The United States Marine Corps in the World War

by Edwin North McClellan; United States. Marine Corps

THE FOURTH BRIGADE OF MARINES.

The Fourth Brigade of United States Marines was composed of the Fifth and Sixth Regiments of Marines, and the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion of Marines.

The companies forming the battalions were as follows:

FIFTH REGIMENT.

First Battalion.	Second Battalion.	Third Battalion.
17th (A) Company.	18th (E) Company.	16th (I) Company.
49th (B) Company.	43d (F) Company.	20th (K) Company.
66th (C) Company.	51st (G) Company.	45th (L) Company.
67th (D) Company.	55th (H) Company.	47th (M) Company.
	8th Machine Gun Company.
	Supply Company.
	Headquarters Company.

SIXTH REGIMENT.

First Battalion.	Second Battalion.	Third Battalion.
74th (A) Company.	78th (E) Company.	82nd (I) Company.
75th (B) Company.	79th (F) Company.	83rd (K) Company.
76th (C) Company.	80th (G) Company.	84th (L) Company.
95th (D) Company.	96th (H) Company.	97th (M) Company.
	73d Machine Gun Company.
	Supply Company.
	Headquarters Company.

SIXTH MACHINE GUN BATTALION.

15th (A) Company.	77th (C) Company.
23d (B) Company.	81st (D) Company.

From June 27, 1917, to the middle of September, 1917, the Fifth Regiment was a unit of the First Division of Regulars. Although the Fifth Regiment was the only organization of Marines in France at the time, the Fourth Brigade of Marines was formed on October 23, 1917, when Col. Charles A. Doyen cabled acceptance of his appointment as Brigadier General. From October 26, 1917, to August 8, 1919, the Fourth Brigade was a part of the Second Division of Regulars, except from October 20-23, 1918, when the Brigade was provisionally at the disposal of the Ninth French Army Corps, in the vicinity of Leffincourt. On August 8, 1919, the brigade was transferred back to the naval service.

On May 29, 1917, in accordance with directions issued by the President, the Secretary of the Navy directed the Major General Commandant “to organize a force of Marines to be known as the Fifth Regiment of Marines for service with the Army as a part of the first expedition to proceed to France in the near future.” The Fifth Regiment was accordingly organized at the navy yard, Philadelphia, Pa., on June 7, 1917, with Col. Charles A. Doyen in command, and Maj. Harry R. Lay, as adjutant.

Gen. Pershing and his staff, accompanied by two Marine officers, preceded the first expedition to France, sailing late in May, 1917, from the United States.

The final report of the American commander in chief includes the following:

The offer by the Navy Department of one regiment of Marines to be reorganized as Infantry was accepted by the Secretary of War, and it became temporarily a part of the First Division.

On June 14, 1917, the first expedition of American troops left the United States for France and the Fifth Regiment of Marines embarked on the naval transports Henderson and Hancock, and the auxiliary cruiser De Kalb (former Prinz Eitel Friedrich), formed approximately one-fifth of it. The fourth group, including the Hancock, did not sail until June 17, 1917.

The orders received by the convoy commander on the day prior to sailing read in part: “A military expedition is to be embarked on the above-named transports, augmented by a regiment of Marines embarked in naval vessels, for transportation to a destination already communicated.”

The De Kalb was in group 1, the Henderson in group 2, and the Hancock in group 4; all were part of the escort and not the convoy.

Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, the convoy commander, flying his flag on the Seattle, personally commanded the first group, while Maj. Gen. W. L. Sibert in the Tenedores, was the senior Army officer embarked.

The passage of the four groups across the Atlantic was successfully accomplished without a single disaster, or the loss of a life due to enemy causes.

At 10.15 p. m., June 22, 1917, the first group, including the De Kalb, was attacked by enemy submarines. The wake of a submarine was sighted crossing 50 yards ahead of the Seattle’s bow from starboard to port. A few seconds later the De Kalb and Havana sighted torpedoes and opened fire. Two torpedoes passed close to the Havana, and one passed ahead and one astern of the De Kalb. The second group encountered two submarines, the first at 11.50 a. m., June 26, 1918, about 100 miles off the French coast and the second two hours later.

The De Kalb arrived at St. Nazaire, France, on June 26, 1917, the Henderson on June 27, 1917, and the Hancock on July 2, 1917. On June 27, 1917, the commanding officer of the Fifth Regiment reported to the commanding general, First Division, American Expeditionary Forces, and from that date the Fifth Regiment was considered as being detached for service with the Army by direction of the President.

Five hundred negro stevedores had been brought from the United States by the Army to discharge ships, but they were found inadequate for the large number of ships concerned. The Marines relieved the situation somewhat by turning to and discharging their own vessels.

On June 27, 1917, the First Battalion, less the Fifteenth Company which joined the battalion the following day, disembarked from the De Kalb and occupied quarters ashore. On this date Lieut. Col. Logan Feland joined the Fifth Regiment. On June 28, 1917, the Second and Third Battalions went ashore from the Henderson for a practice march, and the following day the First Battalion erected tents for the regiment on a camp site a short distance outside of St. Nazaire. By 8 p. m., July 3, 1917, the entire Fifth Regiment was ashore under canvas.

On July 15, 1917, the Fifth Regiment, less the Third Battalion, which remained behind to perform guard duty, and other detached units and officers, proceeded to the Gondrecourt training area, and was stationed in Menaucourt and Naix.

On August 1, 1917, Gen. Pershing inspected the battalions at the two towns where they were billetted.

On August 15, 1917, the First Division, including the Fifth Regiment of Marines, was reviewed by its commanding general on a plateau 12 miles distant from the training area.

