History That Doesn't Suck - 134: (Most of) The German Spring Offensive of 1918 & The Fight for Belleau Wood

Episode Date: May 22, 2023

This is the story of the first real battles of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in World War I. Carrying out his third operation of the German Spring Offensive, General Erich Ludendorff is hoping to distract the French before delivering a KO punch to the Brits farther north in Flanders. But this offensive is going far too well to let up. German troops are advancing rapidly down here. This mere diversion has taken them to Château-Thierry on the banks of the Marne River! Erich can’t help but think that, with Paris a mere 50 miles away, maybe this is the course to press. The Brits are spent. The French are spent. The Italians are spent. The Americans are growing in number but still wildly untrained. Can these smooth-faced American youth, so unfamiliar with war, really make the difference in stopping the German war machine’s forward advance? Can they take Cantigny? Will they hold at Château-Thierry? Will the US Marines continue the fight, even as they see an unprecedented loss of lives in a small cluster of trees known as Belleau Wood? We’ll find out.  ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette  come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celebrate all the little moments of cheer and togetherness at Starbucks. Pair your peppermint mocha with a cozy game night. Sip your chestnut praline latte at a holiday movie marathon. Or take your caramel brulee latte along on your impromptu catch-up. These are sips worth sharing, so come together and find your holiday magic, only at Starbucks. The French Revolution set Europe ablaze. It was an age of enlightenment and progress, but also of tyranny and oppression. It was an age of glory and an age of tragedy. One man stood above it all. This was the Age of Napoleon. I'm Everett Rummage, host of the Age

of Napoleon podcast. Join me as I examine the life and times of one of the most fascinating and enigmatic characters in modern history. Look for The Age of Napoleon wherever you find your podcasts. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and as in the classroom, my goal here is to make rigorously researched history come to life as your storyteller. Each episode is the result of laborious research with no agenda other than making the past come to life as you learn. If you'd like to help support this work, receive ad-free episodes, bonus content, and other exclusive perks, I invite you to join the HTDS membership program.

Sign up for a 7-day free trial today at htdspodcast.com slash membership, or click the link in the episode notes. It's early in the morning, nearly sunrise, May 28th, 1918. We're 75 miles north of Paris and a few miles northwest of Montdidier, in Cantigny, France, where more than 200 pieces of Allied artillery are pummeling this once beautiful hilltop village currently occupied by the Germans. But don't let the French 75s or other French supporting units fool you. This is the first independent American operation of the war. The work of the 1st Division, aka the Big Red One, under the command of General Robert

Lee Bulller. That said, much of the brains behind this attack is the war rank promoted Lieutenant Colonel George C. Marshall. Cantigny is the tip of a German salient along the front, and today American leadership intends to prove American mettle to everyone, to their French and British allies, and to their German foe alike. This bombardment is just the start. It's now 6.45 a.m. Looking out from their trenches and machine gun nests, the Germans are greeted by the sudden appearance of 14 massive, box-like vehicles. These are French tanks, the Schneider.

Though crude and clunky compared to their future successors, these tanks appear unstoppable as they roll into no man's land, snapping or crushing barbed wire as they train their menacing 75 millimeter guns on German positions. The Bosch gunners wisely abandon their posts. As the tanks advance, brown-clad Americans from the Big Red Ones 28th Infantry rise from their trenches in near unison. The doughboys keep a steady pace, letting the still-firing artillery and forward-rolling tanks clear the way as they follow, rifles in hand, bayonets fixed, ready for the fight to come. It's an effective approach, and within minutes,

the tank-protected Americans have broken through no man's land to take the streets of Kent. Once in town, the doughboys stand vigilant guard as a section of French flame fighters commence their work of death. They scour the dugouts and cellars of the town ready to put any hidden Germans to the flame. American Sergeant Dan Edwards will never forget the sight of these heavy coat-wearing, double tank-strapped Frenchmen. Dan watches with fascination as one heavily bearded, pipe-smoking flame fighter approaches a dugout and yells in French-accented German, but the Frenchman doesn't give the boches so much as a moment to respond before turning his nozzle loose on those inside. He then pulls out a grenade, taps it on his helmet, and drops it in. Calmly puffing his pipe, the Frenchman looks down at

flailing, flame-covered Germans, nods with approval, and moves on. So hardened by war, so emotionless. The observing American sergeant can hardly believe it, later saying, I never had seen anything like it. You'd have thought he was hoeing a garden the way he worked. As other Germans are taken as prisoners of war, the doughboys can't help but feel elated. This couldn't have gone smoother. The 28th's leaders use their freshly laid telephone wire to send news of this sound victory back to headquarters. Cantigny is in American hands. It's a liberated French village.

Vive la France! Or so it seems for a few minutes. Just after 7 a.m., German shells come crashing down on the now American-held village. Doughboys dive into trenches, dugouts, foxholes, divots, anything that might preserve their lives. Worse still, few artillery can come to the Americans' defense. News has arrived that elsewhere, on the Chemin des Dames, the Germans are rapidly advancing. And left unchecked there, the Boches could threaten Paris itself. So even as these German guns are blasting Cantigny,

French planes and two regiments of French artillery have no choice but to answer this more urgent need and leave the pinned-down doughboys to their fate, to Germany's artillery bombardments and rallying counter-attacking infantry. Manning a gun tripod, Sergeant Dan Edwards sees a large German charging on his right. But it's too late.

