Original Pre-WWI USMC Sharpshooter Badge - NHM - PB For Sale

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Original Pre-WWI USMC Sharpshooter Badge - NHM - PB:
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TheBattle of Belleau Wood(1–26 June 1918) was a major battle that occurred during theGerman spring offensiveinWorld War I, near theMarne RiverinFrance. The battle was fought by the U.S.2nd(under the command ofMajor GeneralOmar Bundy) and3rd Divisionsalong with French and British forces against an assortment ofGermanunits including elements from the 237th, 10th, 197th, 87th, and 28th Divisions.[2]The battle has become a key component ofUnited States Marine Corpslore.

In March 1918, with nearly 50 additional divisions freed by the Russian surrender on theEastern Front, the German Army launched a series of attacks on the Western Front, hoping to defeat the Allies before U.S. forces could be fully deployed. A third offensive launched in May against the French betweenSoissonsandReims, known as theThird Battle of the Aisne, saw the Germans reach the north bank of theMarne RiveratChâteau-Thierry, 95 kilometres (59mi) from Paris, on 27 May. On 31 May, the 7th Machine Gun Battalion[3]of theU.S. 3rd Divisionsupported theSenegaleseTirailleurs[3]in holding the German advance at Château-Thierry, in hard house-to-house fighting,[3]and the German advance turned right towardsVauxand Belleau Wood.[4]: 106–107 

On 1 June, Château-Thierry and Vaux fell, and German troops moved into Belleau Wood. TheU.S. 2nd Infantry Division—which included a brigade of U.S. Marines—was brought up along the Paris-Metz highway. The9th Infantry Regimentwas placed between the highway and the Marne, while the6th Marine Regimentwas deployed to their left. The5th Marineand23rd Infantryregiments were placed in Marinesin Belleau Wood(1918).

On the evening of 1 June, German forces punched a hole in the French lines to the left of the Marines' position. In response, the U.S. reserve—consisting of the23rd Infantry Regimentunder ColonelPaul B. Malone, the1st Battalion, 5th Marinesunder MajorJulius S. Turrill, and an element of theMarine 6th Machine Gun Battalion—conducted aforced marchover 10km (6.2mi) to plug the gap in the line, which they achieved by dawn. By the night of 2 June, the U.S. forces held a 20 kilometres (12mi) front line north of the Paris-Metz Highway running through grain fields and scattered woods, from Triangle Farm west toLucyand then north to Hill 142. The German line opposite ran from Vaux showing location of the battle of Belleau Wood (U.S. Military Academy)German advance halted at Belleau Wood[edit]

German commanders ordered an advance onMarignyand Lucy through Belleau Wood as part of a major offensive, in which other German troops would cross the Marne River. The commander of the Marine Brigade, Army GeneralJames Harbord, countermanding a French order to dig trenches further to the rear, ordered the Marines to "hold where they stand". Withbayonets, the Marines dug shallow fighting positions from which they could shoot from the prone position. In the afternoon of 3 June, German infantry attacked the Marine positions through the grain fields with bayonets fixed. The Marines waited until the Germans were within 100yd (91m) before opening deadly rifle fire which mowed down waves of German infantry and forced the survivors to retreat into the woods.[4]: 108 

Having suffered heavy casualties, the Germans dug in along a defensive line from Hill 204, just east of Vaux, to Le Thiolet on the Paris-Metz Highway and northward through Belleau Wood toTorcy.[4]: 109 Marine CaptainLloyd W. Williamsof the2nd Battalion, 5th Marinesuttered the now-famous retort "Retreat, hell! We just got here."[5][6]Williams' battalion commander, Major Frederic Wise, later claimed to have said the famous words.[4]: 109 

On 4 June, Major General Bundy—commanding the 2nd Division—took command of the American sector of the front. Over the next two days, the Marines repelled the continuous German assaults. The 167th French Division arrived, giving Bundy a chance to consolidate his 2,000 yards (1,800m) of front. Bundy's 3rd Brigade, led by GeneralEdward Mann Lewis, held the southern sector of the line, while the Marine brigade held the north of the line from Triangle Farm.[4]: 109 

At 03:45 on 6 June, the Allies launched an attack on the German forces, who were preparing their own strike. The French 167th Division attacked to the left of the American line, while the Marines attacked Hill 142 to prevent flanking fire against the French. As part of the second phase, the 2nd Division was to capture the ridge overlooking Torcy and Belleau Wood, as well as occupying Belleau Wood. However, the Marines failed to scout the woods. As a consequence, they missed a regiment of German infantry dug in, with a network of machine gun nests and artillery.[4]: 109 

At dawn, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines—commanded by MajorJulius S. Turrill—was to attack Hill 142, but only two companies were in position. The Marines advanced in waves with bayonets fixed across an open wheat field that was swept with German machine gun and artillery fire, and many Marines were cut down.[4]: 110 [7]Captain Crowther commanding the 67th Company was killed almost immediately. Captain Hamilton and the 49th Company fought from wood to wood, fighting the entrenched Germans and overrunning their objective by 6 yards (5.5m). At this point, Hamilton had lost all five junior officers, while the 67th had only onecommissioned officeralive. Hamilton reorganized the two companies, establishing strong points and a defensive line.[4]: 110–111 

