Sunday Morning Scene: Some Gave All: Belleau Wood, France. Chapel

Some Gave All: Belleau Wood,France.

This is part of a much larger set of photographs on our Companion Blog, Some Gave All which is dedicated to memorials.

Belleau Wood, France

These are photographs of the American memorial at Belleau Wood, the site of the epic 1918 battle involving American ground troops for which the Marine Corps is particularly well remembered.  The photographs include the memorial chapel and cemetery, as well as scenes of the battlefield itself.

MKTH photographs

Monuments that didn't happen. November 17, 1918.

American infantrymen crossing the Armistice Line at Etain, March 17, 1918..

American troops were marching into Germany while some were denying that a prostrate Germany was prostrate.  And at the same time a proposal was made to erect a monument to the Great War dead from Natrona County in front of the courthouse.

That courthouse is now gone.  Maybe that monument was erected and is gone now, but as far as I'm aware, the only outdoor memorial to Natrona County's World War One veterans came up in the 2000s, although there were early memorials of other types, those being a trench mortar in Veteran's Park, Caissons at Washington Park, and a swimming pool named in memory of a lost soldier of World War One at the same park.

Mid Week At Work: Filming the American Attack on Château-Thierry (Western Front, 1918)

And one day later. . . the Battle of Soissons. July 18-22, 1918.

Yesterday we posted our item about the practical end of the 1918 German Spring Offensive.

American 155mm guns which participated in the Battle of Soissons.

Amazingly, today we're posting about a French Offensive.

Or, more accurately a Franco American Offensive.  Or indeed, a Franco American Offensive supported by the British.

The Battle of Soissons.

Tactically, Soissons was a French effort, but even at that, it had a heavily international flavor to it. Designed to push back the bulge in the French line created by the third phase of the German 1918 Spring Offensive, the carefully designed attack featured an initial line made up heavily of "Moroccan" French troops, who reality were not only Moroccan, but were recruited from all over the globe. Some of the troops had in fact been pre war French Legionnaires.  Next to them were two American Divisions, the 1st and the 2nd, with the 2nd launching out of Belleau Wood and Château-Thierry France (which would result in the Battle of Château-Thierry, fought on this date).  Over all command was French.

The launching of the fifth and final phase of the 1918 Spring Offensive caused some to sugget postponing this effort, but Foch was confident the German effort would fail and there was no reason to delay. The decision was risky, but proved warranted.  From 18 to 22 July the French and American forces pushed the line back to where it had been before the 1918 Spring Offensive had begun. American troops proved themselves again in a large scale effort.  American efforts to form a full American Army were supported by the results. . . and the German reversal of fortunes in 1918 had begun.

Like most offensive operations in large wars, the offensive itself is remembered by some not for the particular offensive, but for battles within it.  One such battle was the aforementioned Battle of Château-Thierry, which is a well remembered Franco American battle that took place on this day.  That effort was an aspect of the first day of the offensive and was notable, as was day one of the offensive in general, for the lack of a preparatory artillery bombardment, which aided in achieving surprise.

U.S. Artillery at Château-Thierry.

It was July 4, 1918.

Equestrian Show, Remounts from Ft. Lewis' Remount Station, Tacoma Washington.

Marching sailors, New York City.

Razzle dazzle camouflage example on a model ship, note the American and Japanese flags on the building in the background.

Japanese, Italian and American flags on the Hotel Savoy.  Dignitaries viewing parade.

Parade, Washington D. C.

23d Infantry Regiment veterans of Chateu Thierry at the La Place de la Concorde, Paris.

Parisians cheer American troops.

American soldiers passing in review at the Place de I'ena on the Avenue du President Wilson, Paris.  The statute is of George Washington.

American Army band, Avenue du President Wilson.  Group of wounded soldiers watching.

General William Scott at July 4th celebrations in Bordeaux

Allied officers at Belgian Headquarters salute the American flag, July 4.

Wounded American soldiers being transported to the Cafe des Ambassadeurs, Paris.

Wounded soldiers arriving by truck at the Cafe des Ambassadeurs.  Boy Scouts on left.

Ship builders were busy.

Camp Meigs, Washington.  USQMC

The US Second Division

We looked at the 3d Division a bit earlier, as they were showing up in large form in the Press at that time due to Chateau-Thierry.  

The 3d, however, was only one of three U.S. Divisions that saw heavy combat, as U.S. Divisions, in the 1918 Spring Offensive of the Germans.  The 1st and the 2nd also did. 

Here we look at the 2nd, as it was the Division that won the Battle of Belleau Wood.  Moreover, it was the most unique of the three for a reason we'll explore a bit in a second post.  

The 2d Division was also made of up regular U.S. troops.  I.e., it wasn't a National Guard Division nor was it made up of conscripts (although it would soon have them in the form of replacements).  Here's the makeup of the WWI 2nd Division:

One thing that was really unique about this division is that it include a Marine Brigade. As noted, we'll explore that in greater depth soon, but the Marines entered their modern form, or started to, in the 2nd Division.  They also saw significant combat with the 2nd Division, forming the bulk of the troops that fought at Belleau Wood while the rest of the 2nd Division was engaged nearby.  Indeed, the Marine Corps was so associated with the 2nd Division that it was in fact twice commanded by Marine Corps general officers.

