The second battle of the Marne

On 21 March 1918 in a bid to win the war before the recently arrived American Army could make its full impact felt, The German Army launched a massive assault against the British 5th Army in the area of the Somme.

Initially the British lost all cohesion and collapsed against the battering blow, but little by little the German advance was slowed down and halted, but the Germans had retaken in days what the British had struggled to take for months.

This first offensive was halted on 6 April, but three days later on the 9th a second blow fell on the British in the Ypres salient.

Exhausted British units were brought down to the quiet area of the Chemin des Dames for rest only to be hit by yet a third onslaught launched on 27 May. This third attack smashed its way through the French and British held lines along the Chemin des Dames (The scene of terrible fighting by the French in 1917)

Chemin des Dames

Following a whirlwind bombardment lasting three hours 17 German Divisions penetrated the French lines held by just 6 Divisions. Within four days the Germans had advanced about 50 kilometres and reached Château-Thierry and the river Marne.

Not since the opening of the war in 1914 had Paris seemed so vulnerable. The second battle of the Marne was in progress.

In his General Order 107 on 30 May 1918 General Pétain told his soldiers how although the superior weight of the enemy had broken their forward lines, the reserves were rushing forward and that they would not only break the German thrust but counter it.

Debout, les héros de la Marne ! Pour vos foyers, pour la France, en avant !

Rise, heros of the Marne! For your homes, for France, forward!

Many of these Heros of the Marne were about to prove to be American soldiers

French reserves had indeed rushed forward but their uncoordinated interventions had not been sufficient to stem the tide of the German advance.

Having realised that most of the French reserves were gathering around Château-Thierry the Germans had decided to press westwards down the Ourcq Valley between the forest of Villers-Cotterets and the Marne. In the area of Belleau the defence was in the hands of what was left of the French 152nd and 158th Regiments. The battle for the village and wood opened on 2 June with a fierce bombardment by artillery and heavy mortars - the much detested (By the British at any rate) Minenwerfer.

Despite acts of collective heroism the weight of numbers bearing down on them was simply too great for the Frenchmen.

They were, however, aware that the US 2nd Division was coming up to relieve them. It was a matter of holding on to as much ground as possible to give the Americans time to deploy and take over the line.

Thus on 3 June the tired French attempted a counter attack. In itself it achieved little in the way of territorial gains, but the German reserves were now exhausted as well. As the US 2nd Division took over the line that evening, the front had begun to stabilise.

The tide was about to turn, and with a greater rapidity than any of the participants could ever have envisaged.

Belleau Wood

The 23rd US Regiment was given the left flank in front of Bussiares, the 9th Regiment the right flank.

In front of Belleau Wood in the centre of their line lay the 4th US Marine Brigade composed of the 5th and 6th Regiments US Marines.

The time of quite sectors and hand-holding for the Americans had finished, they were in the midst of a furious and desperate battle, the moment had come to stand up and be counted.

The pressure on Major General Omar Bundy commanding the Indian Head Division to deliver, was enormous.

Over the next few days the Americans prepared their positions, the Marines of General Harbord refusing to prepare a second line of defence as it was deemed not necessary. The Marines, the General declared, will hold their ground.

On 4 June this was put to the test when the Germans launched an attack against the 5th Marines holding an area called the Ferme des Mares. It was an important psychological moment for this was as close to Paris as the Germans ever reached. The Marines had stood true to their word.

The Attack on 6 June 1918

At 05:00 hours the 5th Marines launched an attack against Hill 142 to the west of Belleau Wood. Commenced in terrible conditions it was nevertheless a complete success with the First Medal of Honor being awarded to a soldier of the AEF: Gunnery Sergeant Ernest Janson of the 5th Marines (Though he actually served under the name of Charles Hoffman).

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy near Château-Thierry, France, 6 June 1918. Immediately after the company to which G/Sgt Janson belonged [The 49th], had reached its objective on Hill 142, several hostile counter attacks were launched against the line before the new position had been consolidated.

G/Sgt Janson was attempting to organize a position on the north slope of the hill when he saw 12 of the enemy, armed with 5 light machine guns, crawling toward his group. Giving the alarm, he rushed the hostile detachment, bayoneted the 2 leaders, and forced the others to flee, abandoning their guns.

