This Military Service Page was created/owned by
SSgt David Nowak
to remember
Marine Cpl Stanley Nowak, Jr. (Stats).
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Casualty Info
Home Town North Tonawanda
Last Address North Tonawanda, NY
Casualty Date Jun 11, 1951
Cause KIA-Died of Wounds
Reason Gun, Small Arms Fire
Location Korea, North
Conflict Korean War
Location of Interment Elmlawn Cemetery - Town of Tonawanda, New York
Wall/Plot Coordinates Evergreen Section D Lot 203 Northwest Grave
Korean War/First UN Counteroffensive (1951)/Pohang Guerrilla Hunt
From Month/Year
January / 1951
To Month/Year
January / 1951
Description In early 1951, the 1st Marine Division rooted out remnants of a North Korean division that had infiltrated the region surrounding Pohang and threatened X Corps headquarters at Taegu. Dubbed the "Pohang Guerrilla Hunt," the campaign sought to secure this area as it held the only usable port on Korea's southeastern coast, the main supply route for east-central Korea, and three vital airfields. The VIVO-6 ground support elements moved from Masan to Pohang by air, truck convoy, and ship beginning on 13 January 1951. The move was complete by 16 February. Pohang's mountainous and forested terrain hid the enemy who quickly broke up into small groups when the Marines arrived. The solution was saturation patrolling. The Marines sent out fire-team and squad-sized patrols operating from platoon- and com-pany-bases to flush out enemy stragglers. Helicopters were used for observation, reconnaissance, laying wire, command and control, medical evacuations, re-supply of isolated small units, and trans-portation of fire teams to remote hilltops. The guerrillas were driven underground by relentless Marine pressure, but not decisively defeated. In the words of the official history: "In retrospect, had [a full] squadron of helicopters been available . . . its quick lift . . . increased mobility and surveillance would have made quite a difference in the conduct of action." Unrealized at the time, the use of helicopters at Pohang was actually a foretaste of the methods that would be used by the U.S. Marines and Army on a much larger scale.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
January / 1951
To Month/Year
January / 1951
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
People You Remember Chain of Command:
Commanding General, 1st Marine Division (Rein):
MajGen Oliver P. Smith----------------------- (to 23 Feb 1951) BrigGen Louis B. (Chesty) Puller------------- (from 24 Feb 1951 to 4 March 1951) MajGen Oliver P. Smith----------------------- (from 5 March 1951 to 24 April 1951) MajGen Gerald C. Thomas---------------------- (from 25 April 1951)
BrigGen Edward A. Craig---------------------- (to 20 Jan 1951) MajGen Edward A. Craig----------------------- (from 21 Jan 1951 to 1 Feb 1951) BrigGen Lewis B. (Chesty) Puller------------- (from 2 Feb 1951 to 19 May 1951) BrigGen William J. Whaling------------------- (from 20 May 1951)
Commander, 1st Marine Regiment:
Col. Lewis B. (Chesty) Puller---------------- (to 24 Jan 1951) Col. Francis M. McAlister-------------------- (from 25 Jan 1951 to 19 May 1951) Col. Wilburt S. (Big Foot) Brown------------- (from 19 May 1951)
Executive Officer, 1st Marine Regiment:
LtCol Robert W. Rickert---------------------- (from 16 Jan 1951 to 11 Feb 1951) LtCol Alan Sutter---------------------------- (from 12 Feb 1951 to 30 May 1951) LtCol Donald M. Schmuck---------------------- (from 31 May 1951)
Commander, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment:
LtCol Donald M. Schmuck---------------------- (to 27 Feb 1951) LtCol Robley E. West------------------------- (from 28 Feb 1951)
Maj Robley E. West--------------------------- (to 27 Feb 1951) Maj David W. Bridges------------------------- (from 28 Feb 1951)
Commander, "A" Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines:
Capt Robert H. Barrow------------------------ (to 30 Jan 1951) Capt Thomas J. Bohannon---------------------- (from 31 Jan 1951 to 30 June 1951) 1stLt Calvin R. Baker------------------------ (from 1 July 1951)
Memories The Pohang Guerrilla Hunt lasted from 18 Jan to 15 Feb 1951. *****************************************************************************************
My father, PFC Stanley Nowak Jr. (his profile is on TWS) was a veteran of active service from 1945 to 1949. He had recently been an Inactive Reservist with a job in a factory, a wife and a three-year-old son when he was recalled to active duty for service in the Korean War. Dad was joined to "Able" Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines at the "Masan Bean Patch" on Sunday 14 January 1951 and was assigned to a machine gun squad. At about the time the "Pohang Guerrilla Hunt" started dad wrote his first letter home from Korea. That letter which was dated Thursday, 18 January 1951, included the following excerpts: *****************************************************************************************
*****"Sorry for not writing sooner but we've been pretty busy moving around as you can see by my address. We took a train out of Lejeune for the west coast (on Sunday 7 Jan 1951), which took about four and a half days. About four hours after we got off the train we were on a Navy seaplane the Mars (the Navy's largest) heading for Honolulu. Changing there we spent about ten hours between flights but didn't get to see anything. Then we flew a C-54 flying boxcar to Johnson Island, Kwajalein, Guam, and then to Japan arriving there in time for Sunday dinner. I no more than started to eat when a Corporal told me to standby after chow to catch the next plane to Korea. We landed at 5:20 Sunday afternoon (14 Jan 1951). Then rode sixty miles in an open truck Sunday night and thirty Monday morning in order to join this outfit (A Co, 1stBn, 1stMar)."
*****"We're camped on a hill overlooking a "Gook" village. What a town. The huts these people live in are mostly mud and straw. They live on a diet of rice and fish. They dress very poorly and to me it's no place worth fighting for. Not the way we will be."
