Albert Leroy Cobb, Jr. was born on 21 Apr 1922 in Savannah, GA and died on 6 Jun 1944 in Normandy, France as the result of hostile action on D-Day in WWII. His parents were Albert Leroy Cobb, Sr. (1901-1952) and Rebie Newton (1900-1990). He was a high school graduate and he had 1 older brother and 1 older sister. Prior to entering the Army, he worked as a delivery boy for e telegram messenger service. Albert was not married

Albert enlisted in the Army National Guard in the Field Artillery on 16 Sep 1940 in Savannah, GA. His service number was 20407543. He attended basic training at Fort Jackson, SC and was with the 118th Field Artillery Battalion. In May 1942, he applied for paratrooper training and was accepted and trained at Fort Benning, GA to be a paratrooper. He was a Private (PVT} in the Headquarters Company, 502d Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 101st Airborne Division. The 502nd PIR was activated on 2 Mar 1942 at Fort Benning, GA and in Aug of that year moved to Fort Bragg, NC to join up with the 101st Airborne Division. During 1942-1943, the 502nd PIR took part in the 101st’s grueling training program and participated in a series of wargames in the Carolinas and Tennessee. On 4 Sep 1943, the 502nd PIR boarded the USS Strathnaver and sailed to England. It is known that Pvt Cobb deployed to England in Aug 1943 so he would have deployed with the regiment. Because of ship problems, the 502nd stopped in St. John’s, Newfoundland. On 4 Oct 1943, the unit boarded the SS John Ericsson which took them to London, arriving on 18 Oct 1943. They were located in the small villages of Chilton Foliat and Denford in Berkshire where they continued to train for the Normandy invasion for the next 7 months. On about 5 Jun 1943, the 502nd PIR flew out of RAF Membury and RAF Greenham Common on C-47 aircraft heading for Normandy. Their mission was to land behind Utah Beach and enemy lines and secure 2 causeways leading inland from Utah Beach. Coming in unguided, the formations of C-47’s broke up due to a combination of low clouds, bad weather and heavy enemy anti-aircraft fire. Some planeloads from Company A were dropped over the English Channel and the paratroopers drowned. Pvt Cobb survived the airborne drop but received fragmentation wounds from enemy fire at some point on 6 Jun. He was being treated on a hospital ship when it was strafed by enemy aircraft and Pvt Cobb was killed.

Pvt Cobb’s remains were initially buried at temporary cemetery #3584 (block I, row 7, grave 129), the Saint Mere Eglise Cemetery #1, Carentan, France. He was eventually buried at the Normandy American Cemetery (plot E, row 5, grave 8), Colleville-sur-Mer, France. He is memorialized at the Greenwich Cemetery, in Savannah, GA. Pvt Cobb was awarded the Purple Heart.

References:

US Census

Find a Grave

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/502nd_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)

https://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/502/502.html

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Cobb, Albert L., Jr., Pvt