John Norton, 86; D-Day Veteran Refined Role of Combat Helicopters

John “Jack” Norton, an Army lieutenant general who as a young officer parachuted into Normandy on D-day and later helped pioneer the Army’s use of helicopters in battle, has died. He was 86.

Norton died Dec. 6 of cancer at his home in Basye, Va.

He spent nearly 40 years in the Army, joining in the mid-1930s. After two years as an enlisted man, he won an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. At West Point, the faculty named him first captain of the Class of 1941, an honor bestowed on one cadet a year for academic achievement and leadership.

During World War II, Norton was a paratrooper with the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division, and on D-day he jumped behind German lines into the French village of St. Mere-Eglise, where a museum now honors the paratroopers.

Norton also participated in the Battle of the Bulge and saw combat in Italy, Belgium and Germany. In January 1946, he helped plan a victory parade in New York, leading the troops of the 82nd Airborne.

In the late 1940s, Norton assisted Army Gen. James Gavin in planning policies to coordinate airborne activities with the newly formed Air Force. From 1950 to 1953, he was executive officer to Secretary of the Army Frank Pace Jr. He spent the next several years in Yugoslavia, administering a federal aid program.

After receiving certification as an airplane and helicopter pilot in 1956, Norton had a major role in shaping aviation within the Army. In 1962, he was a member of the Howze Board, directed by Lt. Gen. Hamilton Howze, that devised the Army’s modern doctrine of using airpower in wartime. Among other things, it outlined the use of helicopters in combat.

Norton became commanding general of the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division in South Vietnam in 1966, implementing the air cavalry recommendations he helped frame four years before.

From 1970 to 1973, he was commanding general of the Combat Development Command at Ft. Belvoir, Va., where he supervised the early steps of building the Black Hawk helicopter and the M-1 Abrams tank.

In his last Army job, from 1973 to 1975, Norton was deputy commander in chief of NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command in Naples, Italy.

He received the Distinguished Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters; the Silver Star; the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters; two Bronze Stars, the Air Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Norton was born in Fort Monroe, Va., and grew up in Norfolk. After his retirement from the Army, he worked with other military leaders in advising Pentagon officials and members of Congress. He helped prepare three documentaries about airborne operations during World War II for the History Channel.

He was a member of the Army Aviation Hall of Fame; in September, he received the Doughboy Award for his contributions to combat infantry.

Norton, who was widowed twice, is survived by three children, a sister, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.