| Roy Cobb | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Cobb |
| Born | June 18, 1914 New York |
| Died | January 1990 (aged 75) Niagara, New York |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1933-1945 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | |
Private Roy W. Cobb (June 18, 1914 - January 1990)[1] was a soldier who served with the 1st Armored Division years before enlisting in the paratroopers with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army during World War II. During his military service, Roy's rank was always Private. Cobb was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Craig Heaney.
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Cobb had served in the army for nine years prior to enlisting in the Parachute Infantry.[2] During that time, he partook in an assault landing in Africa with the 1st Armored Division.[2] He survived a torpedo attack that sank the troop ship he was on when traveling back to the States.[2]
In World War II, during the drop into Normandy on June 6, 1944, he was wounded inside the plane and was unable to jump. Ironically, Cobb had exchanged seats with George Luz due to Luz wanting to jump earlier in the stick. Luz was having fears of being hit in the plane and not being able to jump.[3] After recovering in England, Cobb rejoined his unit after they were relieved from combat operations in France; he took part in Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands, and also fought in the Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne. In January/February 1945, he was selected for a patrol at Haguenau under Jack Foley.[4]
When the patrol commenced, Cobb's raft he was riding capsized, sending the men in the frigid water of the Moder River. They were then ordered to remain behind by an officer. The rest of the patrol returned with two live prisoners, while one severely wounded German was left on the opposite side of the river. David Kenyon Webster feared the wounded German, if recovered, would give away the outpost's position and threaten their safety, therefore he offered to silence the wounded soldier. Webster and another paratrooper each threw 2 grenades, none of which killed the German. Cobb later made one attempt with a grenade of his own, killing the wounded soldier.
Cobb was discharged from service after assaulting Jack Foley, his platoon commander, in Haguenau, after consuming a bottle of schnapps.[5] While handing the court-martial papers in, Robert Sink said, "Foley, you could have saved us all a lot of trouble. You should have shot him."[5]
Cobb died in January 1990 at Niagara, New York.
He was portrayed in Band of Brothers by Craig Heaney as a very unfriendly, bitter, and at some moments a cowardly person. This is thought to be because he served so long in the army but was never promoted. However, he is described in Stephen E. Ambrose's book Band of Brothers as invariably good-natured. One controversial note occurred during the episode "The Last Patrol", in which Cobb gets drunk after the patrol and is mildly scolded by Second Lieutenant Jones and Staff Sergeant John Martin.
In reality, Cobb was being yelled at by Jack Foley, who led the patrol, and Cobb eventually charged at Foley. Two men had to restrain him and John Martin pulled out his pistol and pointed it at him.[6] This moment was not portrayed in the series, but several other events depicting him as bitter were shown in the series but never mentioned in the book.