*****"The outfit I'm in has had quite a rough time of it. They've been through all the fighting and a short time ago fought their way out of the Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir entrapment. Now we're about fifty miles from the front. It's more or less a rest period until the replacements come in. We're all dug in but don't expect anything. It's just being prepared."
*****"Money is absolutely unnecessary over here. We can't buy anything. No cigarettes, candy, toilet articles. I'd appreciate some tollhouse cookies and candy. A box about every two or three weeks. Make sure that there is enough there that I can share with the troops. Chow isn't so good and believe me it will be greatly appreciated. Smokes are issued and I think toilet articles are too but I'm not sure."
*****"The weather since I arrived has been pretty good. The outfit moved here a week ago in twenty below zero weather and I don't like that at all. We've had nice sunshiny days since I got here. We're living in twelve man tents. Sleeping in our sleeping bags. We even have small oil stoves to knock off some of the chill."
*****"Yesterday I had to go out on an all morning patrol. It ended up more like a pheasant hunt. We saw about a dozen and a half of them and everybody fired. Automatic rifles, rifles, pistols, machine guns, automatic carbines, and missed all of them. Then later on we saw one all by its lonesome. Some guy pulled a Hopalong Cassidy on us and got it in the head with one shot. Result: pheasant for supper. None of us aimed at them, we just loaded, pointed and fired."
*****"We have to do things in an awkward manner here. I managed to wash and shave yesterday for the first time since Sunday. We have to use our helmets as washbasins. The light is furnished either by candles or kerosene lantern. That means not too much writing. The more I receive the better I like it though. I'd even appreciate the Tonawanda or the Buffalo newspapers."
*****"Mail takes about seven days to get there and about ten days to get here. All the mail that was written since I started will probably take a couple months to get here." *****************************************************************************************
Since dads letter of 18 Jan the following events had taken place:
The 1st Marine Division was involved in the "Pohang Guerrilla Hunt" during this time with the 1st Marine Regimental Combat Team (RCT-1) located in the area of Andong, Chongja-dong, Uisong.
The 1st Mar Div (less its administrative headquarters) completed its move from Masan up to the Pohang area with the mission of blocking penetrations in force south of the Andong-Yongdok road and protecting the Andong-Yongchn MSR - a section of the UN lifeline from the port of Pusan. It was a broad assignment, which might mean either a major battle or a guerrilla hunt. In any event, it would mean a good deal of strenuous outdoor exercise in a sector roughly 40 miles square, with the corners represented by Andong and Yongdok on the north, and Yongchon and Pohang on the south. The entire area was mountainous, especially in the center, and the secondary roads consisted of mere trails.
The 1st Marine Division had as its main task the responsibility of keeping open the 70-mile stretch of MSR from Pohang to Andong. Strong points were set up at Pohang, Yongchon, Uisong, and Andong, so that the farthest distance between Marine reinforcements was 15 miles - the halfway point between Yongchon and Uisong.
Motorized patrolling went on aggressively in all three regimental sectors. Secondary roads and obscure mountain trails were covered on foot by "rice-paddy patrols." Numbering from four men to a squad, these foot patrols ranged far out into the boondocks.
This mission was invaluable as a large-scale training exercise for the hundreds of new troops being absorbed into the 1st Marine Division. Some of them had arrived at Masan in time for a brief but vigorous period of indoctrination. Later arrivals went from Pusan directly up to the front (my father included). In either event, the replacements were given an unusual opportunity to learn by doing.
On 22 Jan "C"Co, 1st Bn, 1st Marines flushed out a guerrilla force southeast of Andong. After shots were exchanged the enemy disappeared into the winter dusk.
On 24/25 Jan 1st Bn, 7th Marines was attacked by an estimated 100 guerrillas supported with mortars. After a brisk fire fight the guerrillas withdrew leaving their dead behind.
On 25/26 Jan the 1st Bn, 7th Marines attack on Chiso-dong was opposed by nearly 400 guerrillas but Chiso-dong was secured that afternoon.
On 26 Jan the 1st Marines moved to Chongja-dong due to a police report that 300 enemy had seized the town. A Marine attack, following an artillery preparation, was planned for 1500hrs. Capt. Thomas J. Bohannon led Able Company in but discovered that the shells had fallen on empty huts.
Unrelenting Marine pressure throughout the first week of February wore the guerrillas down until groups larger than 50 men were seldom encountered. The remnants of the NKPA guerrillas stumbled into the zone of RCT-1 , northeast of Uisong. The 1st and 2nd Battalions penetrated into the mountains near Sangyong and routed that force estimated at 400 men.
Although Marine battle casualties continued to be light, there was no lack of danger and hardship. Thus a week in the mountains with a self-sufficient foot patrol was worth a month in a stateside training camp to newcomers instructed by Chosin Reservoir veterans.
By 6 February the enemy in this sector had been reduced an estimated 60% in strength and no longer threatened the MSR. Small and isolated groups remained to be mopped up, but the situation was sufficiently under control to justify the withdrawal of the Marines. Thus the Pohang-Andong guerrilla hunt came to an end with the Marines on their way to new employment in the battle line of the Eighth Army. *****************************************************************************************
Dads letter of Thursday, 8 February 1951 included the following excerpts:
*****"Just a short letter to say I'm still following the same routine with no excitement yet."
*****"We're still doing the same routine. Patrols and digging. I was moved from ammo carrier to assistant gunner on the machine gun. The carrying load is a little lighter but not much."
*****"I got five letters yesterday and a card from Dot and Charles. That was the jackpot for the day in the tent."
*****"Latest rumors have it that the men that made the landing to start the Marine Corps fighting here are going to be replaced for stateside duty. That's good. That may mean only about six months here. I hope it doesn't run over that." *****************************************************************************************