THE SECOND DIVISION OF REGULARS.
The first unit which ultimately formed a part of the Second Division arriving in France was the Fifth Regiment of Marines which landed in France with the first expedition of American troops in June, 1917. One Marine lieutenant colonel, who afterwards was the first chief of staff of the Second Division, and another Marine lieutenant colonel, who later commanded the Seventeenth Field Artillery of the Second Division, accompanied Gen. Pershing and his staff when they sailed from the United States late in May, 1917.
The Second Division was composed of the following units:
Third Infantry Brigade:
Ninth Infantry.
Twenty-third Infantry.
Fifth Machine Gun Battalion.
Fourth Infantry Brigade:
Fifth Marines.
Sixth Marines.
Sixth Machine Gun Battalion of Marines.
Second Field Artillery Brigade:
Twelfth Field Artillery.
Fifteenth Field Artillery.
Seventeenth Field Artillery.
Second Trench Mortar Battery.
Other troops:
Second Engineers.
Fourth Machine Gun Battalion.
First Field Signal Battalion.
Second Headquarters Train and Military Police.
Second Ammunition Train.
Second Engineer Train.
Second Supply Train.
Second Sanitary Train.
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, France. Lieut. Col. Logan Feland, United States Marine Corps, was the first chief of staff. On November 8, 1917, Maj. Gen. Omar Bundy, United States Army, assumed command, published such fact in General Orders, No. 4, November 8, 1917, and was in command of it during the operations in the Verdun and Chateau-Thierry sectors. Maj. Gen. James G. Harbord, United States Army, commanded the division in the Aisne-Marne (Soissons) offensive in July, 1918. Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune assumed command of the division on July 28, 1918, and retained command until its demobilization in August, 1919. Many Marine officers occupied positions of importance and responsibility on the staff of the commanding general, Second Division. A Marine officer commanded the Seventeenth Field Artillery during the Meuse-Argonne offensive, and other Marine officers commanded battalions of the Ninth Infantry and Fifteenth Field Artillery for a time.
Neither the Marine Brigade nor any other element of the Second Division was the first American unit to enter the front lines since the First Division enjoyed that honor in October, 1917, when it entered the line in the quiet Toul sector.
The Fourth Brigade remained in the Bourmont training area, with headquarters at Damblain, until March 14, 1918, when it commenced movement into subsectors of the Verdun front, the first units of the brigade entering the front line during the night of March 16-17, 1918, with headquarters at Toulon. On April 1, 1918, brigade headquarters was changed to Moscou. The brigade remained on the Verdun front until May 14, 1918, when it proceeded to an area around Vitry-le-François for open warfare training, with headquarters at Venault-les-Dames. In the meantime, on May 6, 1918, Brig. Gen. James G. Harbord assumed command of the brigade, relieving Brig. Gen. Doyen who had been ordered to the United States on account of his physical condition. Brig. Gen. Doyen relinquished command of the brigade most unwillingly, and the reasons for his relief are best set forth in the words of the citation of a Navy distinguished service medal posthumously awarded to him, reading as follows:
By reason of his abilities and personal efforts, he brought this brigade to the very high state of efficiency which enabled it to successfully resist the German army in the Chateau-Thierry sector and Belleau Woods. The strong efforts on his part for nearly a year undermined his health and necessitated his being invalided to the United States before having the opportunity to command the brigade in action, but his work was shown by the excellent service rendered by the brigade, not only at Belleau Woods, but during the entire campaign when they fought many battles.
Gen. Pershing in a letter to Brig. Gen. Doyen stated in part:
Your service has been satisfactory and your command is considered as one of the best in France. I have nothing but praise for the service which you have rendered in this command.
On May 14, 1918, the brigade left the area around Vitry-le-François as it was unsuitable and proceeded to an area around Gisors-Chaumont-en-Vixen, with headquarters at Bou-des-Bois. The brigade was in this area when sudden orders came to move to the Chateau-Thierry sector.
On May 27, 1918, Brig. Gen. John A. Lejeune and Maj. Earl H. Ellis sailed from New York on board the Henderson and arrived at Brest, France, on June 8, 1918.
Chapter X.
AISNE DEFENSIVE, HILL 142, BOURESCHES, AND BOIS DE LA BRIGADE DE MARINE, IN THE CHATEAU-THIERRY SECTOR.
In order to appreciate understandingly the importance of the early operations participated in by the Marine Brigade as a unit of the Second Division it is necessary to remember that in 1918, prior to the middle of July, the offensive was in the hands of the Imperial German Staff, and that between March 21, 1918, and July 15, 1918, the Germans directed no less than five major offensives against the Allied lines in efforts to bring the war to a successful conclusion for the Central Powers. American troops assisted in breaking up every one of these drives, but the Second Division, including the Marines, opposed only one, that in the Chateau-Thierry sector. It should also be noted that on March 28, 1918, the American commander in chief placed all of the American forces at the disposal of Marshal Foch, who had been agreed upon as commander in chief of the Allied Armies, to be used as he might decide.
