The Battle of Belleau Wood during the “War to End All Wars” was a proving ground for future Marine Corps leaders.
Presented by U.S. Bank
The Battle of Belleau Wood occurred 100 years ago in June 1918 during World War I, barely fifty miles northeast of Paris, about five miles west of the town Chà¢teau-Thierry. This major offensive was aimed toward Paris in the hopes of knocking France out of the war. Looking at the strategic context in early 1918, Belleau Wood was one small piece of a major campaign that saw the American forces help the French and British armies stem the tide of the”¯Deutsches Heer’s”¯spring offensive.
Belleau Wood was not only an iconic battle but also the first of several learning laboratories for those Marine officers who would eventually lead their Corps to victory in World War II. Several future Marine Corps senior leaders saw action at Belleau Wood, including future commandants such as”¯John Lejeune,”¯Clifton Cates,”¯Lemuel Shepherd Jr.,”¯Wendell Neville, and”¯Thomas Holcomb, as well as marines who later attained flag rank such as”¯Roy Geiger,”¯Charles Price,”¯Holland Smith,”¯Keller Rockey, and”¯Merwin Silverthorn.
A peace treaty with the new Bolshevik government in Russia had freed up 50 German divisions deployed on the Eastern Front. German leadership hoped the influx of these divisions could overwhelm the allied forces in France, bringing the war to an end before millions of Americans could cross the Atlantic and reinforce France and Britain. The German offensive made significant gains for the first few weeks but began to falter by May during the”¯Aisne Offensive. This was when American units such as the 2nd Division and its 4th Marines Brigade joined the fray to help stop the Germans at the Battle of Belleau Wood.
The Marines remained in contact with the enemy for almost all of June. The fighting around Belleau Wood pitted units from five German divisions against the U.S. Army’s”¯2nd Division”¯of the”¯American Expeditionary Forces, which was subdivided into the Army’s 3rd Infantry Brigade and the”¯9,500 man-strong 4th Marine Brigade. This unit included the 5th”¯Regiment led by Col. Wendell Neville and the 6th Regiment led by Col. Albert Catlin.
The”¯area of operation”¯included a forested area (Belleau Wood proper) on high ground running approximately one mile north to south and between one-quarter and one-half mile east to west. To the west of the wood lay Hill 142 under German control. A wheat field lay to the southeast of the wood. The 60 buildings in the village of Bouresches sat to the north across 800 yards of wheat. By June 4, more than 2,000 German soldiers with at least 30 machine guns had ensconced themselves in Belleau Wood, and another 100 Germans with at least six machine guns held Bouresches.
Looking to the north and east from their lines of departure, the Marines faced two difficult obstacles: either advance from tree to tree in close-quarter fighting or make a perilous march across the open field of green wheat that rose barely above knee-level.
In the first few days of June, the 4th Marine Brigade dug into a defensive line just to the southwest of the wheat field and Belleau Wood. The battalions in the 5th Marine Regiment established themselves on the left, and those in the 6th Marine Regiment on the right. The Americans stood their ground and forced the Germans to halt their advance and withdraw to Belleau Wood and Bouresches. The marines then prepared their own plans to assault those German positions.
Editor’s Note: Marine Units are designated by the battalion and regiment. You will read designations such as 2/6 1/5, etc. The first number stands for the battalion and the second number the regiment. These are called infantry or rifle regiments. A WWI battalion strength is normally 800 men and a regiment with support units of 4,000.
Before dawn on June 6, the marines of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment drove the Germans from Hill 142. This anchored the American line to the Allied units farther to the west. It also allowed the marines to pour fire into Belleau Wood to the east. Next began an uncoordinated American attack that started on the evening of June 6. The 3/5 and the 3/6 hit the center and southern sides of Belleau Wood, respectively.
While marching across the open ground, heavy German machine and artillery fire cut the 3/5 to shreds. Meanwhile, the 3/6 fought their way in the southern edge of the woods before their advance ground to a halt in the face of enemy fire. In all the confusion, two-time Medal of Honor recipient Gunnery Sgt. Daly questioned his men: “C’mon you sons-of-bitches, do you want to live forever?” Despite their best efforts, the marines’ marksmanship failed to silence the German guns. By nightfall, both marine battalions suffered debilitating casualties.
That first day of June 6 proved to be costly for the 4th Marine Brigade: six officers and 222 enlisted men and noncommissioned officers (NCOs)”¯killed in action, and another 25 offers and 834 enlisted men wounded in action. This amounted to more casualties than in the entire history of the Marine Corps to date.
The adversaries clashed in bitter”¯hand-to-hand combat”¯with knives, rifle butts, bayonets, and trench shovels. As marine officers and NCOs fell dead or wounded, junior officers and enlisted men took their places. The most determined counterattack on June 13 came when elements of three German divisions attempted to reclaim their old positions. Then, the French Army’s artillery unleashed a 14-hour long heavy bombardment that allowed marines in 2/5, 3/5, and 3/6 to dislodge the remaining Germans from the northern end of Belleau Wood on June 26.
After three weeks of intense combat, a report announced the 4th Marine Brigade’s success with the message “Belleau Wood now U.S. Marine Corps entirely.” The French government renamed it”¯”Bois de la Brigade de Marine””¯in honor of the incredible sacrifices and fierce struggles there. The members of the 4th Marine Brigade were also awarded the French”¯”Croix de Guerre.”
Although a victory for the Americans, the Battle of Belleau Wood exacted a heavy toll on the 4th Marine Brigade. Of its complement of 9,500 men, the brigade suffered 1,000 killed in action, and 4,000 wounded, gassed, or missing equaling a 55 percent casualty rate. The supporting 2nd Regiment of Engineers lost another 450 casualties of its assigned unit strength of 1,700 soldiers.
During the three weeks of fighting, Thomas Holcomb’s 2nd Battalion alone suffered 764 casualties out of a paper strength of 900 marines. On June 6 alone, his unit started across the wheat field with two companies with some 500 marines. After wrenching control of Bouresches, only 200 of Holcomb’s men remained able to repel German counterattacks. This represented a 60% casualty rate, which matched the rates of earlier battles in World War I.
Holcomb continued to rise through ranks until being named the seventeenth commandant of the Marines Corps in December 1936. He shepherded the Corps through the last years of the Great Depression, managed its mobilization, and directed the Corps’ first two years of the Pacific War. In this time, the Corps expanded from 17,000 marines in 1936 to 385,000 by Holcomb’s retirement in December 1943.
American forces were in action from February 2018 to November 11, 1918. Over an 11-month period, 7.4% of the American forces were either killed (116,516) or wounded (204,518).
Come June 6, let us remember The Battle of Belleau Wood and the Americans that were killed in action and wounded during that historic battle.
(Editor’s note: This column was based on the following source material: X by X as well as Wikipedia entries about the battle.)
