13 Oct 1951

They assembled together near the "Wyoming line" in the early morning hours of 13 October 1951, a Saturday, to begin their advance northerly over difficult terrain to reach a hill on which Chinese soldiers had established entrenched positions. Friends back home were probably in bed recovering from a hangover after watching a homecoming game. Orders had the advance starting at 5:30 am, over an hour before sunrise. A waxing gibbous moon, on this cold, clear early morning, provided light as the men of the second battalion of Fox Company, 5th regiment formed on the left flank of UN coalition forces. They were the lead element of Operation Nomad-Polar, the last major UN offensive of the Korean War. This offensive moved the Chinese and North Koreans back to the negotiating table which they had walked away from two months after negotiations started in June. The Wyoming line today is in the demilitarized zone and is near the border between North Korea and South Korea. 

News article on John 
Completing Basic Training

One of the men who assembled was my second cousin once removed (second cousin to my Dad) and it would be on this battlefield where he would breathe his last. John "Bud" Hovel was born on 14 Aug 1928 to parents John Martin Hovel and Barbara (nee Chladek). He grew up on a farm in Cerro Gordo County, IA near Plymouth, not far from where his grandfather had settled in Union Township in Worth County.  In 1950 the census records him as having completed eleventh grade and was also employed as a bellhop. He would not be alive to see the TV series MASH, from which many have knowledge of the Korean War. I am not sure if John was killed immediately, or if he made his way to a MASH. Given that he died on the first day of the advance, is identified as KIA, and available reports, it appears he  died on the battle field, and never made it to a MASH unit. 

Less than a year earlier, 8 Nov 1950, he was called to service and John Hovel would depart his home in the northcentral plains of Iowa to eventually make his way to basic training, infantry training and then to Ft Leonard Wood where he would complete his months of training in an armored division.  

One of the Objectives of Fox Co.
Highlighted in blue and it was the fight
for this hill that John Hovel was killed in action.

But, in this advance, he was not with the armored division, but was a light weapons infantryman. The primary objective of Fox Company, joined by George Company was Hill 770, known to the men at the time as "The Pearl." It has now been referred to as "an almost impregnable fortress housing a subterranean Chinese command post, complete with deeply tunneled bunkers that shielded enemy troops from air strikes and heavy artillery." Fox, John Hovel's company, would take their initial objective without contact with the enemy. At 1200  hours the 2nd battalion was subjected to 60 mm mortar rounds. At this point, Fox was in a methodical advance to take lesser objectives to meet the main goal. At 1300 hours (1 pm) they received heavy "enemy automatic weapon and small arms fire from enemy troops dug in on their objectives. Artillery and supporting fires were called to strike the enemy defenders." Through this, Fox, joined by Easy Company mid morning, continued the advance. Another source mentions that: "The combat quickly degraded into a meat-grinder of hand-to-hand combat, grenade exchanges, and close-quarters infantry assaults up steep ridge lines."

Smaller Scale map of region

One can see why combat was difficult. It was reported that "The terrain was extremely steep, barren and slippery with rubble; cover for attacking troops was nearly non-existent. Allied troops became easy targets as they climbed upward under hails of gunfire, mortar, and so many grenades it looked like flocks of blackbirds coming over.” Further, one commentator writing years late noted: "Command Reports euphemistically reported the Communists exhibited 'stubborn resistance' and “gave ground grudgingly” in this battle. Survivors know the reality was far more vicious. The Chinese were not about to give up their comparatively luxurious fortress 'grudgingly.'" It must have been hell for the members of Fox Company.

Military Record of his death

Fox claimed objective #6 at 1545 (3:45), but two enemy platoons drove them back fifteen minutes later, forcing the company to fall back to its first objective. Here is where Corporal Hovel likely died, as during this assault Fox had four wounded and two killed in action. However, by 1700 hours the lines were consolidated for the night, and a short while later a white flag went up from the Chinese troops. As troops advanced to receive the white flag they were fired upon by the Chinese. The First Battalion "advanced slowly to secure the hill. They found that the enemy had constructed a series of strong bunkers on the hilltop, covered with four feet of earth. The rest of the hill was 'honeycombed' with trenches and fighting positions. By dark they were still short of the final crest, and dug in to hold their gains." At the end of the day "'B' Company had 49 WIA and 2 KIA on the 13th". John Hovel was a member of B Company.

Grave marker, Bohemian Cemetery in Plymouth, IA
Source: Findagrave

The 5th regiment was attached to the 24th Infantry Division which in the first week of October 1951 relieved the 7th Infantry Division. However, up until the end of August 1951 the 5th regiment, had served continuously for over one year. After one month of rest, refit and reintegration of replacements, the Fox and George Companies would take the lead in Operation Nomad-Polar. I suspect this battle= hardened regiment was given this assignment as command had earlier set the roll they would play in this offensive.

It has been noted that "newspaper reports of this little-known operation drastically underplayed the reality of what happened, especially during the opening days of the offensive. History books, too, give only abbreviated nods – or no mention whatsoever – of Operation Nomad-Polar." It then goes on to say, that "Yet, it was one of the most brutal, and most costly, fights the US 24th Army Infantry Division endured during its historic tenure in Korea." Much more is known and written about the Battle at Heartbreak Ridge which ended on Oct 15, 1951, two days after this operation began. Heartbreak Ridge was mentioned several times in MASH episodes, and there is a Clint Eastwood movie about it. Not to mention being in a computer game or two. Operation Nomad-Polar is not mentioned in any of the 251 episodes of MASH. In terms of casualties and killed in action, on an average per day for the length of the battle, Nomad-Polar (1784 casualties over 11 days) had more casualties than Heartbreak Ridge (3700 casualties over 32 days), see note 1. Yet, there is no computer game, or mention of the operation in MASH. The operation fell by the wayside in history and in popular culture, but this does not take away from the sacrifices rendered. His death is mentioned in a simple almost non-descript manner in news paper articles for the area with two other Iowa men who died in the conflict near that time. Has he become but a statistic? He was one of 288 men who died in battle during the 11 days of operation Nomad-Polar.

He was one of three service men from Plymouth, IA who died in Korea; he with one other are buried at the Bohemian Cemetery. I asked a relative, in our Martin Hovel line who lives in Iowa, if his mom, who lives in Mason City not far from Plymouth, ever heard of John being mentioned, but she had not. John had two brothers, one who died in infancy and one who fathered three children. Those distant family member whereabouts are not known to me. For many October 13 is just another mid-October day. Yet history is replete of stories of sadness and happiness that often go unaccounted. This hopes that John Hovel (b 1928) is not just another statistic from the sad reality of what conflicts produce.

Sources:

https://24thida.com/24th_division/korea_nomad_helm.html

https://thekwe.org/topics/operation_nomad/operation_nomad.htm

https://24thida.com/24th_division/mcadoo_command_reports_5thRCT.html

Note 1: Casualties includes dead, missing and wounded.

Note 2: John Hovel's (b 1928) father was John Martin Hovel (b 1890) and grandfather was John Hovel (b 1847).  His grandfather was a brother to my great grandfather, Martin Hovel. Making John (b 1928) my second cousin once removed. The same generation as my dad means he and my dad were second cousins.

Note 3: This post came about after a nephew in Madison sent me an image of John's service in Korea and asked what I knew about him. I had written a Facebook post about John many years ago and provided that to my nephew. Funny, is that my nephew's parents were at the Bohemian Cemetery, and I had forgotten that John 1928 was buried there. Thanks to AI I was able to find out more about the battle in which he died than what I was able to research and write about over a decade ago in that Facebook post.