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updated: Jan 22, 2003
BELLEAU WOOD
It was here, in a former hunting preserve named Belleau Wood, that 80 years ago 8,000 U.S. Marines, hundreds of Army soldiers and a handful of Navy medical corpsmen fought a prolonged battle to halt the Germans' advance toward Paris, a mere 30 miles away. Today the 200-acre, 1.5- mile-long wood remains untouched. Nearly 700 Americans died, and another 7,300 were wounded.
France, with the help of the United States, had formed a last line of defense along the Marne River near Chateau Thierry. The U.S. 4th Marine Brigade, made up of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments, was in the center with the French 167th Division on its left and U.S. Army 3rd Brigade to the right. The advancing German spearhead struck the Marine brigade near Belleau Wood on June 4. New to Europe and the First World War, the combat-ready Marines encountered retreating, battle-worn veteran French troops, who predicted only doom. Turn back, the French advised, however, untried, but soon to prove their mettle, the Marines surged through a hail of machine gun fire to take Hill 142 on June 6.
What remained of the 4th Marine Brigade emerged victorious from Belleau Wood on June 26. The battle marked a turning point in the war: The American victory rekindled hope among war-weary Europeans and destroyed German confidence. Belleau Wood was dedicated as an American battle monument in July 1923.
Belleau Wood is located on the high ground to the rear of the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial south of the village of Belleau (Aisne), France. It contains many of the vestiges of World War I. In the center of the road leading through the woods is a flagpole and a monument commemorating the valor of the United States Marines who captured this area in 1918.
There is an outdoor display of some of the artillery pieces used by the Marines. The outline of the trenches dug in 1918 is still visible.