The first offensive (Somme) of the Germans was stopped within a few miles of Amiens, and the second (Lys) overran Armentieres. In this second German offensive, which lasted from April 9 to 27, 1918, and which has been designated by the Americans as a major operation, there were approximately 500 American troops engaged.
Then late in May, 1918, with startling success, which brought a corresponding depression to the morale of the Allies, the Germans launched their third offensive, west of Rheims, crossed the Chemin-des-Dames, captured Soissons, and the last day of May found them marching in the direction of Paris down the Marne Valley. Again the American commander in chief placed every available man at the disposal of Marshal Foch. It was at this critical time, when the Allies were facing a grave crisis, that the Second Division, including the Marine Brigade, together with elements of the Third and Twenty-eighth Divisions, were thrown into the line and, in blocking the German advance in the Chateau-Thierry sector, rendered great assistance in stopping the most dangerous of the German drives.
The first report of the American commander in chief states that “the Third Division, which had just come from its preliminary training area, was hurried to the Marne. Its motorized machine gun battalion preceded the other units and successfully held the bridgehead at the Marne opposite Chateau-Thierry. The Second Division, in reserve near Montdidier, was sent by motor trucks and other available transport to check the progress of the enemy toward Paris.”
The final report of the American commander in chief with reference to this third German offensive stated in part:
On reaching the Marne that river was used as a defensive flank and the German advance was directed toward Paris. During the first days of June something akin to a panic seized the city and it was estimated that 1,000,000 people left during the spring of 1918. * * *
The Second Division, then in reserve northwest of Paris and preparing to relieve the First Division, was hastily diverted to the vicinity of Meaux on May 31, and, early on the morning of June 1, was deployed across the Chateau-Thierry-Paris road near Montreuil-aux-Lions in a gap in the French line, where it stopped the German advance on Paris.
Without minimizing in any way the splendid actions of the Twenty-sixth Division at Seicheprey and Xivray in April 1918, or the brilliant exploit of the First Division at Cantigny on May 28, 1918, the fact remains that the Second Division, including the Marine Brigade, was the first American division to get a chance to play an important part on the western front, and how well it repelled this dangerous thrust of the Germans along the Paris-Metz highway is too well known to be dwelt upon at length in this brief history.
The fighting of the Second Division in the Chateau-Thierry sector was divided into two parts, one a magnificently stubborn defensive lasting a week and the other a vicious offensive. The defensive fighting of the Second Division between May 31 and June 5, 1918, was part of the major operation called by the Americans the Aisne defensive. Without discussing at this time the tactical or strategical significance of the work of the Second Division in the Aisne defensive, suffice to say that its psychological effect upon the morale of the Allies was tremendous and has been recognized in practically every writing worthy of consideration up to the present date.
The close of the Aisne defensive on June 5, 1918, found the line of the Second Division well established at that point of the Marne salient nearest Paris, but not including Hill 142, Bois de Belleau, Bouresches, or Vaux, and the Germans were in possession of Chateau-Thierry on the right of the Second Division, and continued to hold that town until about July 17, 1918.
On June 6, 1918, the Second Division snatched the initiative from the Germans and started an offensive on its front which did not end until July 1, 1918. The Marine Brigade captured Hill 142 and Bouresches on June 6, 1918, and in the words of Gen. Pershing, “sturdily held its ground against the enemy’s best guard divisions,” and completely cleared Bois de Belleau of the enemy on June 26, 1918, a major of Marines sending in his famous message: “Woods now U. S. Marine Corps’ entirely.” The American commander in chief in his first report calls this fighting “the battle of Belleau Wood” and states, “our men proved their superiority, and gained a strong tactical position with far greater loss to the enemy than to ourselves.” In his final report he states: “The enemy having been halted, the Second Division commenced a series of vigorous attacks on June 4, which resulted in the capture of Belleau Woods [on June 26] after very severe fighting. The village of Bouresches was taken soon after [on June 6] and on July 1 Vaux was captured. In these operations the Second Division met with most desperate resistance by Germany’s best troops.” On July 1, 1918, the Third Brigade captured Vaux. The Artillery, Engineers, and the other elements of the Second Division assisted materially in these successes, while the Seventh regiment of the Third Division was in Belleau Wood for a few days about the middle of June.