In the German counter-attack,Gunnery SergeantErnest A. Janson—who was serving under the name Charles Hoffman—repelled an advance of 12 German soldiers, killing two with his bayonet before the others fled; for this action he became the first Marine to receive theMedal of Honorin World War I. Also cited for advancing through enemy fire during the counter-attack wasMarine GunnerHenry Hulbertwho was awarded theDistinguished Service Cross.[4]: 111 

The rest of the battalion now arrived and went into action.Turrill's flanks lay unprotected, and the Marines were rapidly exhausting their ammunition. By the afternoon, however, the Marines had captured Hill 142, at a cost of nine officers and most of the battalion’s 325 men.[4]: 111 

On the night of 4 June, theintelligence officerfor the 6th Marines, LieutenantWilliam A. Eddy, and two men stole through German lines to gather information about German forces. They gathered valuable information showing the Germans were consolidating machine gun positions and bringing in artillery. While this activity indicated an attack was not immediately likely, their increasing strength was creating a base of attack that raised concern about them breaking through to Paris.[8]

At 17:00 on 6 June, the3rd Battalion, 5th Marines(3/5)—commanded by Major Benjamin S. Berry—and the3rd Battalion 6th Marines(3/6)—commanded by Major Berton W. Sibley, on their right—advanced from the west into Belleau Wood as part of the second phase of the Allied offensive. Again, the Marines had to advance through a waist-high wheat field into machine gun fire. One of the most famous quotations in Marine Corps history came during the initial step-off for the battle whenFirst SergeantDan Daly, a recipient of two Medals of Honor who had served in the Philippines, Santo Domingo, Haiti, Peking, andVera Cruz, prompted his men of the 73rd Machine Gun Company forward with the words: "Come on, you sons of bitches. Do you want to live forever?"[4]: 99–100 

The first waves of Marines—advancing in well-disciplined lines—were slaughtered; Major Berry was wounded in the forearm during the advance. On his right, the Marines of Major Sibley's 3/6 Battalion swept into the southern end of Belleau Wood and encountered heavy machine gun fire, sharpshooters, and barbed wire. Marines and German infantrymen were soon engaged in hand-to-hand fighting. The casualties sustained on this day were the highest in Marine Corps history up to that time.[7]Some 31 officers and 1,056 men of the Marine brigade were casualties. However, the Marines now had a foothold in Belleau Wood.[4]: 102 

The battle was now deadlocked. At midnight on 7–8 June, a German attack was stopped cold and an American counter-attack in the morning of 8 June was similarly defeated. Sibley's battalion—having sustained nearly 400 casualties—was relieved by the1st Battalion, 6th Marines. Major Shearer took over the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines from the wounded Berry.[4]: 112 On 9 June, an enormous American and French barrage devastated Belleau Wood, turning the formerly attractive hunting preserve into a jungle of shattered trees. The Germans counter-fired into Lucy and Bouresches and reorganized their defenses inside Belleau Wood.[4]: 112 

In the morning of 10 June, Major Hughes' 1st Battalion, 6th Marines—together with elements of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion—attacked north into the wood. Although this attack initially seemed to be succeeding, it was also stopped by machine gun fire. The commander of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion—Major Cole—was mortally wounded. Captain Harlan Major—senior captain present with the battalion—took command. The Germans used great quantities ofmustard gas.[9]: 17 Next, Wise's 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines was ordered to attack the woods from the west, while Hughes continued his advance from the south.[4]: 112–113 

At 04:00 on 11 June, Wise's men advanced through a thick morning mist towards Belleau Wood, supported by the 23rd and 77th companies of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion, and elements of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Engineers[9]: 17 and were cut to pieces by heavy fire. Platoons were isolated and destroyed by interlocked machine gun fire. It was discovered that the battalion had advanced in the wrong direction. Rather than moving northeast, they had moved directly across the wood's narrow waist. However, they smashed the German southern defensive lines. A German private, whose company had 30 men left out of 120, wrote "We have Americans opposite us who are terribly reckless fellows."[4]: 113 

Overall, the woods were attacked by the Marines a total of six times before they could successfully expel the Germans. They fought off parts of fivedivisionsof Germans, often reduced to using only their bayonets or fists inhand-to-hand combat.

On 26 June, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, under command of MajorMaurice E. Shearer, supported by two companies of the 4th Machine Gun Battalion and the 15th Company of the 6th Machine Gun Battalion, made an attack on Belleau Wood, which finally cleared that forest of Germans.[9]On that day, Major Shearer submitted a report simply stating, "Woods now U.S. Marine Corps entirely",[10]: 3 ending one of the bloodiest and most ferocious battles U.S. forces would fight in the war.