The Busch knocks him off balance. Dan's only alive because his heavy equipment prevents the bayonet from piercing him deeply. The Germans' jabs keep coming as Dan tries to get away. All the while, he takes in his assailant, a man who evidently takes pleasure in killing. He was all of six foot tall, and his smile showed a mouthful of white teeth. There was an iron cross on his tunic. He had me all right. He didn't intend to capture me. But as Dan falls backward,

one of his hands, by pure happenstance, lands on his automatic. He grips the gun, pulls, and fires into the German three times. Dan watches as the boche's grin fades to a look of surprise, then disappointment as he slumps to his knees in certain death. The sun sets and rises. May 29th is little different.

More German artillery, met by meager, insufficient artillery counters from the Americans. More bomb-dropping German aircraft. More hand-to-hand combat. The rot of the dead carries on the wind for miles. But as the 16th Infantry relieves the exhausted, casualty-stricken 28th, these doughboys show just as much grit and determination to hold their ground until finally the Germans yield on May 31st. To quote George C. Marshall, we held Cantigny. The Germans never afterwards reoccupied the village. The price paid was a heavy one, but it demonstrated conclusively the fighting qualities and fortitude of the American soldier. Close quote. Demonstrated qualities and fortitude of the American soldier." Close quote.

Demonstrated qualities and fortitude indeed. The Germans learned a deadly lesson at Cantigny. Inexperienced as they might be, these Yankees can put up quite a fight. Ah, but can they hold their ground in a larger campaign? That answer will come in the days and weeks ahead, and it just might determine the outcome of this war. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story.

The 1st Division suffered over 500 casualties in its initial attack at Cantigny. Holding the town until relieved in July will drive those losses to roughly 5,000. Small numbers in a war that counts its dead by the millions. Yet, Cantigny proves that the rapidly assembled and still assembling American Expeditionary Force can indeed fight. Of greatest importance to U.S. Commander Black Jack Pershing, it proves that the AEF doesn't need to be divided up or amalgamated into the British and French armies. Quote, this action illustrates the facility with which our officers and men learn and emphasizes the importance of organizing our own divisions and higher units as soon as circumstances permit. It is my firm conviction that our troops are the best in Europe and our

staffs are the equals of any." Yes, as in the last episode, Blackjack is still fighting to see the AEF mature into a fully independent army rather than get absorbed by his allies. But the challenges we saw last time are still there too. The Germans are still advancing, and the Allies are still in a desperate situation. Today, we pick up with the Allies facing those same struggles as we continue with the German Spring Offensive of 1918. But just to make sure we don't get lost, we'll start with a quick yet thorough recap

of the German Spring Offensive's first two operations. We'll then go in close on its third operation, which starts in late May, Operation Blücherjagd. This is where we'll find the Allies in their latest crisis. We'll bear witness as generals and prime ministers, all pushed to their limits, accuse one another of not pulling their weight. We'll also see the Americans rush to help the hardened but exhausted French and British hold the Germans back at the Marne River.

But this isn't little cantini. The life of the French capital, if not the French nation, may depend upon whether the Yankees can hold their ground in this larger fight. We'll find out if they can, and as we do, we'll pay close attention to a small woodland known as Bellow Wood. It's a sacred place to the U.S. Marine Corps. A place of painful sacrifice. And after we follow them into these woods on June 6, 1918, you'll understand why.

And with that, you'll understand why. And with that, our objectives are set. It's time to move out. We begin by backing up just a few weeks to follow the whole of the German Spring Offensive. Rewind. Ah, the German Spring Offensive of 1918. Beginning with our quick refresher, let's recall that, as we learned in the last episode, the manpower for this German war machine is coming from the east.

When Bolshevik-led Russia exits the war in early March 1918, Germany no longer has to concern itself with a massive eastern front. This frees up one million troops for service elsewhere. The 2nd Reich decides to send 750,000 of these seasoned warriors to the Western Front. The hope is that they can land a knockout punch against the Allied powers of Britain and France. And, you know, it is March, and this should take months, so it's a spring offensive. Operating under the leadership of General Erich Ludendorff, the spring offensive begins on March 21st, 1918, with Operation Michael.

On that day, more than 60 German divisions crash into the grossly outnumbered British 3rd and 5th Armies to the north and in the vicinity of the Somme River. The Tommies give ground over the next week, falling back as far as 40 miles to the small town of Montdidier. And yet, they refuse to break. The next wave of the spring offensive comes on April 9th. Using the code name Operation Georgette, the Germans strike the British again, this time farther north in Flanders at the Lise River. The goal is to break the British here by cutting their supply lines at the English Channel. Two days later, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig answers this potentially disastrous fate with his famous backs-to-the-wall order, calling on every British soldier to fight to the last man.

They do, and again the Brits hold, but only just and with much thanks to the last man. They do, and again, the Brits hold. But only just, and with much thanks to the 1st Australian Division's tenacity and sacrifice. The casualties are piling up. The Allies are looking frail. Thus, on the 14th, the Allies tighten their relationship. They name French General Ferdinand Foch as Supreme Commander or General-in-Chief of the Allied armies. The title does perhaps overstate the mustachioed Frenchman's full authority, but it is still meaningful and speaks to the Allies' desperate need for greater cohesion. Meanwhile, the commander of the American Expeditionary Force, General Black Jack Pershing, sends the 1st Division to help the French 1st Army hold the Germans back at Montdidier. Before they depart, he tries to give the Big Red One's leadership a rousing speech.

