General Dwight Eisenhower talks with the commander of the 502nd regiment of the 101st airborne division, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole.
Behind Eisenhower is his naval assistant Harry Butcher. The photo was taken before the parachutists were loaded onto the planes on the eve of D-Day at the Greenham Common Airfield, Berkshire, England.
Subsequently, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Cole was awarded the Medal of Honor for the bayonet attack on the “Purple Heart Lane” near Carentan, Normandy. He was unable to receive the award, as he was killed during Operation Market Garden on September 18, 1944.
Sources of information about the photo:
Location: United Kingdom
Date: June 5, 1944