His quick action, initiative and courage drove the enemy from a position from which they could have swept the hill with machine gun fire and forced the withdrawal of our troops.

That evening in launching an attack against the village of Bouresche and the south of Belleau Wood the Marines suffered terrible casualties whilst crossing a wheat field. By 22:00 hours the village was in American hands but at great cost, with only a few dozen men left from 3/6th Marines to beat off constant counter attacks throughout the night.

Every attempt made to advance or bring up reserves was mercilessly gunned down by well positioned Germans. The day has gone into the history books as the most bloody ever for the Marines with 1 087 killed or wounded in the space of 24 hours.

Two days of respite followed with the arrival of the 7th US Regiment on secondment from the 3rd US Division as reinforcements.

On 9 June the Franco-American artillery put the German held sectors of the wood under heavy bombardment in an effort to drive the enemy further back and allow the Americans to advance to a Start Point for a further assault at 04:30 on 10 June.

As with other well defended woods elsewhere on the front, every bush, tree and shell crater was a potential and often too real machine gun nest. Despite the Marines advancing metre by metre (or perhaps it would have been yard by yard!) the major part of the wood remained tenaciously held by the Germans and a further assault had to be launched the following day.

On 13 June at 02:00 hours the German artillery launched a gas bombardment against Bouresche.

The ensuing attack almost overwhelmed the Marines and the 23rd Regiment, but somehow they managed to hang on.

Gunnery Sergeant Fred Stockham

During the attack another Gunnery Sergeant was to win the Medal of Honor. Fred Stockham from Detroit and serving with 96 Company of the 6th Regiment.

During an intense enemy bombardment with high explosive and gas shells which wounded or killed many members of the company, G/Sgt Stockham, upon noticing that the gas mask of a wounded comrade was shot away, without hesitation, removed his own gas mask and insisted upon giving it to the wounded man, well knowing that the effects of the gas would be fatal to himself.

He continued with undaunted courage and valor to direct and assist in the evacuation of the wounded, until he himself collapsed from the effects of gas, dying as a result thereof a few days later.

His courageous conduct undoubtedly saved the lives of many of his wounded comrades and his conspicuous gallantry and spirit of self-sacrifice were a source of great inspiration to all who served with him.

In fact it was only in 1939 that he was to receive his posthumous citation and award.
The original recommendation had never been acted upon.

It wasn't only the Americans who were suffering heavy casualties, the German attacks had not been allowed to go unpunished and for the next few days the Germans contented themselves with artillery bombardments rather than further costly assaults.

Over the following week the 7th US Regiment (3rd Division) took over the line from the Marines allowing themselves a moments repose before they would be required once more to take up the attack on Belleau Wood.

Although the 7th continued attacks within the wood they were badly supported by artillery and not particularly well organised.

Command decided that the next attack on the wood would, once and for all, dislodge and drive the Germans out of Belleau Wood.

To this end the French brought up sufficient heavy artillery to systematically pulverise Belleau Wood into the ground. After 14 hours of intense bombardment the term Wood was inaccurate.

At 17:00 hours the infantry assault began and raged all night.

In the north of the wood in the area of the Pavillon de Chasse (Hunters Lodge) the 5th Marines found themselves in a terrific hand to hand struggle before at last pushing the Germans the last hundred metres out of the wood and down the slope towards the village.

By morning of 26 June 1918 Major Shearer of the 3rd Bn 5th Marines was able to declare:

"Woods now entirely - US Marine Corps".

On 30 June 1918 General Degoutte the commander of the 6th French Army under whom the Americans had been fighting, issued an order stating that as a result of their brilliant storming of the wood in the face of a well held and deadly defence, in all official publications from hence le Bois de Belleau would bear the name: le Bois de la Brigade de Marines. Thus it has been known since with the wood being bought by the Belleau Wood Association in 1923.

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Within the wood you will now find the Marines' Memorial

Marines' Memorial

There are two cemeteries in the locality, the more obvious of the two being the American Cemetery but just to its side is the larger (In terms of graves) German Soldatenfriedhof.

American Aisne/Marne Cemetery
Belleau Soldatenfriedhof