Eh, it isn't. Look, Jack does a lot of things well, but public speaking just isn't one of them. That brings us to early May's meeting of the Supreme War Council in Abbeville, France, where various national leaders increased the pressure on Black Jack to amalgamate his troops. That is, to mix his doughboys into the British and French armies without a sense of American identity. Now, as we know from the last episode, Blackjack doesn't cave. He remains determined to yet turn his still-growing AEF into an independent American army. Yet, we also learned that the American commander softens his position enough

by the end of May to allow Supreme Commander Ferdinand Foch to use American forces as he sees fit. Sounds great, but as this last reminder from the previous episode brings our little refresher to a close, perhaps obstinately opposed to amalgamation, Blackjack's kinder tone in late May ought to raise a chilling question. Just how bad is the situation if he's making this offer? Oh, it's downright terrifying for the Allies. Blackjack's kinder words come one day after the French, who've ignored warnings from American intelligence, become the victims of the German spring offensive's third thrust. Code-named Operation Blücherjagd, the attack begins at 1 a.m. May 27, 1918. Germany's Master of Artillery, General Georg Buchmuller,

a.k.a. Breakthrough Muller, starts things off with a two-and-a-half-hour, 4 4,000 gun artillery barrage in the Chemin des Dames sector. This is a bit farther south than the Spring Offensive's first two thrusts, but don't let that make you think that General Erich Ludendorff has changed his goals. The daring German commander still means to break through the British lines up by the English Channel. He's only striking down here as a diversion. If he can keep the French busy defending this wooded high ground

running alongside the Aisne River, called the Chemin des Dames, because of its historic and crucial to defend road, a road that leads to Paris, then, Erich believes, he can isolate and break the Brits up north. All of this goes like clockwork on May 27th. Breakthrough Moeller works his magic,

and German troops stroll onto the heights of the Chemin des Dames, then cross the still-standing bridges of the Aisne River. Before the day is through, the Fritzes have advanced a jaw-dropping 12 miles. Damn. Now, we know from this episode's opening that it's only the next day, the 28th, that the Germans lose Cantigny to the Americans. But now we can also better appreciate why those French planes and big guns have to leave the yanks of the Big Red One at Cantigny, even as the battle is still raging. Operation Blücher is proving far more successful than the Germans

could have ever dreamed. Some 60,000 French troops, as well as exhausted British troops, ironically sent to this formerly quiet sector for a well-earned rest, are taken as prisoners of war as the German 7th Army drives 30 miles southwest within these last few days of the month of May. La Borche soon holds most of the town of Chateau Thierry and the Marne River's north bank. Paris is but 50 miles away. General Erich Ludendorff and Kromprinz Wilhelm can smell victory. Forget diversions. These German forces are ready to cross the Marne and take the French capital. French Commander-in-Chief Philippe Pétain is filled with despair.

As one of his officers puts it, French divisions facing these Germans have Meanwhile, the Brits and Italians have nothing left to give. That leaves only the now numerous but still undersupplied and largely entraining Americans. Can they do it? Can they make the difference needed to stem the German tide and prevent France's Armageddon? On May 30th, Philippe, the Lion of Verdun, Pétain, asks U.S. Commander Black Jack Pershing if he will send U. send US forces to reinforce the cracking French 6th Army.

Jack hates handing control of his men to other nations, but he too can see the hand of death writing France on the wall. With the Big Red One still fighting to secure its hold on Cantigny, he calls on his 2nd and 3rd Divisions. Both move out immediately, well aware they have days of travel ahead, yet time is of the essence. It's the evening of May 30th, 1918. A seemingly endless convoy of some 50 Ford Model T half-ton trucks, two dozen motorcycles, and half a dozen touring cars

are making their way northwest along the rough, worn, rural roads near Chaumont, France. Within this assortment of vehicles are some 370 Americans and a lot of machine guns. These are the men of the 3rd Division 7th Machine Gun Battalion. With orders to join the French forces in the Chateau Thierry vicinity, they're moving as fast as they can to provide that support. They'll drive right through the night. It's now the afternoon of May 31st. Stiff and sleep-deprived, after some 20 hours on the road, the 7th battalion is just pulling into a small village less than 10 miles to the southeast of Chateau-Thierry. This is Condé-en-Prix, and it's a depressing scene. French citizens are terrified. Pandemonium reigns.

Pressing through the chaos, the Yanks commander, Major Edward Taylor, finds and reports to General Jean-Baptiste Marchand of the French 10th Colonial Division, who in turn orders the battalion into Chateau-Thierry. Only a few miles back on the road, the 7th's hard-pressed Ford trucks begin running out of gas. But the Major won't let this stop his men. While some go for gas and those vehicles that can push on, many of the troops unpack their tripods, ammo, and other equipment

to lug them along these last few uphill miles. Whether hiking or driving, the men of the 7th Battalion make it to Château Thierry that evening. They're greeted by the distant sound of French guns keeping the Germans from crossing the Marne's yet-to-be-blown bridges. No time to waste then. The 7th gets to work, and by 4 am, many a Hotchkiss machine gun is in place and manned on the Marne southern bank. These Yanks haven't had a meal or slept in 36 hours. But no matter, they're already in action, fighting to keep the Germans from crossing this river. Later that same June 1st morning, the 2nd Division starts pouring into the Chateau-Thierry region as well.

Like the 3rd Division's 7th Machine Gun Battalion, these 13,000 Yanks have traveled hard and fast to get here so quickly. They were up at 3 a.m. yesterday, riding in trucks, passing through small villages where hopeful French citizens yelled after them, Vive la Marique! That tune changed as the doughboys reached the bombed-out city of Meaux and met terrified refugees and morally defeated French soldiers. It was about here that the French Indochina colonials driving their camion had to stop.

The doughboys marched under the stars from here. They're still marching this morning, in fact, but right now, the division's general, Omar Bundy, and his chief of staff, Colonel Preston Brown, are far ahead of them. These two have gone ahead to meet French General Jean-Marie de Goutte of the 21st Corps in the small village of Couperus to receive the division's orders.

