The Marines in France: How World War I Forged a New Corps

When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, the Marine Corps was a small service with experience in shipboard security, expeditionary landings and fighting in places such as Cuba, Haiti, Mexico and the Philippines.

France would be different.

For the first time, Marines would fight as part of a massive American army on a European battlefield dominated by trenches, machine guns, artillery, poison gas and barbed wire. The battles they fought there—especially Belleau Wood, Soissons, Blanc Mont and the Meuse-Argonne—helped transform the Marine Corps and establish the reputation it carries today.

The Marines Arrive in France

The first Marines of the 5th Marine Regiment arrived in France in June 1917 as part of the American Expeditionary Forces commanded by Gen. John J. Pershing.

The 5th and 6th Marine Regiments, together with the 6th Machine Gun Battalion, eventually formed the 4th Marine Brigade. The brigade became part of the Army’s 2nd Division, serving alongside the division’s Army infantry units.

Although the Marines had considerable expeditionary experience, they had never faced warfare on the scale occurring in France. They trained for months before entering combat, learning the realities of trench warfare and adapting to French weapons and tactics.

The battlefield was unlike anything most Marines had experienced. Artillery could destroy entire positions without warning. Machine guns swept across open ground. Poison gas drifted into trenches and low areas. Aircraft observed troop movements from above, while miles of mud, shell holes and barbed wire slowed every advance.

By early 1918, the Marines were ready to enter the line.

The German Spring Offensive

In March 1918, Germany launched a massive series of attacks intended to defeat the Allies before the full strength of the United States could arrive in Europe.

German troops advanced rapidly across parts of northern France, threatening Paris and forcing Allied units to retreat. The American 2nd Division, including the 4th Marine Brigade, was rushed forward to help stop the advance near Château-Thierry.

The Marines took up positions near a dense hunting preserve known as Belleau Wood, approximately 50 miles northeast of Paris. German forces had occupied the woods and turned them into a heavily defended position filled with machine-gun nests.

As retreating Allied soldiers moved through the American lines, a Marine officer was reportedly advised to withdraw. Capt. Lloyd Williams of the 5th Marines is traditionally credited with answering:

“Retreat? Hell, we just got here.”

Whether the exact words were recorded at the time remains uncertain, but the quote came to symbolize the Marines’ determination during the battle.

The Battle of Belleau Wood

The Battle of Belleau Wood began for the Marines on June 6, 1918.

To reach the woods, they had to advance across hundreds of yards of exposed wheat fields under German rifle, artillery and machine-gun fire. The attacking Marines had little protection, and casualties mounted almost immediately.

Gunnery Sgt. Dan Daly, already one of the most highly decorated Marines in the Corps, is traditionally said to have encouraged his men forward by shouting:

“Come on, you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?”

As with many battlefield quotations, several versions exist, but Daly’s leadership during the attack became part of Marine Corps legend.

June 6 became one of the bloodiest days in Marine Corps history up to that time. The Marines suffered more casualties in a single day than the Corps had experienced during many of its earlier campaigns combined.

Once inside Belleau Wood, the fighting became a brutal struggle among trees, rocks and tangled undergrowth. German machine guns were concealed in prepared positions with overlapping fields of fire. Artillery shattered trees and sent wooden splinters flying through the air like additional shrapnel.

Marines fought from one position to the next using rifles, grenades, bayonets and automatic weapons. Ground was captured, lost and recaptured. Units became separated, officers were killed or wounded and small groups of Marines continued fighting without clear contact with their commanders.

The battle lasted for most of June. On June 26, after repeated attacks and nearly three weeks of continuous fighting, Maj. Maurice Shearer sent a message announcing:

“Woods now U.S. Marine Corps entirely.”

Belleau Wood had been taken, but at a tremendous cost. The 4th Marine Brigade suffered approximately 4,000 casualties during the fighting, including more than 1,000 Marines killed.

The “Devil Dogs” Legend

Marine Corps tradition holds that the Germans began calling the Marines *Teufel Hunden*, usually translated as “Devil Dogs,” because of their ferocity at Belleau Wood.

The nickname remains one of the most famous parts of Marine Corps culture. However, historians have never found solid German military records proving that German troops actually used the term. The German spelling normally associated with the story is also grammatically incorrect.

The name appears to have been popularized through American wartime newspapers and recruiting publicity.

Although its precise origin is uncertain, “Devil Dog” became permanently connected to the Marines who fought in France. It reflected how Americans viewed the Corps after Belleau Wood: aggressive, determined and unwilling to surrender ground once the battle had begun.

