Pfc William Horner
(left) and a soldier named Donahue after William
was awarded the
Silver Star on 27 February 1945. (picture
courtesy of Mr. Ed Husted and Mr. Buol Hinman)
Pfc William Horner
(right) being awarded the Silver Star on 27
February 1945 by Major Morris.
(picture courtesy of Mr. Ed Husted and Mr. Buol
Hinman)
A few months later, William
was killed near Magdeburg, Germany. The history
of the 82nd Engineer Combat Battalion reads:
"By April 11th, forward
elements of the 2nd Armored Division had reached
the Elbe River south of Magdeburg. The 82nd
moved, with the rest of the division, into an
assembly area at Grass Ottersleben the next day.
Preparations were immediately made for the
battalion to assist the 17th Armored Engineers
in construction of a bridge at Wester-Husen.
To secure the bridgehead, Company-A manned
assault boats to ferry the 41st Infantry across
the river. Once the Infantry was deployed
Company-C began bridge construction.. Everything
proceeded well until early morning when the
enemy realized what was happening and began to
shell the site. German accuracy was hampered for
a while as A-Company laid down a smoke screen
but as the bridge neared the far shore intense
shelling was laying direct hits on the bridge
forcing abandonment of the site shortly after
mid-day.
Orders were then received for the 82nd to
construct a bridge and a ferry at the village of
Schonebeck, a few miles south of Wester-Husen.
Before daylight the next morning, as the
infantry pushed down from their previous
bridge-head to secure the Shonebeck area,
Company-C began construction of the bridge.
At 7:30 a.m. The Germans launched a
counterattack on infantry troops holding the
bridgehead and began shelling the bridge site.
Bridging parties, on the near side, watched as
the enemy surrounded 41st Infantry troops. The
fight was intense and many of the infantry were
forced to surrender. Faced with mortar and small
arms fire and without bridgehead protection,
work on the bridge was suspended."
William was most likely
killed in this German counter attack.
Pfc William Horner is
buried at Netherlands American Cemetery in
Margraten, Plot G Row 19 Grave 3.
Margraten, The Netherlands
See also:
Pvt Harris Hill
Other
casualties
of the
82nd Engineer Combat Battalion
Sources and
Acknowledgements:
Mr. Buol Hinman, Co A, 82nd Engineer Combat
Battalion
Mr. Edward Husted, 82nd Engineer Combat
Battalion
82nd Engineer Combat Battalion website
Directions to
Margraten American Military Cemetery
Posted 22 June
2009
If you have any suggestions, comments or
additional information, please
contact me.
This website is
dedicated to the men and women who died
and/or are buried in The Netherlands during
World War II.
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