Except they're not so much receiving as rejecting. Rather than plug holes in his line, as the French commander wants, they propose another plan. Let the 2nd Division form a machine-gun-protected secondary defensive line along the Paris road and cover his French forces as they retreat. The French general is uncertain. This is the fate of Paris, if not his country and the whole war.

Can he trust these exhausted, partially trained doughboys? He looks these Yankee commanders in the eyes and asks, Can the Americans really hold? Preston Brown doesn't hesitate. The Kentucky-born, Yale-educated colonel's answer isn't free of exaggeration, but it's exactly the kind of reassuring, spirit-of-76 bravado that this French commander needs to hear amid this crisis. General, these are American regulars. In 150 years, they have never been beaten. They will hold.

Thus it is that, as June begins, the 2nd and 3rd Divisions are taking their positions in the vicinity of Chateau-Thierry. These doughboys understand that they are fighting for the very life of France, and that many of them won't return home. It's probably for the best, then, that they don't know there's another battle happening at this very same time. A battle of words. Once again, their commander, Black Jack Pershing, is fighting his allies for control of his troops. It's June 1st, 1918. The Supreme War Council has convened in Versailles, France,

and everyone is utterly despondent. Ten miles away in Paris, terrified people are packing and fleeing. Even the French government is preparing for the possibility of abandoning the capital. It's no surprise then that emotions and tempers in this room are high, that no one is holding anything back, and that the Allies' Supreme Commander Ferdinand Foch is once again upset at U.S. Commander Black Jack Pershing for standing by his desire for an independent American army. Ferdinand tells Jack that an independent U.S. force just isn't a concern right now. America needs to send more men and only infantry and machine gunners.

Jack fires back. He's already prioritized those units since the Abbeville meeting last month, already allowed his better trained units to fight under non-American leadership, and frankly, even in this dire hour, ignoring the already large failures of proper support and supplies is short-sighted. Without functioning railways and supply lines, armies can't function. British transportation expert Graham Thompson chimes in to agree with the American commander. Ferdinand seethes. His nation is dying. He gesticulates wildly as he yells back that the battle is all that matters.

Le bataille! Le bataille! Il n'y a que ça qui compte! The supreme commander further adds that, from here on out, he wants to see 250,000 fighting Americans coming to France per month. Blackjack answers that what he's asking isn't immediately possible. There aren't that many trained infantrymen in the U.S. right now. So, again, they might as well bring support units. French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau calls this a great disappointment, while Ferdinand, still fired up, says training doesn't even matter at this point. Send the largest possible number of troops, trained or untrained. British War Minister Lord Milner agrees. As the contentious conversation continues,

Blackjack suggests that France should call up the next class of French youth early. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George looks incredulous. He replies, Why, General Pershing, you surely would not put those mere boys into the trenches. Jack burns inside at his allies' hypocrisy and has no problem pointing it out. Mr. Prime Minister, you have suggested that we put American boys not as well trained as the French boys

you refer to into the trenches. I cannot see the distinction. Germans are at the marm. Parisians are fleeing. Supreme War Council is filled with disagreement and at each other's throats. Truly, this is a dark hour for the Allies. Want to learn how you can make smarter decisions with your money? Well, I've got the podcast for you.

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Instead, we offer practical knowledge that you can apply in your everyday life. You'll learn about strategies to help you build your wealth, invest wisely, shop for financial products, and plan for major life events. And you'll walk away with the confidence you need to ensure that your money is always working as hard as you are. So turn to the nerds to answer your real world money questions and get insights that can help you make the smartest financial decisions for your life. Listen the Emancipation Proclamation to Appomattox Courthouse. From the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Compromise of 1877. From Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman. To Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The Civil War and Reconstruction was a pivotal era in American history. I'm Rich. And I'm Tracy. And we're the hosts of a podcast that takes a

deep dive into that era, when a war was fought to save the Union and to free the slaves. And when the work to rebuild the nation after that war was over turned into a struggle to guarantee liberty and justice for all Americans. Look for The Civil War and Reconstruction wherever you find your podcasts. To say the Supreme War Council's June 1st through 2nd 1918 meeting at Versailles got off to a rough start is, frankly, an understatement. But like any meaningful partnership, their brutal honesty with one another is also met by a willingness to concede and compromise. Supreme Commander Ferdinand Foch accepts that not every American coming to France's shores will fire rifles or machine guns. Meanwhile, the United States, which due to transportation limitations,

have been drafting only some 116,000 men per month, is upping the ante. Uncle Sam will now send a quarter million of his nephews every month. And yes, priority will go to those who fire bullets rather than those who fill support positions. Not everyone is happy, and Blackjack Pershing has certainly ruffled some feathers, both in Europe and back in the States. But the agreement is struck. Yet, this doesn't mean that all is well for the Allies, or that Blackjack's dream of an independent American army is a given. Not at all. And right now, it appears that the fate of the alliance, the French Third Republic, and a future independent American army largely

hinges on whether the doughboys rushing to Chateau-Thierry on the Marne River can live up to Colonel Preston Brown of the 2nd Division's bold declaration. They must hold. Both the 2nd and 3rd Divisions spend the early days of June taking their assigned posts. Neither are spared fighting as they do so. Positioned at several points along the Marne's south bank and opposite of German-occupied Chateau Terry, the 3rd Division's 7th Machine Gun Battalion dodges German snipers while providing the French much-needed cover to fall back and blow up bridges. On the night of June 2nd, the barrels on several of their Hotchkiss machine guns actually glow red. Meanwhile, most of the 3rd Division's infantry is positioned farther south.

