The 4th Marine Brigade at Belleau Wood and Soissons

The 4th Marine Brigade at Belleau Wood and Soissons PDF Author: J. Michael Miller
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700629572
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 488

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Book Description
The battles of Belleau Wood and Soissons in June and July of 1918 marked a turning point in World War I and in the stature of the US Marine Corps, whose fighting proved so critical in repelling the Germans that the French would later rename Belleau “Bois de la Brigade de Marine.” In this book J. Michael Miller, a historian of the Marine Corps and veteran chronicler of battle, takes us to the battlefields of Belleau Wood and Soissons, immersing us in the experience of a single brigade of marines at the forefront of the fighting. Through a close-up look at the doughboys’ singular impact on Allied victory in 1918, his work illuminates America’s bloody sacrifice during World War I. The 4th Marine Brigade at Belleau Wood and Soissons for the first time treats these two battles as one campaign and demonstrates why it is impossible to fully understand one without the other. Miller outlines the company and platoon levels of combat throughout the campaign, establishing a basic tactical understanding of the fighting; he also draws on letters, diaries, memoirs, and interviews to create a vivid and personal reconstruction of the battles. His use of French and German sources, also a first, adds unprecedented insights to this boots-on-the-ground account. The book includes detailed mapping of both battlefields, with a thirty-six-stop guide linking the text with the actual terrain. For each of these stops Miller gives GPS coordinates to provide a virtual tour of the sites he discusses. With its strategic overview and ground-level perspective, Miller’s work suggests a new interpretation and offers a new experience of an iconic moment in American military history—and in the story of the Marine Corps.

The 4th Marine Brigade at Belleau Wood and Soissons

The 4th Marine Brigade at Belleau Wood and Soissons PDF Author: J. Michael Miller
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700629572
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 488

Get Book Here

Book Description
The battles of Belleau Wood and Soissons in June and July of 1918 marked a turning point in World War I and in the stature of the US Marine Corps, whose fighting proved so critical in repelling the Germans that the French would later rename Belleau “Bois de la Brigade de Marine.” In this book J. Michael Miller, a historian of the Marine Corps and veteran chronicler of battle, takes us to the battlefields of Belleau Wood and Soissons, immersing us in the experience of a single brigade of marines at the forefront of the fighting. Through a close-up look at the doughboys’ singular impact on Allied victory in 1918, his work illuminates America’s bloody sacrifice during World War I. The 4th Marine Brigade at Belleau Wood and Soissons for the first time treats these two battles as one campaign and demonstrates why it is impossible to fully understand one without the other. Miller outlines the company and platoon levels of combat throughout the campaign, establishing a basic tactical understanding of the fighting; he also draws on letters, diaries, memoirs, and interviews to create a vivid and personal reconstruction of the battles. His use of French and German sources, also a first, adds unprecedented insights to this boots-on-the-ground account. The book includes detailed mapping of both battlefields, with a thirty-six-stop guide linking the text with the actual terrain. For each of these stops Miller gives GPS coordinates to provide a virtual tour of the sites he discusses. With its strategic overview and ground-level perspective, Miller’s work suggests a new interpretation and offers a new experience of an iconic moment in American military history—and in the story of the Marine Corps.

A Hideous Price

A Hideous Price PDF Author: Peter F. Owen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780160953255
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 73

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Book Description


I Will Hold

I Will Hold PDF Author: James Carl Nelson
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0425281485
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
Clifton B. Cates's fame came from his consistent and courageous demeanour throughout the war. In the bloody second half of 1918 with the 6th Marine Regiment, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Purple Heart, the Silver Star, was recognized by the French government with the Legion of Honour and the Croix de Guerre, and earned the nickname 'Lucky'. I Will Hold is the inspiring, brutal, and incredible true life story of a Marine Corps legend whose grit and unstoppable spirit on the battlefield matched his personal drive and sage wisdom off of it.

Five Lieutenants

Five Lieutenants PDF Author: James Carl Nelson
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250018587
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 403

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Book Description
James Carl Nelson tells the dramatic true story of five brilliant young soldiers from Harvard, a thrilling tale of combat and heroism. Five Lieutenants tells the story of five young Harvard men who took up the call to arms in the spring of 1917 and met differing fates in the maelstrom of battle on the Western Front in 1918. Delving deep into the motivations, horrific experiences, and ultimate fates of this Harvard-educated quintet—and by extension of the brilliant young officer class that left its collegiate and post-collegiate pursuits to enlist in the Army and lead America's rough-and-ready doughboys—Five Lieutenants presents a unique, timeless, and fascinating account of citizen soldiers at war, and of the price these extraordinary men paid while earnestly giving all they had in an effort to end "the war to end all wars." Drawing upon the subjects' intimate, eloquent, and uncensored letters and memoirs, this is a fascinating microcosm of the American experience in the First World War, and of the horrific experiences and hardships of the educated class of young men who were relied upon to lead doughboys in the trenches and, ultimately, in open battle.

