The Battle of Belleau Wood: The 2nd Infantry's Triumph

The Battle of Belleau Wood: The 2nd Infantry's Triumph. . , The Battle At 3:45 AM, on June 6th, 1918, two companies of the 5th Marines, 2nd Infantry Division, charged out across no man's land into a hail of German gunfire. The year was 1918, June, and the 4th year of World War I, the "War to End All Wars". America had entered the war in 1917 on the side of Britain and France. In March, 1918, the Germans launched their final bid for victory, a fierce offensive that broke through the pummeled British and French. By May, German guns were shelling Paris, and all that stood between the Germans and the French capital were French reservists and the newly arrived American Divisions. The 2nd and 3rd Infantry were positioned by the village Château-Thierry and the Belleau Wood, the farthest point of German advance. On June 1 and 2, the 5th Marines, the first men of the 2nd Infantry Division to arrive, fought off vicious German assaults with nothing but crude rifle pits for protection. On June 3 and 4 the rest of the division moved up. An assault was planned for June 6, that planned to capture the Wood and the nearby Hill 142. At 3:45 AM two companies of the 5th Marines charged out across no man's land into a hail of German gunfire. The Wood had been turned into a nightmare of machine guns, trenches, artillery, barbed wire, and German soldiers. The assault on Hill 142 went successfully, but the 2nd Infantry could only gain a toehold in the southern part of the Wood, with as many as 60 percent casualities<--> sic in some battalions. Another attack on June 8 ended unsuccessfully, but on June 10, with massive artillery support, the marines swept through the Wood and managed to gain some ground. German counterattacks and gas raids took their toll on the battered Marines. They attacked again on June 22, but still could not clear the Wood. Finally, the 2nd Infantry Division broke the German's defenses with a 14 hour long bombardment followed by an intense attack. , Belleau Wood was officially "Marine Corps Property". , , Where are they Today? , The 2nd Infantry is on the Korean Demilitarized Zone facing the forces of North Korea. The 5th Marines are part of the Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq, bringing down Saddam Hussein's Dictatorship. The U.S.S. Belleau Wood is near the coast of Yemen, supporting the forces in Iraq. , , The Legacy , The Battle of Belleau Wood was the first major battle of U.S. forces on European soil, and the units who fought there are still protecting us today. The 2nd Infantry Division is still active, as are parts of the 5th Marines, however, a new member has been added to the Belleau Wood Legacy, the U.S.S. Belleau Wood. This ship is a Tawara Class LHA, meaning that it is an assault ship for Marines, and also a Helicopter carrier. The men and women of these units form the first line of defense for America, just as their predecessors did. , , [Small plaque at the bottom:] , Dedicated in Honor of the 2nd Infantry Division, 5th Marine Regiment, and the USS Belleau Wood by the Boy Scouts of America on the 85th Anniversary of the end of World War I. , November 9, 2003.