Very much lacking in training, these doughboys will just have to hope their machine gunners truly do hold. As for the 2nd Division, it forms an approximately northeast-facing line just to the west of Château-Thierry. This actually places them across the Marne and on the same side as the German-held town because of a small southward bend in the river. Flanked by the French 167th Division and the 10th Colonial Division, the US 2nd Division occupies the space between the riverfront village of Azis-sur-Marne on the right and Gain-de-Lieu on the left. The 2nd Division's line gets hit by German artillery

over these next few early June days. 20-year-old, ruddy-cheeked William A. Francis describes one such scene in his diary. Quote, A building on our right is burning, and as the flames light up the ground around us, I can see dead Marines lying in the narrow road. A shell hit close by, caving in our dugout.

A friend by the name of Burke was just killed. A piece of shrapnel taking his head off. Close quote. And yet, despite the light artillery, mortars, gas, and other such deadly horrors, the Yanks do just as promised. They hold, allowing French General Jean-Marie de Goud's troops to fall back. In fact, legend has it that as one French colonel suggests,

amid heavy firing, that the Marines should retreat too, an American officer, likely Captain Lloyd Williams, responds, Retreat? Hell, we just got here. And yes, you heard that right, Marines. Uniquely, the U.S. Army 2nd Division has a Marine Brigade within it, the 4th Marine Brigade, and with no disrespect to the Army, that's significant. Filled with volunteers, not draftees, the Marines, or Leathernecks, as they're also called, in a nod to the stiff-necked pieces of their early uniforms, can hold theirs to a higher standard. This generally means better educated and more

physically fit recruits. The 4th Brigade's 5th Regiment even includes a sizable number of pre-war regulars, while the 6th Regiment's new recruits benefit from seasoned leadership. Arguably then, the 4th Marine Brigade ranks among the American Expeditionary Force's finest. Within the 2nd Division's miles-long line, you'll find them farther to the west, that is, on the left, while the Division's 3rd Infantry Brigade holds the east side, closer to the Marne River, on the line's right. Now, if all those technicalities and details on units and positions felt overwhelming, don't sweat it. Because with German General Richard von Conte deciding to play defense as of June 4th,

there's only one thing you really need to know right now, and that's this. Opposite these marines is a ridgeline called Hill 142. And directly east of that hill is a mere half a square mile cluster of trees called Les Bois de Belleau, or in English, Belleau Wood. French and American leadership believe that as they seek to straighten out their defensive line amid this lull in the German attack, the Marines can counterattack, take that hill, and then take those woods.

This will lead to what Marine historian George B. Clark calls, and I quote, the most catastrophic day in Marine Corps history. It's about 3.45 a.m., June 6th, 1918. Several hundred Americans from Major Julius S. Turrell's 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, stand in formation among a few trees at the edge of a waist-high, green-colored wheat field, speckled with the occasional red poppy. About 300 yards opposite is another treeline at the base of German-held Hill 142.

If American commanders understood how this war works, their artillery would still be firing. Instead, a mere five-minute barrage has been trusted to soften up the German line. These Marines should also be twice as numerous. For some reason, though, two of the battalion's four rifle companies aren't here on time. But they can't wait. The French 167th, to their left, is counting on them to move forward. The seasoned sergeant, Daniel Daniel Pop Hunter swings down his cane

and blows his whistle. With that signal, the Leathernecks advance, bayonets fixed, in fine formation. These tactics are dated. This isn't the American Civil War. Even in the early pre-dawn twilight, the Marines are far too visible. Firing some 500 volts per minute, the German Maxi machine guns rip through the exposed Yankees' well-formed lines. One Marine at the back, Lieutenant Vic Bleasdale of the 15th Machine Gun Company, will later recall how such rapid fire spun the riddled bodies of his fellow Marines. He'll also remember the sight of them falling dead in droves. Quote, we hadn't gotten across the damn field before the first line. The survivors had merged with the second. Close quote. Our whistleblowing sergeant is among the fallen.

And yet, despite the German machine guns, snipers, and mortars, the surviving surviving Marines are unwieldy. They continue. They charge. Closing in on the opposite tree line, athletic 25-year-old Captain George Hamilton looks around. He can't identify another higher-ranking officer that's still breathing. Undaunted, he urges half a dozen men back on their feet, and together they rush toward the woods. Other inspired Marines rise and follow. They fly straight at their bent over machine gun firing foe and upon reaching them the Leathernecks strike with hellish fury stabbing and slicing with their bayonets. Against all odds the 1st Battalion 5th Marines does indeed seize the crest of Hill 142 that June 6th morning. But the blood spilt and life lost is horrendous.

Every single one of Captain George Hamilton's officers are lost, as are others, including some 330 Marines. I realize those numbers sound small for the Great War, so let me put that another way. Of the several hundred who charged across the wheat field this morning, 90% of the officers and 50% of the men are gone. Gone bravely, but with respect, many needlessly. As much as the charge on Hill 142 displayed American valor, it equally displayed America's inexperience with World War I tactics. Yet, despite such heavy losses, the 4th Marine Brigade's commander, James Harbord,

sees this for the win that it technically is and moves on with the next phase of the counterattack. This means sending Marines to take the half a square mile, gully and rock-strewn bellow wood just east of this hill. Meanwhile, other Leathernecks will move against the woods neighboring and likewise German-held village of Burech, specifically to capture its rail station. Again, this will be in conjunction with the French advance. And again, American tactics will leave something to be desired. It's now 5pm, June 6th, 1918. Rough roughly 13 hours since this morning's engagement on Hill 142.

