THE BATTLE OF BELLEAU WOOD 1918

The Battlefield Tour - this is a brief extract from the book This is one of 12 battlefield tours described in detail in our  book Western Front-South which contains 390 coloured pictures and 14 maps in 370 pages

The Fighting - this is a brief summary The Battle of Belleau Wood was fought during the German offensive that began on 27 May 1918 which captured Soissons and then drove a deep salient towards Paris. At the point of the German advance the 2nd US Div, including the 4th Marine Brigade, was rushed down to help the French. There, in Belleau Wood, the American Division stood firm for 4 days under intense pressure and then in a series of counter attacks cleared the Wood by 25 June. It is a Battle Honour fiercely claimed by the US Marine Corps which is commemorated each year by Corps representatives who drink from the 'Devil Dogs' fountain in the village and have a memorial ceremony at the 'Iron Mike' bronze statue in the middle of the wood where there is a series of memorial bronze panels and the remains of shell holes and trenches The book describes a tour that also takes in the battles of the River Ourcq and Chateau Thierry and can last around six hours.

		On the far left is a Memorial Boulder to the US 2nd Division, its Indian Head insignia just visible and next to it is an artillery piece in the Wood showing the effects of a 'Premature' round. Above is a' Devil Dog' exhibit in Gilles Lagan's museum.
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View Belleau Wood Memorials in a larger map