Oliver Horton was born on September 12, 1912 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
On the morning of October 5, 1944, Major Oliver Massee Horton, the commanding officer (CO) of 3rd Battalion, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division, was fatally wounded in a position, close to the railway station of Opheusden, which lies near the Linge Canal at the south end of the town. Some men have reported that a mortar round got him, while he walked westwards along the same railroad tracks, in the vicinity of the railway station of Opheusden. This is how his untimely death is described in Ian Gardner’s book, ‘Deliver us from Darkness’ (p.196):
“As we were preparing to pull back from the pillbox, Horton arrived and asked where we thought where we were going,” remember Hank Di Carlo. “I respectfully replied that there was now heavy machine-gun fire coming down the tracks and that we would be surrounded and killed if we stayed a minute longer. I couldn’t believe it when the major stepped out from behind the bunker and was struck in the midsection by one of the machine-guns that I’d just warned him about! We laid Horton down on the protected side of the blockhouse; there was nothing on earth we could do for him and he died a few minutes later. I looked at my watch and it said 10:20 hrs.”
Shortly afterwards, a jeep from B/326 collected Horton’s body and took it to the regimental aid station at the local Dorpschool (local village school) in Zetten at the Kerkstraat (Churchstreet). Major Horton was a well-liked officer, known by all because of his strong Southern drawl. Pfc. Raymond Skully describes his positive memories and feelings about serving with Major Horton on p. 25 of ‘Deliver us from Darkness’:
“Although it was upsetting to leave G Co., I was excited to discover that the other aspect of my assignment was to provide close protection for Major Horton. The major treated me well and personally I think he was equal in professionalism to Col Wolverton.” (The 3 Bn CO who was tragically killed during the D-Day jump in Normandy before even setting one foot on French soil.)
Major Oliver M. Oliver was born on September 12, 1912, in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, which was the hometown of his family. After completing high school, he studied ceramic engineering at the North Carolina State College, where he was a member of the RHO chapter. He registered for the draft in 1940.
Major Oliver Horton jumped with the 506th PIR into France in the early morning hours on D-Day, June 6, 1944, the invasion of Germany's Fortress Europe. After the loss of 3rd Bn’s CO, LTC. Wolverton, Major Horton, who was the S2 of the battalion, as well as Ltc. Strayer’s XO in Second Battalion for a while, became the acting commander of the unit during their time in Normandy as of June 19, 1944. He made his 2nd combat jump into the Netherlands, during the Operation Market Garden. On October 5, 1944, just shortly after he had turned 32 years old, he was killed in action on the Island. He left behind a brother named Exum and a sister Lillian (Ammons) Horton. He was preceded in death by his mother Clyde Horton who died on February 7, 1934, his father, Robert Lee Horton Sr., who died on August 14, 1941, and his brother Robert Lee Horton Jr., who died at the age of 2 years old on May 27, 1910. Major Horton was initially buried at the temporary Molenhoek Cemetery, Nijmegen (code 4655; block G, Row 1, Grave 3), the Netherlands, after which he was interred at the Netherlands American Cemetery at Margraten (Plot G, Row 1, Grave 11). For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy, Major Horton was bestowed with a Silver Star Medal (by general Orders No. 37 (1944) of the Headquarters, 101st Airborne Division). He was posthumously also awarded a Purple Heart. He may have also been qualified for the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Distinguished Unit Citation, the Good Conduct Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. A bridge in Opheusden is dedicated to Major Horton.
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