An artillery barrage fires on the roughly 1,200 Germans of the 461st Regiment in Belleau Wood, but it's haphazard. The 6th Marine Regiment's commander, Albertus Catlin, will later recall, quote, they had no definite location and were obliged to shell at random in a sort of hit or miss fire. It must have been largely miss, close quote. But even if well targeted, it might not have mattered. Because just like this morning, the shelling is minimal, quickly over, and will provide no rolling barrage as the Marines move out. Major Benjamin Berry's 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, and Major Burton W. Sibley's 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, both proceed forward just as was done this morning, in well-formed lines through waist-high wheat. But this should be easier. French intelligence says that few Germans are

in the woods. Alas, that intel is wrong. Entrenched and well-protected by the rocky terrain of Belleau Wood, numerous gray-clad Germans let loose with their Maxim machine guns. The Yanks are dropping dead all across the field. Among the dead, dying, and charging is a daring war correspondent from the Chicago Tribune, Floyd Gibbons. He's accompanying the Marines into this madness to get the whole story. Foolish, brave, perhaps both, whatever Floyd is, he captures a

moment that will forever live in the annals of U.S. Marine Corps history. I'll let him tell it in his own words. Quote, a small platoon line of Marines lay on their faces and bellies under the trees at the edge of a wheat field. I knew that every leaf in the foliage screened scores of German machine guns. An old gunnery sergeant commanded the platoon in the absence of a lieutenant who had been shot and was out of the fight. His cheeks were bronzed with the wind and sun of the seven seas. He arose from the trees first and jumped out onto the exposed edge of that field that ran with lead, across which he and his men were to charge. Then he turned to give the charge order to the men of his platoon, his mates, the men he loved. He said,

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Subscribe to Conflicted wherever you sons of bitches. Do you want to live forever? With those words, that platoon let out a battle cry and followed the old sergeant, many charging to their deaths. Legend attributes this quote to Sergeant Dan Daly. There's no historical proof it was him, but either way,

it's hard not to respect this short, slender, two-time Medal of Honor winner who, during this battle, captures a German machine gun emplacement with nothing more than hand grenades and his pistol. I believe the technical term for this maneuver is badass. But for all the heroics, there's so much sorrow in death. In a later interview, Sergeant Merwin Silberthorne of the Fighting Fifth will recall his late night attempt to save his friend Sergeant Pilcher. I found my way by sort of instinct back to this wheat field. I started calling to Pilcher and then all the machine guns that had been shooting at me at six o'clock started shooting

at me again at 11 o'clock. So I stopped calling and I felt around and I found Pilcher. I came across him, but he was dead. That was quite a shock. I shook his body. I said, Pilcher, here we are. I've got a stretcher. We're going to take care of you now. But he was dead. By the end of the day, June 6th has cost the 4th Brigade dearly. 1,087 total casualties, among which are 222 dead. To put that another way, the Marines' casualties from this single day exceeds all previous total casualties of this small elite branch of the U.S. military since its creation during the first year of the American Revolution.

As for territory and objectives, the Marines did take Hill 142. They also secured the town of Bourrache. They did not take Belleau Wood, The Marines did take Hill 142. They also secured the town of Bourrache. They did not take Belleau Wood. Not anything past the southwestern edge of it, anyway. Now fully aware of the day's costs, 4th Marine Brigade Commander General James Harbour blames the French for shoddy intel,

but also concedes that his losses are, quote, known to be heavy, close quote. So they won't push on for now. The General states that the Brig can't hold its present position. Yet, despite these losses, the Marines left a powerful impression on their German foe. War diaries from the 237th indicate that the Marines pushed them hard

and forced them to use scarce reserves to hold their front. German Major Yusuf Bischoff's report for the day says that the Americans, quote, demonstrated skill, especially in the advantageous use of cover, close quote. But the Leathernecks aren't only making an impression on the enemy. They're inspiring Americans back home thanks to Floyd Gibbons' report on the battle. Now, military censors shouldn't have let the report through

since Floyd identifies the Marines specifically, but initially, the intrepid war correspondent is erroneously believed to be dead. Well, you kind of have to publish the last article of a writer that gave his life on the field of battle, right? They sneak it through with the argument that the Marines are a branch of the U.S. military, not a unit.

Clever, but since the 4th Marine Brigade is the only Marine Brigade in Europe, it isn't hard to identify them. Of course, the American public could not care less about these rules. They're hungry for details on their boys over there. Americans are ecstatic to see the New York Herald emblazoned with the headline, Marines in great charge overthrow crack foe forces. While the narrative doesn't do justice to all of the 2nd Division's forces in the battle, it's a huge morale boost for the American public as they feel victory is in sight. Yet, perhaps a more important morale boost from the hard American fighting in Belleau Wood and Chateau Thierry is the one felt by the French and British. According to French Colonel

Jean de Piafe, the mere sight of these young, smooth-faced Americans gives new strength to the heroic but years-warm Poilus. He later described it as though a magical transfusion of blood was taking place. The German high command soon learned about the Allies' increased morale. A special order is made in response. Quote, In the coming battles, it is not a question of the possession of this or that village or woods, insignificant in itself. It is a question of whether the Anglo-American claim that the American army is the equal or even the Anglo-American claim that the American army is the equal or even the superior of the German army is to be made good. Close quote.

Ah, Belleau Wood is taking on more meaning than mere territory now. It's becoming a symbol of American tenacity and iron grit, the kind of grit that wins wars. That's bad news for German morale unless they can flip that narrative. As tactically insignificant as this small woodland might be, the Battle of Belleau Wood is far from over then. It'll be a fight to the death, and on June 10th, the Marines renew their assault. This next phase of battle continues as more Leathernecks move in the following day, with deadly results. It's early in the pre-dawn morning, June 11th, 1918. Slowly catching on to how this war works, American artillery flies at Belleau Wood, softening up the German line.

