.
You can find Desola's corpse in one of the multiplayer maps of Road to Hill 30 if you walk to the edge of the map towards the bridge behind the American starting point.

Difference in the PS2 version[]

The part where Corrion said to Baker "We thought you were dead! Matt, Desola didn't make it..." was cut.
Desola's mutilated corpse is on a different spot, Allen and Garnett's dead bodies was also used on the bridge.
Courtland uses an M1 Garand.
Corrion and McCreary are part of the Base-of-Fire team, while Obrieski is under the Assault Team.
Zanovich is absent..
Cole uses M1 Garand is labelled as a part of an Assault Team.
Mac uses an M1 Garand, Red uses an M1 Carbine.
When Cole yelled "Charge!" A dramatic song starts playing.