William Johnston Hovde (4 April 1917 – 13 March 1996) was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

. Hovde served two tours in the

355th Fighter Group 355th may refer to: Aviation * 355th Fighter Squadron, an inactive United States Air Force unit * 355th Fighter Wing, a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force * 355th Tactical Airlift Squadron, a U.S. Ai ...

and commanded the

358th Fighter Squadron The 358th Fighter Squadron is part of the 495th Fighter Group at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. The squadron was reactivated there in 2015. The squadron was formerly part of the 355th Operations Group at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Ari ...

, ending the war with 10.5 victories. He also served in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, claiming another victory while in command of the

335th Fighter Squadron The 335th Fighter Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 4th Operations Group and stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. The 335th was constituted on 22 August 1942 as an incorporation of the ...

. After serving as an

attaché In diplomacy, an attaché is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified accor ...

in Mexico, Hovde commanded

Ethan Allen Air Force Base Ethan may refer to: People *Ethan (given name) Places *Ethan, South Dakota *Fort Ethan Allen (Arlington, Virginia) Fiction *''Ethan of Athos'', 1986 novel by Lois McMaster Bujold *"Ethan Brand", 1850 short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne *''Ethan ...

and the

14th Fighter Group 014 may refer to: * Argus As 014 * 014 Construction Unit * Divi Divi Air Flight 014 * Pirna 014 * Tyrrell 014 The Tyrrell 014 was a Formula One car, designed for Tyrrell Racing by Maurice Philippe for use in the season. The cars were powered by ...

. He retired in 1967, and worked in the liquor business before finally retiring and moving to

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

. Hovde became president of the

American Fighter Aces Association American Fighter Aces Association is a non-profit organization which recognizes the 1,450 combat American pilots (referred to as Aces) who have had five or more aerial victories in combat. The AFAA is located in Seattle's Museum of Flight. The ex ...

Early life

Hovde was born on 4 April 1917 in

Crookston, Minnesota Crookston is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Polk County. The population was 7,482 at the 2020 census. It is part of the "Grand Forks, ND- MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or "Greater Grand Forks". Crookston ...

to Ole, a Norwegian immigrant salesman, and Lou Hovde. He graduated from Central High School there in 1935 and attended the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

between 1936 and 1938, receiving a freshman scholarship award.

Military service

He enlisted in the

Minnesota National Guard The Minnesota National Guard is a state-based military force of more than 13,000 soldiers and airmen, serving in 61 communities across the state. Operated in the U.S. state of Minnesota, it is reserve component of the National Guard. The Cons ...

on 1 September 1932 and served with the 205th Infantry until separating from the military on 17 April 1937. He then joined the university

ROTC The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. Overview While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...

program. Hovde successfully applied for the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

and attended the Silverman Preparatory School in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

after receiving his appointment to West Point. Hovde was entered as a cadet at West Point in July 1939. At West Point, he participated in athletics, including boxing.

World War II

Capt hovde 355th fighter group p-51b mustang

Hovde entered pilot training and received his wings on 13 December 1942. He was commissioned into the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

on 19 January 1943. He completed

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

training at

Spence Field Spence Field is a mountain highland meadow in the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. It has an elevation of 4,920 feet (1,500 m) above sea level. The Appalachian Trail traverses the field, and a backcountry shelt ...

. In May, he was assigned to the

in England, serving as a flight leader. The squadron deployed to England in July at

RAF Steeple Morden Royal Air Force Steeple Morden or more simply RAF Steeple Morden is a former Royal Air Force station located west of Royston, Hertfordshire, England. History RAF Bomber Command use Between 1940 and September 1942, Steeple Morden was a grass ...

. On 15 February 1944, Hovde was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, "for extraordinary achievement", completing 50 missions or the equivalent. Hovde claimed his first air victory as a fighter pilot, a

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (" Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, ...

over the

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...

area, on 22 February 1944. The 358th Fighter Squadron began converting to the

North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team ...

in March. He was promoted to major on 9 March. On 18 March, Hovde flew a P-51 in a penetration and target support mission for heavy bombers attacking a target in Germany. During the withdrawal from the target, Hovde spotted fifteen enemy Fw 190s attacking the American bombers, leading his flight in the attack and claiming one victory. This enabled the bombers to continue their flight back to England. The German fighters attacked again while Hovde reformed his flight. He then shot down another Fw 190. While returning from this action, he was attacked by two enemy fighters, one of which he heavily damaged before running out of ammunition. On 5 June, he was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

"for gallantry in action". On 4 April, Hovde claimed a fourth victory. The next day, he received a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of another DFC for completing forty missions and shooting down the German aircraft. In May, Hovde's first tour of duty ended and he returned to the continental United States for rest and recuperation, and then volunteered for a second tour. Hovde returned to the squadron as its commander on 10 July. On 19 July, Hovde downed a German