It continues for an hour. It's now 4.30 in the morning. Four companies of Marines, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick C. Wise of the 5th Regiment, wade out into the wheat, whose green coloring is now punctuated by both the red of the poppies and days of blood. A heavy mist covers everything, and so far, the German guns are silent. What a relief. Just last night, Frederick told these men that, quote, there probably aren't any Bosch in those woods at all, close quote. Relief sets in as that appears to be right. The first lieutenant, Elliot Cook, turns to second lieutenant

John Parker and mutters, the old man must have been right after all. But appearances can be deceiving. From three different directions, German guns open as the Marines reach the area between Hills 169 and 181. Frederick Wise watches in horror from behind as the men for whom he's responsible are riddled with bullets and fall. But this won't be a repeat of June 6th, not entirely. The intrepid Marines use the cover of mist, and further, they're growing fearless. One Marine will later recall that, for the first time since the battle began, I actually shucked off fear like an old coat. Duty, responsibility, and something like rage took command of my thoughts. The surviving Marines reach the tree

line. Entering the woods from the west, they fan out eastward, hoping to sync up with the Marines of Major John Hughes' 1st Battalion, 6th Regiment, which charged into Belleau Wood yesterday. The Major's men are indeed still there, and soon, these combined forces are hitting the Germans from both sides.

The June 11th assault is not a resounding success, but it is a modest one. Germans from both sides. The June 11th assault is not a resounding success, but it is a modest one. Roughly speaking, the Marines have secured the southern and middle sections of Belleau Wood. They also capture 400 German troops and 30 machine guns at a cost of 180 casualties. But perhaps the greatest success is simply that these Americans are learning the value of European tactics, like advancing under a rolling barrage from artillery, lessons that the U.S. 1st Division clearly had already picked up and put to use at Cantigny. The fighting remains

fairly intense over the next week. Death continues to claim youth, be they dressed in German gray or American brown. There are instances of extreme courage and self-sacrifice. For instance, when 2nd Battalion 6th Marine Gunnery Sergeant Fred Stockham notices a wounded man without a mask amid a gas attack on June 13th, the Leatherneck doesn't think twice about fixing his own mask on his injured comrade. Fred receives the Medal of Honor for this, but he does so posthumously. Saving this man's life costs Fred his own. The mustard gas, shells, machine guns, all of it continues fairly intensely through June 18th. These Marines are spent, and the 2nd Division's commander, Omar Bundy, knows it. The French 21st Corps' new commander, General Stanislas Nolant,

is unconcerned and opposes Omar relieving the Marines with his own doughboys. Ah, this is exactly the sort of stuff that makes Blackjack fight against amalgamation. But Omar won't back down. He instead asserts his command over all Americans of the 2nd and 3rd Divisions. The Frenchman is stunned. The nerve of these brazen Americans. Omar gets his way and sends the 3rd Division's 7th Infantry to relieve the exhausted Marines between June 21st and 23rd. We won't go into their story, but let's just say it's a rough go for these rather untrained and still unprepared doughboys.

The Battle of Belleau Wood comes to a close shortly after this. Now well schooled in the proper use of artillery, the 4th Marine Brigade's commander, General James Harbour, pulls his leathernecks back on June 24th to unleash a hellish bombardment on the woodlands. That does the trick. When the 5th Marines attack the following evening, most of the bombed out Germans can't surrender fast enough. And after taking out the last unyielding Fritzes the next morning, June 26th, Commander of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, Major Maurice Shearer, sends General

James Harbor the message he's longed to hear for weeks. Wood's now U.S. Marine Corps entirely. The capture of Belleau Wood doesn't quite end the action in the Chateau Thierry region. The capture of Vaux a few days later on July 1st does though, and here we see the 2nd and 3rd Division's leaders have absorbed the woodland's deadly lessons. Colonel Arthur Conger collects, then provides excellent intel. Artillery bombards, then rolls forward. The infantry heads in at 6 p.m. and has the town secured two and a half hours later. It's close to clockwork. And with that, the action in the larger Chateau-Thierry region is over. The German spring offensive's third operation, Operation Bluke, has failed.

Now, this is largely because, for all his brilliance, German General Erich Ludendorff allowed himself to become diverted by the success of this diversionary operation. Rather than shifting back to hitting the Brits up north, as planned, he followed his success to the Marne River, and that came back to bite him in the form of a huge salient and overextended German supply lines. Nevertheless, the fighting was hard, and the Americans lived up to Colonel Preston Brown's promise.

They held. So what do we make of the actions seen here by the American Expeditionary Forces 2nd and 3rd Divisions? Well, let's start with war's irreversible cost, human life. The weeks of fighting around Chateau-Thierry caused over 11,000 American casualties, 9,000 of which came from the 2nd Division's 17,000 men alone. That body count might have been dramatically lower had the Yankees' open warfare, old-school thinking leaders, including the AEF's commander

himself, Black Jack Pershing. That body count might have been dramatically lower had the Yankees open warfare old-school thinking leaders, including the AEF's commander himself, Black Jack Pershing, shown a bit more humility and listened to their years at war British and French allies. That said, the lessons are sinking in. Just as the Big Red One successfully took a more French approach at Cantigny, so here we see that the 2nd and 3rd Divisions have learned a thing or two by the time of Vaux's capture. Another crucial point is that, although the Americans showed up to a 20th century war with a 19th century mentality, they showed the kind of ferocity, grit, and fearlessness needed to reinvigorate their

exhausted allies and strike fear into their German foe. Never again will anyone ask if the Americans will or can fight. That question has been answered with a resounding yes. In fact, according to Marine lore, they pick up the nickname Devil Dogs at Belleau Wood. It's said that as the Marines charged against the Germans, at times uphill, with dehydrated, foaming mouths and gas mask-induced bloodshot eyes, the Fritzes later described their attackers as Teufelhunden, that is, dogs from hell or devil dogs.

