Norman Dike
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First Lieutenant Norman Dike was an officer in World War II who was thought to be a favorite of a high-ranking official of the U.S. Army. While the 101st was still in Holland, Norman was transferred from Division HQ to Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, shortly before the Battle of the Bulge and became their commanding officer.
He gained the name "Foxhole Norman" after four weeks in Holland and was considered by almost the entire company to be an incompetent leader. Captain Ronald Speirs relieved Dike when Easy Company made an assault on the town of Foy, and Dike served the rest of his military career as a runner for General Maxwell Taylor. Richard Winters, the most famous commander of Easy Company, spoke in unflattering detail about Dike in his autobiography, Beyond Band of Brothers; The War Memoirs of Major Richard Winters.
First Lieutenant Norman Dike was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Peter O'Meara.
[edit] References
- Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, Stephen Ambrose, Simon & Schuster, 1992. ISBN 0-7434-6411-7
- Beyond Band of Brothers : The war memoirs of Major Dick Winters , Major Dick Winters (with Cole C. Kingseed), Berkley Hardcover, 2006. ISBN 0-425-20813-3