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

over

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

, becoming the group's eighth ace. On 27 July, he was awarded a second Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster to his DFC, "for heroism and extraordinary achievement", claiming three victories. He commanded the 358th Fighter Squadron until 2 August 1944, subsequently serving as the squadron operations officer. On 15 September, Hovde received a third Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster to his DFC, "for heroism and extraordinary achievement", shooting down three enemy aircraft. On 5 December, during a bomber escort mission over

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Hovde led the group in an attack on more than 100 Bf 109s and Fw 190s, shooting down five and sharing a sixth. In this action, his aircraft developed mechanical difficulties and his fuel reserve became critically short. On 13 March 1945, Hovde was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

for extraordinary heroism. On 30 March, he was awarded a fourth Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster to his DFC, "for extraordinary achievement" in combat missions. Hovde was credited with 10.5 victories in air combat and another damaged, as well as two resulting from airfield strafing. Hovde again commanded the 358th Fighter Squadron between 7 May and August 1945.

Interbellum

Hovde was deputy commander of the 355th Fighter Group, between October 1945 and March 1946, serving on occupation duty in Germany. In Augsburg, he met Norma Gentner (died October 2000), a dancer whom he married in 1949. Hovde commanded the

357th Fighter Squadron The 357th Fighter Squadron is part of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft training pilots for close air support missions. The squadron was first activ ...

between March and September. He then served with the

71st Fighter Squadron 020 is the national dialling code for London in the United Kingdom. All subscriber numbers within the area code consist of eight digits and it has capacity for approaching 100 million telephone numbers. The code is used at 170 telephone exch ...

and the

12th Reconnaissance Squadron The 12th Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force squadron, assigned to the 319th Operations Group at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, and operates from Beale Air Force Base, California. The squadron traces its lineage to t ...

March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Ma ...

for the next two years. In September 1948, he went to

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

to serve as an advisor to the

Ecuadorian Air Force The Ecuadorian Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana, FAE) is the Air arm of the Military of Ecuador and responsible for the protection of the Ecuadorian airspace. Mission To develop the military air wing, in order to execute institutional o ...

for P-47 training.

Korean War

Hovde was sent back to the United States in September 1950. In October, he was stationed in Korea. In Korea, he was an operations officer, executive officer, and the commander of the

4th Fighter Group The 4th Fighter Group was an American element of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force during World War II. The group was known as the Debden Eagles because it was created from the three Eagle Squadrons of the Royal Air Force: ...

, flying the

North American F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing So ...

(F-86 Sabrejet) since it arrived in Korea in December. His command of the squadron ended after he was

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

ed in July 1951 for buzzing the

Johnson Air Base is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) base located in the city of Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, north of western Tokyo, Japan. It was the airfield for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Academy until 1945, when it became Johnson Air Forc ...

golf course while the base commander was playing golf. Later that year, he was executive officer of the

4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

. Hovde flew 44 combat missions in Korea between October 1950 and August 1951, and claimed one victory, a Russian made

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of ...

, on 24 April 1951. Hovde was awarded a Silver Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a sixth DFC, "for extraordinary achievement" while the commander of the 335th Fighter Squadron in Korea. He returned to the United States from Korea, and attended the Strategic Intelligence School at

Fort Myer Fort Myer is the previous name used for a U.S. Army post next to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Founded during the American Civil War as Fort Cass and Fort Whipple, t ...

. In December 1951, he was assigned as the American

Air attaché The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

Post-war

He was the American

until March 1955. On 20 April 1955, he was promoted to

. Hovde became operations director of the

4709th Air Defense Wing The 4709th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 26th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, where it was discontinued in 1956. It was ...

McGuire Air Force Base McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the j ...

between April 1955 and May 1956. Hovde took command of the

and simultaneously was base commander at

until August 1958. He then attended the

Air War College The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, space, and cyberspace in joint operation ...

, graduating in July 1959. Hovde served at the USAF Headquarters on the

National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a na ...

's Evaluation Subcommittee in the Pentagon until September 1962, when he entered the Defense Intelligence School Attaché course, completing it in February 1963. Hovde served as air attaché in Mexico City again until retiring on 30 June 1967.

Later years

Hovde spent nine years in the liquor business, and then retired to

. He became president of the

, and died on 13 March 1996. Hovde was buried at the

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Military awards

Hovde's military decorations and awards include:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hovde, William J. 1917 births 1996 deaths American World War II flying aces United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Air Force colonels United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War American Korean War pilots Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit United States Air Force personnel who were court-martialed Air War College alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Minnesota National Guard personnel United States Military Academy alumni People from Crookston, Minnesota American people of Norwegian descent United States Air Force officers Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) United States air attachés American expatriates in Ecuador American expatriates in Mexico