With all due respect to any devil dogs listening right now, this in fact can't be the case because American newspapers began using the term devil dogs the month prior to Bellowood in May 1918. The German origin is also a bit dubious because the word isn't quite right. It should be Teufelshunde. It's likely, then, that an American war correspondent made this up. That said, I've cited German sources in this very episode pointing to their newfound respect for American forces as a result of their engagement with the Marines at Belleau Wood. So it's easy to see how the legend came to be. And if I may, a final word on the Marines at Belleau Wood.

While we already know that their casualties on June 6th, 1918 alone exceeded all the Corps' earlier casualties to date, by the end of these three weeks, the same can be said of Marine deaths. That is, not including the wounded or missing. More Marines died in Belleau Wood than had died in action between 1775 and the day they entered that small cluster of trees. That blood sacrifice is why the Marines of this and every generation to come will always remember Belleau Wood. Or should I say, Bois de la Brigade de Marine. That's right, the French government renames the small woodland after them. So, the Yankees will fight. They've learned how to fight, and their numbers in Europe are rapidly growing.

Three quarters of a million by this point, thanks to the arrival of 460,000 troops in May and June alone. The balance of forces is tipping, and the German spring offensive is running out of gas. Perhaps it's time for the Allies to take advantage of that. It's June 23rd, 1918. The fight for Belleau Wood is nearly over, and U.S. General Black Jack Pershing is with French Prime Minister Georges the Tiger Clemenceau in Chaumont, France. They're just leaving the city's centuries-old Haute-de-Ville, where the mustachioed Prime Minister

just gave a rousing speech, claiming the tide is turning thanks to the Americans. This is his rallying cry. The Tiger put his reputation on the line by publicly placing his faith in the Yankees earlier this month, and the gamble has paid off, putting him at the height of popularity. The townspeople fawn over Georges as he and Blackjack walk out. But just before Blackjack and Georges reach their car to set off on a busy day of observations and meetings, a woman approaches, a widow whose only son is a soldier, a poilu, and has gone missing.

Tears flow as she shares her plight with her nation's leader. Georges offers sincere condolences, speaks of patriotic sacrifice, and fait la bise, that is, greets her in the French custom of respectful kisses on her cheeks. They cry together in one another's arms. Their tears mingle.

The scene touches Blackjack, and it's hard not to imagine the widower general's owned mind drifting to his deceased wife and daughters. Once in the car, Blackjack and Georges talk as they roll through the beautiful foothills of the Vosges Mountains. They conjecture on the post-war world, then shift to discussing the present military outlook. Things are much improved at the Marne River by Chateau Thierry. American divisions are up. And so, Blackjack suggests a counterattack.

The strategical effect of a successful blow just south of Soissons and the material results it would have to say nothing of its stimulating effect on Allied morale. We have at least six divisions and possibly eight that could be used

in such an offensive. Georges is surprised, but he likes it, especially considering that American divisions are about twice the size of that of their allies. The Tiger agrees. He wants to bring this idea to Supreme Commander Ferdinand Foch immediately. Blackjack doesn't wait on the Prime Minister. At some unspecified point later that same day, perhaps when the Supreme War Council meets at the gorgeous,

centuries-old Chateau de Chaumont, the U.S. commander goes to Ferdinand himself. Jack's actually suggested this counterattack to Ferdinand before, and as he nudges, the Frenchman says a study is being made.

Blackjack finds that a little ridiculous. A study? This move is obvious. Jack will later complain in his wartime memoir. It will be evident to anyone who will glance at the map that once the line there was pierced, the German rear would be threatened, and their position within the salient would be untenable. The Allies could not ask for a better chance than the Germans gave them. Blackjack doesn't tell us where the conversation goes from here, but Ferdinand Foch is ready to

bring the German offensive to an end, to seize the building inertia and put Les Boches on the run. Yes, it is time for a counterattack. But that is a story for next time. And a special thanks to our members, whose monthly gift puts them at producer status. Bernie Lowe, George Sherwood, Gerwith Griffin, Henry Brunges, Jake Gilbreth, James G. Bledsoe, Janie McCreary, Jeff Marks, Jennifer Moods, Jennifer Magnolia, Jeremy Wells, Jessica Poppock, Joe Dovis, John Frugal-Dougal, John Boovey, John Keller, John Oliveros, John Radlavich, John Schaefer, John Sheff, Jordan Corbett, Joshua Steiner, Justin M. Spriggs, Justin May, Kristen Pratt, Karen Bartholomew, Cassie Conecco, Kim R., Kyle Decker, Lawrence Neubauer, Linda Cunningham, Mark Ellis, Matthew Mitchell, Matthew Simmons, Melanie Jan, Nick Cafferill, Noah Hoff, What did it take to survive an ancient siege? Why was the cult of Dionysus behind so many slave revolts in ancient Rome?

What's the tragic history and mythology behind Japan's most haunted ancient forest? We're Jen and Jenny from Ancient History Fangirl. Join us to explore ancient history and mythology from a fun, sometimes tipsy perspective. Find us at ancienthistoryfangirl.com or wherever you get your podcasts.