Belleau Wood

The Devil Dogs halt the German advance toward Paris

Historical Significance

The Battle of Belleau Wood was the largest and costliest battle the United States Marine Corps had fought up to that time. While the Marine Corps had previously been largely relegated to service aboard naval vessels, counter-insurgency operations, naval expeditionary operations, and a handful of land battles, this was the first time that Marines fought in a large-scale battle against a modern, professional military. The Marine Corp’s success in defeating the German Army in the Battle of Belleau Wood solidified the Corps’ fighting reputation on the modern battlefield, demonstrating their fighting capacity for 20th-century warfare.

Tactical Importance

Responding to a German offensive on 1 June which succeeded in punching a hole in the French lines, Gen John Pershing ordered the 2nd Infantry Division, which contained the 2nd Marine Brigade, to stem the enemy advance. On 3 June, the Germans advanced across an open field from their position in Belleau Wood when they were met with the murderous rifle fire from entrenched Marines, forcing them to retreat toward the woods. The Americans repelled several more German assaults before launching their counterattack on 6 June—attacking both Hill 142 to the west and Belleau Wood directly from the south. The Marines, who had little experience in World War I-style tactics, sustained heavy casualties from the heavily entrenched Germans armed with machine guns; however, by the end of the day, the Marines maintained a foothold in the southern end of the woods. Given the nature of the fighting in Belleau Wood—dense forest devastated by artillery, limited lines of sight, webs of trenches, artillery bombardments, gas attacks, etc—the battle was largely maintained by small-unit leaders who relied on intuition and initiative to clear out German defense. By 26 June, after heavy casualties, the Americans had successfully cleared the woods of all German forces. The Battle of Belleau Wood was costly, with both sides suffering nearly 10,000 total losses each.

Strategic Impact

In the Spring of 1918, the German Army on the Western Front—reinforced by almost 50 divisions released from the Eastern Front following the Russian exit from the war—launched a series of major offensives with the intent of defeating the Allies before the full weight of American resources and manpower could be leveraged against them. By late May, the German Army was amid its third offensive, the Third Battle of the Aisne, and was steadily advancing toward Paris. By 1 June, the German forces had broken the French line and advanced past Chateau-Thierry, occupying Belleau Wood. The fighting in and around Belleau Wood successfully stopped the German advance toward Paris, restoring Allied morale and sapping the German army of its rapidly diminishing offensive capabilities.

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