Miracle at Belleau Wood: The Birth of the Modern U.S. Marine Corps

American Marines have been fighting this country's battles since early 1776, when they landed and stormed British forts in the Bahamas to obtain guns and powder for Washington's beleaguered army. However, from its birth at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, 1775, the many heroic exploits of the Marine Corps were unsung by the media and by history until WW I, when, against enormous odds, they took German positions at Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Woods, while the French were in retreat, attacking high ground against the best of the advancing Germany Army. Where now famous two-time Medal of Honor recipient, Sergeant Dan Daly, was reported to have shouted to his men, "Come on you sons-of-bitches! Do you want to live forever?" The Marines kept up the offensive against the German positions, which were supported by the crossfire of heavy machinegun positions. However, using superior rifle marksmanship, firepower and sheer will, which has become the earmark of Marines from 1775 to the battle for Falluja and beyond, they overran and took the German positions. In honor of the Marines who fought there, the French renamed the woods, "Bois de la Brigade de Marine," and for which the Fifth and Sixth Marine Regiments won the French Foragere, which means they won the Croix de Guerre at least twice. In fact they won it three times for their actions. The citation reads, "In 1918, Marines of the 5th and 6th Regiments, of the 4th American Brigade, by their heroic deeds of valor, inscribed the names of momentous and brilliant battles on pages of Marine Corps history. "They have the single honor of being the only two regiments in the American European Forces to receive three citations; two in the Order of the Army and one in the Order of the Corps, the Fourragere and the Croix de Guerre with two Palms and one Guilt Star. "The first award of the Croix de Guerre came after the battle of Belleau Wood, "in recognition of the brilliant courage, the vigor and tenacity [of Marines who] overcame all hardships and losses and captured the village of Bouresches and Belleau Wood." The second award of the Croix de Guerre followed shortly after the Battle of Soissons, where Marines of the 5th and 6th Regiments, tired, hungry, and thirsty, without adequate weapons, armed with only a rifle and bayonet, smashed through the enemy positions in one of the most dashing victories of the war, capturing hundreds of guns and thousands of prisoners. "The final award came after the battle of Champagne, which opened the Western approaches to the Argonne." The book describes in detail the hardships in not only the lack of supplies and basic necessities such as food, water and transportation, but also in communication and intelligence, not to mention proper field maps and grid references. Yet, going beyond the pitfalls of what von Clauswitz called the "fog of war", the Marines not only prevailed, but took the fight to the enemy and defeated the enemy. The Germans called them "teufelhunden", or "De

Alan Axelrod has written a nice little history of the Battle at Belleau Wood. It flows so fast and Axelrod writes so well it's over before you know it. The research is very well done and Mr. Axelrod captures most of the legends & stories of the battle including the famous, "Retreat? Hell, we just got here." He very clearly establishes his case for this battle making the Marine Corps from a soon to be shut down after thought in the Navy to the vaunted fighting force America has employed for the last century. The one book to compare this to is Devil Dogs by George Clark. I think the story told by Mr. Clark is more complete, detailed and thorough than the one told by Mr. Axelrod. On the other hand, Mr. Axelrod is a very good writer and the story flows out of his pen like lightening. At times I found Mr. Clarks book to be a slog, but this was never true of Mr. Axelrod's book. If you're looking for an introduction to and a good understanding of the role of the Marine Corps in World War One, this is it.

The Germans had it right ... the U. S. Marines at Belleau Woods really were "Devil Dogs." Alan Axelrod brings the Battle of Belleau Wood from the dusty pages of the past and serves it up fresh and hot, as timely as today's newspaper. Highly readable, this is a fine battle study, as well as a refresher course in what it meant to be a Marine in the early 20th century. The book features a good collection of photographs that help the reader comprehend how restrictive a World War I gas mask could be, as well as matching faces with names. It is especially poignant to glimpse the fresh naive exuberance of young Americans on their way to a war no one could even begin to imagine. More maps would have been a welcome addition beyond the one battlefield map in the endpages, especially since Belleau Wood is a lesser-known battle. Libraries tend to firmly tape down the dustcover over the endpages, making it difficult to see and follow the action on the endpage map. A map of the larger campaign would also have helped the reader locate and understand Belleau Wood in relation to the overall campaign. Maps withstanding, this was the first of the great Marine battles of the 20th century ... battles whose names would soon be written large in blood: Belleau Wood, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Pork Chop Hill, Khe Sanh, Fallujah. Axelrod gives Belleau Wood a fresh treatment that will surely stand the test of time. I highly recommend this book.

At the time, in 1918, the Battle of Bealleau Wood was called the Gettysburg of the Great War. It was that and more! I read and enjoyed many of the author's previous books, inclduing his books about General Patton, and this one does not disappoint. Miracle at Belleau Wood is a super story, and critical to understanding how the U.S. Marines became our country's elite fighting force.

June 27, 2007 The museum received the book, Miracle at Belleau Wood by Axelrod for review yesterday. I finished reading it last night. You often hear the cliché "...a book I couldn't put down...", but this volume was actually exactly that! My personal congratulations to the Author for a job well done! Bravo Zulu. Axelrod has achieved an almost mythic goal for historical writers with his current very well written work, Marines at Belleau Wood. This book's history is well researched and documented. But, most importantly his consistent use of many primary source quotes throughout the volume elevates this work from just another academic exercise documenting a historical military event to one which brings the reader into intimate contact with the men at all levels of command and action who fought and often died in this horrific battle. Axelrod is to be congratulated on his success in returning to the men who fought at the Battle of Belleau Wood all their glory, sometimes ego and error, but most importantly, their humanity. This, as opposed to their being relegated to cold historical statistics or footnotes which is their usual treatment in published works on this subject. This book is strongly recommended for readers with an interest in World War 1, the U.S. Marine Corps of this period in general, or the individual Marines in particular who participated in what would become a watershed event in the organizational history of America's Devil Dogs. D. A. "Red" Millis II GySgt, USMC (ret) Curator, Marine Corps Legacy Museum