On August 19, 1917, Gen. Pershing and Gen. Petain, commander in chief of all the French forces, inspected the Marines, as a unit of the First Division. Gen. Petain congratulated the colonel of the regiment on the splendid appearance of its officers and men, as well as the cleanliness of the towns.

Every opportunity was taken advantage of to perfect the regiment for combat duty, but this work was handicapped by the fact that many units of the regiment were scattered along the Line of Communications performing duty of a necessary but of a nontraining nature. One company and one battalion commander left the regiment on September 22, 1917, for duty in England, and did not rejoin the regiment until March 11, 1918. Many other officers and men were placed on detached duty.

On September 24, 25, 1917, that part of the Fifth Regiment available for training arrived in the Bourmont training area and was stationed at Damblain and Breuvannes.

The following letter dated November 10, 1917, addressed by Gen. Pershing to the Major General Commandant is both complimentary and explanatory as to why the Marines were used along the Line of Communications:

Your Marines having been under my command for nearly six months, I feel that I can give you a discriminating report as to their excellent standing with their brothers of the Army and their general good conduct. I take this opportunity, also, of giving you the reasons for distributing them along our Line of Communications which, besides being a compliment to their high state of discipline and excellent soldierly appearance, was the natural thing to do as the Marine Regiment was an additional one in the Division and not provided for in the way of transportation and fighting equipment in case the Division should be pushed to the front. When, therefore, service of the rear troops and military and provost guards were needed at our base ports and in Paris it was the Marine Regiment that had to be scattered, in an endeavor to keep the rest of the organized division intact.

I have been obliged to detach a number of your officers as assistant provost marshals in France and in England, all of which I take it you will agree with me was highly complimentary to both officers and men, and was so intended. I can assure you that as soon as our service of the rear troops arrive, including a large number of officers and men for the specific duties now being performed by your men, the Marines will be brought back once more under your brigade commander and assigned to the duties which they so much desire in the Second Regular Division under General Bundy.

It is a great pleasure to report on your fine representatives here in France.

Col. Charles A. Doyen was in command of the Fifth Regiment from the date of its organization on June 7, 1917, to October 29, 1917; and Lieut. Col. Hiram I. Bearss from October 30, 1917, to December 31, 1917. Col. Wendell C. Neville having arrived on board the De Kalb at St. Nazaire, France, on December 28, 1917, reported to the Fourth Brigade for duty on January 1, 1918, and on that date assumed command of the Fifth Regiment, continuing in command until July, 1918.

The Sixth Machine Gun Battalion of Marines was organized at the Marine barracks, Quantico, Va., by order of the Major General Commandant on August 17, 1917. The battalion was designated the First Machine Gun Battalion, but on January 20, 1918, after arrival in France, was renamed the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion. On December 14, 1917, the battalion sailed from New York on the De Kalb, arriving at St. Nazaire, France, December 28, 1917. On January 3, 1918, the battalion arrived at Damblain in the Bourmont training area and began training with headquarters at Germainvilliers.

Maj. Edward B. Cole was in command of the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion of Marines from the date of its organization until June 10, 1918, when he received a mortal wound.

On August 4, 1917, in accordance with directions issued by the President, the Secretary of the Navy directed the Major General Commandant “to organize a force of Marines, to be known as the Sixth Regiment of Marines, for service with the Army in France,” and the regiment was organized as directed.

On September 23, 1917, the First Battalion of the Sixth Regiment sailed on the Henderson from New York and landed at St. Nazaire, France, on October 5, 1917. On October 17, 1917, the Seventy-third Machine Gun Company, Headquarters, and Supply Companies, and Col. Albertus W. Catlin, commanding officer of the Sixth Regiment, with his Staff, sailed from Philadelphia, Pa., on the De Kalb, and from New York on October 18, 1917, arriving at St. Nazaire, France, on November 1, 1917. On October 31 1917, the Third Battalion of the Sixth Regiment sailed from New York on board the Von Steuben and anchored at Brest, France, on November 12, 1917. On January 24, 1918, the Second Battalion of the Sixth Regiment sailed on the Henderson from New York and arrived at St. Nazaire, France, February 6, 1918, and with the arrival of this last battalion, the entire Sixth Regiment of Marines was in France.

On October 23, 1917, the Fourth Brigade of Marines was organized, with Brig. Gen. Charles A. Doyen in command. Brig. Gen. Doyen continued in command until May 7, 1918, when he published in General Orders No. 5, that he had relinquished command. Maj. Harry R. Lay was the first brigade adjutant, and performed the duties of that office from October 24, 1917, to August 9, 1918, except during the period February 7 to May 9, 1918, when Maj. Holland M. Smith was brigade adjutant.

On October 26, 1917, Brig. Gen. Charles A. Doyen, United States Marine Corps, assumed command of the Second Division as its first commanding general, and announced his staff in General Orders No. 1, with station at Bourmont, Haute-Marne, serving as such until relieved by Maj. Gen. Omar Bundy, United States Army, who announced that he assumed command in General Orders No. 4, November 8, 1917.

Like the Fifth Regiment, the Sixth Regiment spent several months performing the necessary but undesired duties along the Line of Communications. On January 12, 1918, Col. Albertus W. Catlin established headquarters for the Sixth Regiment at Blevaincourt in the Bourmont training area. The Third Battalion arrived in this area on January 12, 1918, the headquarters units the same date, the First Battalion during January, 1918, and the Second Battalion on February 10, 1918.

Therefore, on February 10, 1918, the Fourth Brigade of Marines was in the Bourmont training area intact, with the exception of one company on duty in England, training industriously as an infantry brigade of the Second Division. While the brigade had been organized on October 23, 1917, and had actually functioned as a brigade with elements of all three of its units present from January 12, 1918, it was not until February 10, 1918, that the Brigade organization was perfected.