Additional Resources Relating to Robert Cohen's Interview
Online Resources on World War II and D-Day:
- A topic page on World War II from Credo Reference.
- A topic page from Gale US History in Context. This page focuses on Pearl Harbor and the push for US involvement with the war.
- From Gale US History in Context, a summary of World War II in Africa.
- A summary, timeline, and photos about the French Resistance from the World War II Database.
- A topic page on D-Day from Credo Reference.
- An overview of the Normandy area from Credo Reference.
- D-Day guide from the History Channel.
- From the United States Army's website, a comprehensive look at D-Day.
- This map shows how various groups landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. From History Matters website.
- Visit the Paley Center in New York City (or LA) to watch the PBS special twenty years after D-Day with Eisenhower. More information on this speical can be found here.
- PBS also covered D-Day in their American Experience special series. On this page, a reader can find additional information on D-Day, timeline, maps, and even a guide for teachers.
Books from NYPL's catalog:
- World War II: A Short History by Norman Stone, published 2013. This book gives a concise overview of the entire war from an award-winning historian and author.
- World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years, 1941-1945 by Norman Polmar, published 1996. More of a resource book for people, places, and battles that occurred during World War II.
- An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson, published 2003. This book is about Operation Torch and the North Africa campaign during World War II.
- No Surrender: A World War II Memoir by James Sheeran, published 2011. Sheeran was a paratrooper who landed on the beaches of France on D-Day. He is captured by the Germans and eventually escapes and fights with the French.
- The Steel Wave by Jeff Shaara, published 2008. A fictional account of an Allie soldier who lands on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Items Related to Stories in Interview:
- Cohen joined the army because he was drafted. From the World War II Museum in New Orleans, a short summary about conscription during the 1940s along with links to primary source documents from the period. For even more information, head to Gale US History in Context for a longer article about conscription during the 1940s.
- Cohen's first training camp was Camp Wolters near Mineral Wells, Texas. See a few pictures of the camp from the Texas Military Forces Museum.
- One of Cohen's first locations abroad was Oran, North Africa. From Credo Reference, an in-depth history on this city.
- While Cohen did not spend a lot of time in Africa, the campaign in Africa was still a crucial element of World War II. The BBC has an animated map of the major battles and cities while the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum has an article about Operation Torch, one of the most important campaigns in Africa.
- The Yalta Agreement was in effect near the end of Cohen's service. From Gale US History in Context, a brief summary of this agreement and the Yalta Conference. Also, a New York Times article reflecting on the agreement 60 years after the fact and a short overview of the agreement from USA Today is available to read.
- One of Cohen's heroes appeared to be General Eisenhower. See Gale US History in Context topic page about Eisenhower for more information and links to additional sources or check out The Supreme Commander: The War Years of Dwight D. Eisenhower by Stephen Ambrose from NYPL.
- Cohen was a BAR man at one point. He operated a Browning automatic rifle. Definition from Credo Reference.
- A picture of Lion Mountain and where Cohen completed training in Africa. From the Southern Utah University Library.
- From Credo Reference, a timeline of the invasion of Italy.
- The preparations for the Allies to invade Italy, 1943, from US Army Center of Military History.
- Cohen was part of Operation Tiger, which occurred on Slapton Sands, and to some is considered one of the biggest cover ups of World War II. The Navy Department Library has a page devoted to this exercise and there is even a whole website dedicated as a memorial to the men who died when the German E-boats attacked. They provide a "what happened" page as well. Finally, request Nigel Lewis' 1990 book called Exercise Tiger: The Dramatic True Story of A Hidden Tragedy of World War II.
- The famous general Erwin Rommel is mentioned by Cohen. Watch an American History video about him or read an article from History in Dispute about his fame as a general. Both were found through Gale US History in Context.
- While Cohen was switching between brigades, he was placed in replacement depots, "repple depples." From Credo Reference.
- The obituary for Granville Attaway Sharpe, the youngest lieutenant colonel in World War II.
- Cohen mentions the Remagen Bridge as extremely important to his group because they could safely cross the Rhine. Ralph Stern also talks about this bridge which in 1945, was the focal point of a major battle that is a decisive victory for the Allies. Learn more about this battle from Ken Hechler's 1993 book entitled The Bridge at Remagen: The Amazing Story of March 7, 1945 -- The Day the Rhine River Was Crossed.
- The history of the 1st Infantry Division, also known as the Big Red, of which Cohen was a part of.
- An article about another military policeman during World War II. From Las Vegas Review Journal.
- Cohen tells a story about his friend Wally Cox and meeting Marlon Brando's raccoon. Watch Cox in the classic 1950s TV show What's My Line? or read a brief biography from Gale US History in Context.
- One of Cohen's favorite books is The Boys' Crusade by Paul Fussell, published 2003.
- A short history about the ruptured duck pin Cohen talks about at the end of his interview.
Other Resources:
- The National World War II Musuem in New Orleans.
- From now until May 27, 2013, the New York Historical Society has a special exhibit on World War II.
- The War is a Ken Burns film that looks at four towns in American and how World War II impacted them.
Return to Robert Cohen's Interview
Return to The NYC Veterans Oral History Homepage