Through the Wheat

Through the Wheat PDF Author: Edwin H. Simmons
Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
"The U.S. Marines entered World War I as a small force of seagoing light infantry that had rarely faced a well-armed enemy. On a single faced day, in their initial assault "through the wheat" on Belleau Wood against German machine guns and poison gas shells, the Marines suffered more casualties than they had experienced in all their previous 142 years. Yet at Belleau Wood, Soissons, Blanc Mont, St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne the Marines proved themselves to be hard-nosed diehards with an affinity for close combat. Nearly a century later Belleau Wood still resonates as a touchstone battle of the Corps." "Two retired Marines, well known for their achievements both in uniform and with the pen, have recorded this rich history in a way that only insiders can. Brig. Gen. Edwin H. Simmons and Col. Joseph H. Alexander recount events and colorful personalities in telling detail, capturing the spirit that earned the 4th Marine Brigade three awards of the French Croix de Guerre and launched the first pioneering detachments of "Flying Leathernecks." Here, hand-to-hand combat seen through the lenses of a gas mask is accompanied by thought-provoking assessments of the war's impact on the Marine Corps."--Jacket.

Soissons, 1918

Soissons, 1918 PDF Author: Douglas V. Johnson
Publisher: C. A. Brannen
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
"Authors Douglas V. Johnson II and Rolfe L. Hillman, Jr., provide a strategic overview of the war to the point of American involvement in combat operations. Following the long accepted Leavenworth method of analyzing operations, they thoroughly present the enemy situation, the terrain, and the friendly situation. Subsequent chapters describe in detail each of the four days of intense combat using French, German, and American sources and American personal accounts."--Jacket.

The Legacy of Belleau Wood

The Legacy of Belleau Wood PDF Author: Paul W. Westermeyer
Publisher: Marine Corps Association
ISBN: 9780160944123
Category : Antiques & Collectibles
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
In the summer of 2017, the newly arrived president of Marine Corps University, Brigadier General William J. Bowers, ordered a lecture series, "The Legacy of Belleau Wood: 100 Years of Making Marines and Winning Battles." The series would include four lectures, and it was to be supported by an anthology produced by History Division, providing readings to the students on the topics each lecture would cover. The intent was to produce an anthology of lasting worth to Marines, broadly depicting keystone moments in the history of the Corps during the century following the Battle of Belleau Wood. This volume presents a collection of 36 extracts, articles, letters, orders, interviews, and biographies. The work is intended to serve as a general overview and provisional reference to inform both Marines and the general public of the broad outlines of notable trends and controversies in Marine Corps history--Provided by publisher.

Through the Wheat

Through the Wheat PDF Author: Thomas Boyd
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : World War, 1914-1918
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
For one brief day the leaves of the maple tree in Treehorn's backyard turn into dollar bills.

Infantry in Battle

Infantry in Battle PDF Author: Infantry School (U.S.)
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
ISBN: 1428916911
Category : Infantry drill and tactics
Languages : en
Pages : 428

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Book Description


First to Fight

First to Fight PDF Author: Oscar E. Gilbert
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1612005098
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 361

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Book Description
“An amazingly detailed account of the American Expeditionary Force at Belleau Wood in 1918” from the authors of Tanks in Hell (Books Monthly). “Retreat, hell! We just got here!” The words of Capt. Lloyd Williams at Belleau Wood in June 1918 entered United States Marine Corps legend, and the Marine brigade’s actions there—along with the censor’s failure to take out the name of the brigade in the battle reports—made the Corps famous. The Marines went to war as part of the American Expeditionary Force, bitterly resented by the Army and Gen. Pershing. The Army tried to use them solely as labor troops and replacements, but the German spring offensive of 1918 forced the issue. The French begged Pershing to commit his partially trained men, and two untested American divisions, supported by British and French units, were thrown into the path of five German divisions. Three horrific weeks later, the Marines held the entirety of Belleau Wood. The Marines then fought in the almost-forgotten Blanc Mont Ridge Offensive in October, as well as in every well-known AEF action until the end of the war. This book looks at all the operations of the Marine Corps in World War I, covers the activities of both ground and air units, and considers the units that supported the Marine brigade. It examines how, during the war years, the Marine Corps changed from a small organization of naval security detachments to an elite land combat force. “The goal of revealing the thoughts and actions of individual soldiers in battle is achieved admirably here.” —The Journal of America’s Military Past