Marines, Activities in France in 1918 Belleau Wood, Soissons, etc.— On 30 May 1918, the Second Division of the United States Marines was selected under its commander, Maj.-Gen. Omar Bundy, to go to the re lief of the French army in retreat before the German drive. The Fifth and Sixth regiments and the Sixth Machine-Gun Battalion, forming the Fourth Brigade of the Second Division, commanded by Brig.-Gen. James G. Harbord (made major-general end of June), were in reserve in a rest area at Montdidier, when the order to the front arrived. Jubilant at the thought of active service they crowded onto their trucks and traveled 30 wearying hours (72 miles) to the scene of battle. Reaching theirdestination stiff and sore in the early morning of 2 June, but without delay they moved into line as support division to the rear of the French (Les Mares Farm, Bois de Veuilly, Voie de Chatel, etc.). The Germans renewed their thrust that afternoon pushing the French before them till the poilus filtered through the unwavering line of marines, and the rear had become the front. It was the opening of the battle of Chateau Thierry, and found the most vicious wedge of the German advance" facing the Americans. Hill 165 was the objective as the enemy advanced through a wheatfield, but the alert marines as expert riflemen °calmly set their sights and aimed with the same precision that they had shown upon the rifle ranges at Paris Island, Mare Island and Quantico." Their machine guns also took up the fire. The accuracy of the rifle fire took heavy toll of the German ranks. The artillery soon backed the staying powers of the riflemen and, with shrapnel, added to the killing power; the Germans ran to cover raked by the American fire. A French airplane was aiding the artillery aim. The aviator was so astonished at the marines' cool deliberate setting sights and adjusting ranges (the French ranks always emptied their magazines at ran dom without raising their rifles to aim) and seeing each man select his human target, he signaled °bravo" to the sharpshooters. The German drive for Paris was stayed with this day's resistance. Then followed attacks and short advances and continued fierce counter attacks and heavy bombardments that thinned the marine ranks sadly and forbade either rest •or renewing the stock of rations. Cold rations and sleepless nights, shortage of food and ab sence of water often, for the terrific barrage killed most of the runners. But nothing could dull the courage and fortitude of those two regiments. However, 6 June found them still outside the woods, and with Bois de Belleau in the grip of the Germans it was impossible to recapture Chateau Thierry. The villages of Bouresches, on the right, and Torcy on the left, must also needs be taken to gain Belleau Wood, which was a rocky jungle protected by hundreds of machine guns and considered by the Huns as impregnable. At 5 P.M. the at tack was started in waves, few — sometimes but one of the party—got through the hail of bullets and the bayonet, then the butt of the rifle, was all that was left to capture each machine gun nest. But Lieut. James F. Robertson with 20-odd men of his platoon captured Bouresches. The artillery with 50 batteries pounded the Bois de Belleau for an hour till it was an inferno. The woods had suffered but the ma chine nests were still alive and active as the assailants plunged further into the jungle, and the fighting was done from tree to tree in American style. The loss of life was costly.
Individual acts of heroism (young Lieutenant Timmerman, Jr.'s platoon reached the wood, charged a nest, took two guns and 17 prisoners though outnumbered two to one) were very numerous. And thus the Bois (the marines call it cHellwood") was a scene of continuous attacks and counter-attacks, and we read that "between 30 May and 18 June hardly a man removed his clothes or shoes." In less than a week the German 197th, 237th and 10th divi sions were so exhausted that the crack Fifth Guards Division had to be called in, then 28th had to be called. Thus one American division (the Second) wore out five German di visions. By the 10th the line was ad vanced 900 yards on a front of one and one-half miles and 300 prisoners, 30 machine guns, 4 trench mortars and stores of ammuni tion, etc., were captured. By the 28th the last of the German nests were captured together with guns and prisoners, after the artillery had torn the wood to pieces. Then the attack on Chateau Thierry became practicable. And the French have renamed the Bois de Belleau "Bois de Is Brigade de Marine" (Wood of the Ma rine Brigade).
July brought relief and rest, also replace ment of the depleted ranks. But already on the 18th we find the indomitable marines at the "grand offensive" in the neighborhood of Soissons, near Tigny and Vierzy, where they advanced facing a terrific fire from a machine gun centre. Their losses enforced digging in and holding the ground taken. In the battle for the Saint Mihiel salient the Second Division occupied a line from Remenauville to Limey, night of 11 September, starting an attack of two days' objectives on the night of the 14th. They rushed over the rivulet Rupt de Mad, occupied Thiacourt, scaled its heights beyond and formed a line from Zammes-Joulney Ridges to the Binvaux Forest, finishing the two days' objectives by 2.50 P.M. of the first day. Casualties about 1,000 with 134 killed; partici pating in the capture of 80 German officers, 3,200 men, 90-odd cannon and vast stores. Next came (early October) to the marines the honor of capturing "the bald, jagged ridge" 20 miles due east of Rheims, known as Blanc Mont Ridge. It was a German "keystone" position. The commanding officer of the United States Marine Corps, Maj.-Gen. John A. Lejeune, considered the victory so valuable as (11 Octo ber) to commend the Second Division and to add: "As a direct result of your victory, the German armies east and west of Rheims are in full retreat, and by drawing on yourselves sev eral German divisions from other parts of the front you greatly assisted the victorious ad vance of the Allied armies between Cambrai and Saint Quentin." And the toll paid for these acts of un paralleled heroism gave the following sad figures: Of 8,000 men engaged in these fierce battles, this Marine Corps had as casualties by the end of June 126 officers and 5,073 en listed men killed or wounded; over half the original quota. And but 57 United . States marines were taken prisoner by the enemy, these wounded far in advance of their lines. As a mark of honor for the many individual acts of heroism of the corps 644 Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded to the members of the Second Di vision, over twice the number awarded any other division. Of this total the marines won as follows up to 17 March: Fifth Regiment Marines, 206; Sixth Regiment, 137.