The French later renamed Belleau Wood *Bois de la Brigade de Marine*—“Wood of the Marine Brigade”—in recognition of the Marines who fought there.

More Than Belleau Wood

Belleau Wood became the most famous Marine battle of World War I, but it was only one part of the Corps’ fighting in France.

In July 1918, the 4th Marine Brigade participated in the Allied counterattack near Soissons. Marines advanced behind a massive artillery barrage against German positions in open farmland.

The attack helped disrupt German transportation and supply routes, but it came at another terrible cost. Entire Marine companies lost large numbers of officers and enlisted men within hours. The fighting around Soissons demonstrated that Belleau Wood had not been an isolated act of courage. The Marines could continue attacking even after suffering devastating losses.

The brigade later fought in the St. Mihiel offensive in September 1918, the first major operation led by an independent American army. The offensive eliminated a German-held section of the front that had threatened Allied positions for years.

The Battle of Blanc Mont

In October 1918, the Marines took part in one of their most important and least remembered battles of the war: the assault on Blanc Mont Ridge.

The ridge dominated the surrounding French countryside and had remained in German hands for years. French forces had repeatedly attempted to capture it without lasting success.

On October 3, the American 2nd Division attacked. Marines advanced through heavy artillery, machine-gun and rifle fire, breaking into the German defensive system and capturing the heights.

Fighting continued for several days as German forces launched counterattacks and attempted to isolate the advancing Americans. Marine and Army units held their positions and helped force the Germans to retreat from a large section of the Champagne region.

Blanc Mont was strategically important because it helped break one of the strongest remaining German defensive lines. The battle demonstrated the Marines’ growing experience and their ability to conduct coordinated attacks against heavily fortified positions.

Despite its importance, Blanc Mont never received the same public attention as Belleau Wood. Among the Marines who fought in France, however, it was remembered as one of the brigade’s hardest and most significant battles.

The Final Offensive

The 4th Marine Brigade later joined the Meuse-Argonne campaign, the largest American operation of World War I.

In early November, Marines attacked through another series of German defenses and advanced toward the Meuse River. During the war’s final hours, elements of the 2nd Division crossed the river and established positions on the opposite bank.

The armistice took effect at 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, ending the fighting.

The Marines’ service did not end immediately. The 4th Marine Brigade marched into Germany as part of the Allied occupation force and remained there before returning to the United States in 1919.

A Heavy Price

The Marine Corps entered World War I with fewer than 14,000 officers and enlisted Marines. By the end of the conflict, it had expanded to more than 70,000.

Approximately 30,000 Marines served in France, with most of the Corps’ combat power concentrated in the 4th Marine Brigade. More than 2,000 Marines were killed in battle, and many thousands more were wounded.

The casualty lists reached communities across the United States and permanently changed the families of the Marines who had volunteered to fight.

The Corps also emerged from the war with a new national reputation. Newspaper correspondents reported extensively on the fighting at Belleau Wood, often emphasizing the role of the Marines. Their stories introduced millions of Americans to the Marine Corps and created an image of Marines as elite assault troops.

That publicity occasionally created tension with Army leaders, since the Marines fought as part of an Army division and Army soldiers had endured the same battlefields. Nevertheless, the Marine Corps understood the importance of preserving and promoting its wartime record.

The Lasting Legacy

The Marines who fought in France helped shape the modern identity of the Corps.

They wore the Eagle, Globe and Anchor, but they fought largely with Army weapons, under Army operational command and alongside Army infantrymen. What distinguished them was not special equipment but their discipline, marksmanship, aggressiveness and determination to maintain their identity as Marines.

Many traditions associated with the modern Corps grew from their experience. Belleau Wood became sacred ground. “Devil Dog” became a Marine nickname. The 5th and 6th Marine Regiments were authorized to wear the French *Fourragère*, a braided decoration recognizing the units’ repeated citations for bravery in French service.

Marines assigned to those regiments still wear the green-and-red Fourragère on their uniforms today.

The 5th Marines also adopted the motto “Retreat, Hell,” while Belleau Wood remains a destination for Marines honoring those who fought there. The battle is remembered every year, and Marines stationed in Europe continue to maintain a connection with the nearby French communities.

World War I proved that the Marine Corps could do more than guard ships, seize small bases or conduct short expeditionary campaigns. It could fight and survive on an industrial battlefield against one of the most experienced armies in the world.

The Marines arrived in France as a small and relatively unfamiliar part of America’s military. They returned home as some of the nation’s most celebrated warriors.

Belleau Wood made them famous, but Soissons, St. Mihiel, Blanc Mont and the Meuse-Argonne proved that their reputation had been earned.