Charles A. Doyen, U.S.M.C. who commanded the 2nd Division during October and November, 1917, before returning to the United States.  He was a victim of the 1918 Flu Pandemic and died in October 1918.

The 2nd Division saw heavy combat all trough the rest of the war and has gone on to be one of the stalwart standing US Infantry Divisions, having been long stationed in the Republic of Korea.  It hasn't included Marines in its ranks, however, since 1919. 

Headquarters

• 3d Infantry Brigade
• 9th Infantry Regiment
• 23d Infantry Regiment
• 5th Machine Gun Battalion

 

John A. Lejeune, who commanded the 2nd Division from July 28, 1918 until August 1919.  He later became Commandant of the Marine Corps.

• 4th Marine Brigade:  This will be further addressed in a later post, but as noted, the inclusion of a Marine Brigade in the 2nd Division shows how tight US forces really were early in the war. As will be explored later, Marines simply weren't regarded as regular ground troops until World War One and this was their first real use, large-scale, in this role. 
• 5th Marine Regiment
• 6th Marine Regiment
• 6th Machine Gun Battalion

• 2nd Field Artillery Brigade
• 12 Field Artillery Rgt. 
• 15th Field Artillery Rgt
• 17th Field Artillery Rgt
• 2nd Trench Mortar Battery

• 4th Machine Gun Battalion
• 2nd Engineer Regt
• 1st Field Signal Battalion
• Headquarters Troop.  As previously noted, this was a cavalry troop drawn from a regular cavalry regiment, although I've forgotten what regiment it was drawn from in this instance.
• 2nd Train Headquarters and Military Police
• 2nd Ammunition Train
• 2nd Supply Train
•  2nd Engineer Train
• 1st, 15th, 16th and 23d Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals.

Occupation of Chateau Thierry Sector, June 6-July 14, 1918, Second Division

Getting the news of the American victory on the Marne and having a giant overreaction in Sheridan. June 6, 1918.

On June 6 the American victory at Château-Thierry was beginning to become a little more clear, although the newspapers anticipated more action.  That action was ongoing in the Belleau Wood, which was just next door and which really is part of the same battle.

In Sheridan the town in engaged in an absurd overreaction and the schools burned German books.  Learning German certainly didn't make a person some sort of German sympathizer and indeed, learning the language of your enemy is a good idea.

A Natrona County resident measuring 6'7", very tall for any age, enlisted in the Army.  I'm somewhat surprised that his height didn't disqualify him for service.  You can be too tall to join.

Did we miss the Battle of Château-Thierry?

Yes.

Um, no.

Well, it depends.

Actually, we did catch the first day of a battle at Château-Thierry, in our post here:

The Battle of Belleau Wood Commences. June 1, 1918.

Following the first major offensive action by the U.S. just a few days prior, a much more major battle commenced on this day in 1918, following the successful defense of Château-Thierry the prior day.  The Battle of Belleau Wood.  It would continue on until June 26, making it a much more protracted battle than Cantigny.  It would also be one that would result in lasting fame for the 2nd Division and its Marine contingent.

On May 31 the U.S. 3d Division held the German advance at Château-Thierry and the German offensive turned right to outflank it, as we have seen..  On 1 June, Château-Thierry and Vaux then fell, and German troops moved into Belleau Wood.  The 2nd Division, a composite Army and Marine Corps Division, was brought up on the Paris Metz Highway to counter the German effort.  The night of June 1 the Americans were flanked again when the Germans moved to the left and breached a French held line.  The German advance, however, was stopped by a night march and the following action by the 2nd Division, resulting in a successful parry in an all night time action.  The net result was not only the halt of the German flanking action but the U.S. ended up holding an extended line as a result.

This wouldn't be the end of the fight. . .

That post noted that  the U.S. 3d Division had become engaged at Château-Thierry on May 31.  We treated, and properly, as the opening phase of the Battle of Belleau Wood.

But if you look up the battle of Château-Thierry you might see, rightly, ongoing fighting there on June 1 through 4, which we didn't cover.  We likely should have.

But that probably isn't the Battle of Château-Thierry you are thinking of.

Be that as it may, the 3d Division stayed engaged at Château-Thierry after June 1 and on June 3-4 it pushed the Germans back across the Marine at Jaulgonne.  This was the second significant American offensive action, if taken as a single action, of the war. 

Battle of Belleau Wood. General Bundy takes command and the French arrive. June 4, 1918.

On this day in 1918, Omar Bundy, U.S. Army, 2nd Division, took command of the entire Belleau Wood front thereby giving it a consolidated leadership. On the same day the French 167th Division arrived, which was placed under Bundy's command.

Omar Bundy, U.S. Army.

And the news of what would come to be known as the Battle of Belleau Wood began to hit the front page back in the US.