United States forces suffered 9,777 casualties, included 1,811 killed.[1]: 33 Many are buried in the nearbyAisne-Marne American Cemetery. Less clear is the number of German casualties, estimated to be over 10,000,[1]: 33 with 1,600 taken prisoner.[11]

After the battle, the French renamed the woodBois de la Brigade de Marine('Wood of the Marine Brigade') in honor of the Marines' tenacity. The French government also later awarded the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments and the 6th Machine Gun Battalion theCroix de guerre. An official German report classified the Marines as "vigorous, self-confident, and remarkable marksmen..."[10]: 4 General Pershing—commander of theAEF—said, "The deadliest weapon in the world is a United States Marine and his rifle."[12]Pershing also said "the Battle of Belleau Wood was for the U.S. the biggest battle sinceAppomattoxand the most considerable engagement American troops had ever had with a foreign enemy."[10]: 4 

Legend and lore has it that the Germans used the termTeufelshunde('devil dogs') for the Marines. However, this has not been confirmed, as the term was not commonly known in contemporary German. The closest common German term would beHöllenhundewhich means 'hellhound'. Regardless of the term's origin, ten years after the battle, Lieutenant Colonel Ernst Otto, from the Historical Section of the German Army, wrote of the Marine Corps: "Their fiery advance and great tenacity were well recognized by their opponents."[13]

Marines actively serving in the Fifth and Sixth Marine regiments were authorized to wear the Frenchfourragèreon the left shoulder of their uniform to recognize the legacy and valor of their regimental predecessors.[14]

In June 1923, theMarine Bandperformed a new march called "Belleau Wood" for the first time during the annual Belleau Wood anniversary celebration. Composed by then Second LeaderTaylor Branson, who later led the Marine Band from 1927 to 1940, it was dedicated toArmyMajor GeneralJames. G. Harbord, who commanded the Marines during the battle.[15]

In July 1923, Belleau Wood was dedicated as anAmerican battle monument. Major General Harbord was made an honorary Marine and attended the event. In his address, he summed up the future of the site:

Now and then, a veteran, for the brief span that we still survive, will come here to live again the brave days of that distant June. Here will be raised the altars of patriotism; here will be renewed the vows of sacrifice and consecration to country. Hither will come our countrymen in hours of depression, and even of failure, and take new courage from this shrine of great deeds.[5][16]

WhitecrossesandStars of Davidmark 2,289 graves, 250 for unknown service members, and the names of 1,060 missing men adorn the wall of a memorial chapel. Visitors also stop at the nearby German cemetery where 8,625 men are buried; 4,321 of them—3,847 unknown—rest in a common grave. The German cemetery was established in March 1922, consolidating a number of temporary sites, and includes men killed between the Aisne and the Marne in 1918, along with 70 men who died in 1914 in theFirst Battle of the Marne.[5][17]

On 18 November 1955, a black marble monolith with abronzereliefof afighting Marinewas dedicated at a road clearing near the site of the battle. Simply entitledThe Marine Memorial, it was sculpted byFelix de Weldon, the artist who had also formed theMarine Corps War Memorialoutside ofWashington, D.C.The memorial honors the 4th Marine Brigade for their bravery here in June 1918, and is the only memorial in Europe dedicated solely to the United States Marines. Below the statue is a commemorative plaque with a largeEagle, Globe, and Anchor. The plaque includes a brief history of the battle, with text in both English and French. Officiating at the monument's dedication ceremony was thenCommandant of the Marine Corps, GeneralLemuel C. Shepherd Jr., who had fought and was twice wounded at Belleau Wood, and later awarded theArmy Distinguished Service Crossand theNavy Crossfor his gallantry in action, 37 years earlier.[18][19]

In New York City, a 0.197-acre (800m2) triangle at the intersection of 108 Street and 51st Avenue inQueensis dedicated to Marine PrivateWilliam F. Moore, 47th Company,2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.[20]

In Boston, a square at the intersection of E Street and 6th Avenue inSouth Bostonis dedicated to Marine Private Thomas Henry Joyce, 47th Company,3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Joyce was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre with bronze star for his actions at Belleau Wood: "A most audacious liaison agent. Killed on the night of June 24, 1918, after having on five successive occasions carried messages to the company post of command under violent fire of machine guns and artillery."

TwoU.S. Navyvessels have been named for the battle. The firstUSSBelleau Wood(CVL-24)was a light aircraft carrier active duringWorld War IIin thePacific Theater, from 1943 to 1945. From 1953 to 1960, she was loaned to theFrench Navyunder the nameBois Belleauand served in theFirst IndochinaandAlgerianWars. The secondUSSBelleau Wood(LHA-3)was active from 1977 to 2005.

A shortened version of Lloyd Williams' famous quote is the basis for the motto the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, his unit during the battle. Williams himself has been honored with a building on the campus of his alma materVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universitynamed in remembrance of him.[6]

In April 2018, French PresidentEmmanuel Macronpresented to the United States asessile oak saplingfrom Belleau Wood as part of his state visit.[21]

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