The Battle of Belleau Wood

It was during this battle that thousands of US Army and Marine Corps men stood their ground and fell to German guns (like in the above song).

On 1 June, the Germans took Château-Thierry and Vaux and moved into Belleau Wood. That night the Germans punched a whole in the French line on the left flank of the US marines. The US troops held in reserve were force matched 10 kilometers to plug the hole.

By the evening of the 2 June 1918 the Americans had a 20 kilometer front held by two divisions of the US Army. Assigned to the Army divisions was a brigade of marines made up of two US Marine Corp regiments. The soon to be legendary 5th and 6th Marine Regiments.

The French forces were moving back and digging trenches, they ordered the American forces to do the same. US Army general James Harbord, commanding…