No he wasn't. He sucked as a leader. Nicknamed 'Foxhole Norman' for being a coward. Still made it to Lieutenant Colonel. He was the son of a New York state Supreme Court judge, that is why he was a 'favorite'. He went on to become an aide to Gen. Maxwell Taylor, 101st Airborne Division.
"1LT Dike Jr. was commander of Easy Company during the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne. As a ranks-climber, he was not a good commander, which resulted in several Easy Company men's deaths during their attack on Foy. During the assault on Foy, Dike had ordered a Platoon to go on a flanking mission around the rear of the town. During their charge, he abandoned the mission and ordered the men to take cover with him. Dike's sergeants informed him they were going to get killed because they were bracketed. Having no idea how to control the situation, Dike froze. 'He fell apart,' as Carwood Lipton at that time the company's first sergeant, later put it."
1LT Ronald Speirs took control of the situation and saved the day -- saved lives. Speirs was a good leader, brave, and somewhat borderline crazy.
1LT Norman Dike
1LT Ronald Speirs