oseph served as a Staff Sergeant, Headquarters Company, Office of Strategic Services, U.S. Navy during World War II. He resided in Cuyahoga County, Ohio prior to the war. He immigrated to the United States from Czechoslovakia (Present day Slovakia) as a teenager with his family in 1928. He enlisted in the Army on May 6, 1943 in Cleveland, Ohio. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Machinist and also as Single, without dependents. The Office of Strategic Services, of which he was a member, was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the main World War II intelligence agency, and a predecessor of today's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Information on this office's records and activities were not released until 2008. SSgt Joseph J. Horvath was a member of what was called the "Dawes Team". The Dawes Team was sent into Czechoslovakia (Present Day Slovakia) to rescue downed American/Allied airmen on September 17, 1944. The original team included Lt. James H. Green, Cpl Robert R. Brown, S/Sgt Joseph J. Horvath, and M/Sgt Jerry G. Mican. Later in September they were joined by a two man team with the code name of "Houseboat" which included SP(X)2 Charles S. Heller and Private John Schwartz. On October 7, 1944 a team called the "Bowery Team" were sent to the region and that team was comprised of 1st Lt. Tibor K. Keszthelyi, Steve Catlos, and civilians using the code names Francis Moly and Stephen Cora. On October 17, 1944 Lt. James H. Gaul, Lane Miller, William McGregor, Kenneth Lain, J. Dunlevy and photographer Nelson Paris, joined the "Dawes Team". Sometime in October, 1st Lt. Francis Perry was sent in under code name "Dare" to join the "Dawes Team". He was to represent the German Austrian desk collecting information on Slovak headquarters and exploring the possibility of courier routes over the frontier. Two other civilians also were dropped at the same time. Emil Tomes, an American who lived in Slovakia, was sent in to work independently on counterintelligence, and Associated Press correspondent Joseph Morton. SSgt Joseph J. Horvath was captured by the German SS in Slovakia and was taken to the Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria. Joseph was tortured and then "Executed While A POW" by the German SS. His remains were cremated. He was awarded the "Bronze Star", Prisoner Of War Medal, Purple Heart, and the Chinese Order of Ynu-Hui. Service # 35061455 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OSS members executed at Mauthausen Concentration Camp: Baranski, Edward V ~ Capt, Army, Illinois, "Day Team" Brown, Robert R ~ Corp, Army, Illinois, "Dawes Team" Gaul, James H ~ Lt, Navy, New York, "Dawes Team" Green, James Holt ~ Lt, Navy, North Carolina, "Dawes Team" Heller, Charles S ~ SP(X)2, Navy, Illinois, "Dawes Team" Horvath, Joseph J ~ S/Sgt, Army, Ohio, "Dawes Team" Keszthelyi, Tibor K ~ 1st Lt, Army, New York, "Bowery Team" Mican, Jerry G ~ M/Sgt, Army, Illinois, "Dawes Team" Morton, Joseph ~ Civilian, War correspondent, AP, "Dawes Team" Paris, Nelson B ~ PhoM1C, Navy, Oregon, "Dawes Team" Pavletich, Daniel ~ Civilian, "Day Team" Perry, Francis ~ 1st Lt, Army, New York, "Dawes Team" British Military executed at Mauthausen Concentration Camp: Sehmer, John ~ Maj, Army, British ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two others, with the last names of "Willis" & "Wilson" were also executed with the above group. It is unknown if they were American Military, British Military, or civilians. Steve J. Catlos, who was an U.S. Army Soldier and a member of the "Bowery Team" evaded capture and survived the war. Private John Schwartz, William McGregor, Kenneth Lain, and J. Dunlevy members of the "Dawes Team" all became POW's and survived the war. Anton Novak, a civilian with the "Day Team" escaped capture and survived the war.
Source: Find a Grave