Hugh M. Cole
Encyclopedia
Hugh Marshall Cole was an American
historian
and army
officer, best known as the author of The Lorraine Campaign
and The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge, two volumes of the U.S. Army official history of World War II
.
Born in Pittsford, Michigan, Cole studied as a young man and achieved his doctorate
in history
in 1937 from the University of Minnesota
. He taught at both Macalester College
and the University of Chicago
until 1942.
Cole became a U.S. Army officer in 1942. After serving as the chief of foreign area and language studies for the Army Specialized Training Program, he was assigned as a historical officer on the staff of General Patton
's Third Army, with whom he participated in four campaigns in northern Europe.
Subsequently, Cole served as the European Theater deputy historian, and then as theater historian in December 1945. After leaving military service, he joined the Office of the Chief of Military History in Washington and supervised the preparation of the official histories of the U.S. Army in northwestern Europe during World War II. His own contributions to these works were The Lorraine Campaign (1950) and The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge (1965).
Following his work with OCMH, Cole worked as an operations research
specialist with the Johns Hopkins University's Operations Research Office and later with the Research Analysis Corporation. During 1976-77, Cole held the Harold K. Johnson Chair of Military History at the Army War College.
Cole died on June 5, 2005 of peripheral vascular disease in Alexandria, Virginia.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
officer, best known as the author of The Lorraine Campaign
Lorraine Campaign
Lorraine Campaign is a term used by U.S. Army historians to describe operations of the U.S. Third Army in Lorraine during World War II from September 1 through December 18, 1944. Official U.S. Army campaign names for this period and location are Northern France and Rhineland. The term was...
and The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge, two volumes of the U.S. Army official history of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Born in Pittsford, Michigan, Cole studied as a young man and achieved his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
in 1937 from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. He taught at both Macalester College
Macalester College
Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
until 1942.
Cole became a U.S. Army officer in 1942. After serving as the chief of foreign area and language studies for the Army Specialized Training Program, he was assigned as a historical officer on the staff of General Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
's Third Army, with whom he participated in four campaigns in northern Europe.
Subsequently, Cole served as the European Theater deputy historian, and then as theater historian in December 1945. After leaving military service, he joined the Office of the Chief of Military History in Washington and supervised the preparation of the official histories of the U.S. Army in northwestern Europe during World War II. His own contributions to these works were The Lorraine Campaign (1950) and The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge (1965).
Following his work with OCMH, Cole worked as an operations research
Operations research
Operations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
specialist with the Johns Hopkins University's Operations Research Office and later with the Research Analysis Corporation. During 1976-77, Cole held the Harold K. Johnson Chair of Military History at the Army War College.
Cole died on June 5, 2005 of peripheral vascular disease in Alexandria, Virginia.
Education
- B.A., Wheaton CollegeWheaton College (Illinois)Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
, 1931. - M.A. and Ph.D.Ph.D.A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
, University of MinnesotaUniversity of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, 1933, 1937.