During these 31 days of constant fighting, the last 26 of which has been defined by general headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces as a “local engagement,” the Second Division suffered 1,811 battle deaths (of which approximately 1,062 were Marines) and suffered additional casualties amounting to 7,252 (of which approximately 3,615 were Marines). It was that fighting and those 9,063 casualties that first made the name Chateau-Thierry famous.
The achievements of the Fourth Brigade of Marines in the Chateau-Thierry sector was twice recognized by the French. The first, which changed the name of the Bois de Belleau, was a beautiful tribute spontaneously made to the successes and to the losses of the Fourth Brigade of Marines, and shows the deep effect that the retaking of Belleau Wood and other near-by positions from the Germans had on the feelings of the French and the morale of the Allies. Official maps were immediately modified to conform with the provisions of the order, the plan directeur used in later operations bearing the name “Bois de la Brigade de Marine.” The French also used this new name in their orders, as illustrated by an ordre général dated August 9, 1918, signed by the commanding general of the Sixth French Army, reading in part as follows:
Avant la grande offensive du 18 Juillet, les troupes américaines faisant partie de la VIe Armée française se sont distinguées en enlevant à l’ennemi le Bois de la Brigade De Marine et le village de Vaux, en arretant son offensive sur la Marine et à Fossoy.
The order changing the name of Bois de Belleau reads as follows:
VIº Armée, Etat-Major,
au Q. G. A., le 30 Juin, 1918.
6930/2.]
ORDRE.
En raison de la brillante conduite de la 4éme Brigade de la 2éme D. U. S. qui a enlevé de haute lutte Bouresches et le point d’appui important du Bois de Belleau, défendu avec acharnement par un adversaire nombreux, le général commandant la VIº Armée décide que dorénavant, dans toutes les piéces officielles, le Bois de Belleau portera le nom de “Bois de la Brigade de Marine.”
Le Général de Division Degoutte,
Commandant la VIº Armée.
(Signed) Degoutte
A. M. le Général Cdt. la 4me Brigade de Marine.
s/c. de M. le Général Cdt. la 2me D. U. S.
The second recognition by the French of the Marines’ work in the Chateau-Thierry sector were citations of the Fourth Brigade, Fifth and Sixth Regiments, and the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion of Marines, in French army orders, that of the brigade, the others being identical, reading as follows:
Après approbation du général commandant en chef les forces expéditionnaires américaines en France, le général commandant en chef les armées françaises du nord et du nord-est, cite à l’Ordre de l’Armée:
“4º Brigade Americaine sous les ordres du Général de Brigade James G. Harbord, comprenant: Le 5e Regiment de Marine, sous les ordres du Colonel Wendell C. Neville, le 6e régiment de Marine, sous les ordres du Colonel Albertus W. Catlin, le 6e Bataillion de mitrailleuses, sous les ordres du Commandant Edward B. Cole:
“A été jetée en pleine bataille, sur un front violemment attaqué par l’ennemi. S’est affirmée aussitôt comme une unité de tout premier order. Dés son entrée en ligne, a brisé, en liaison avec les troupes françaises, une violente attaque ennemie sur un point important de la position et entrepris ensuite à son compte une série d’opérations offensives. Au cours de ces opérations, grace au courage brillant, à la vigueur, à l’allant, à la ténacité de ses hommes qui ne se sont laissés rebuter ni par les fatigues, ni par les pertes; grace à l’activité et à énergie de ses officiers; grace enfin à l’action personnelle de son chef, le Général J. Harbord, la 4e brigade a vu ses efforts couronnés de succés. En intime liaison l’un avec l’autre, ses deux régiments et son bataillon de mitrailleuses ont réalisé, après douze jours de lutte incessante (du 2 au 13 Juin 1918) dans un terrain trés difficile, une progression variant entre 1,500 à 2,000 métres, sur un front de 4 kilométres, capturant un nombreux matériel, faisant plus de 500 prisonniers, infligeant à l’ennemi des pertes considérables et lui enlevant deux points d’appui de premiére importance—le village de Bouresches et le bois organisé de Belleau.”
Au Grand Quartier Général, le 22 octobre, 1918.
Le Général Commandant en Chef.
Signé: Petain
(Ordre No. 10.805 “D.”)
In addition to the above-described instances, French civilian sentiment expressed itself in the following letter from the mayor of Meaux and Resolution from the assembled mayors of the Meaux District (Arrondissement). This letter and the resolutions were published on July 10, 1918, in General Orders No. 43, of the Second Division “as indicating the appreciation of the efforts of the Second Division by the French inhabitants for our share in stemming the recent German advance in this sector.”
Meaux, June 26, 1918.
General: On behalf of all the Mayors of the Meaux District (Arrondissement), assembled yesterday in congress at the city hall, I have the honor to send you herewith a copy of the resolution they have taken in order to pay homage to the gallantry displayed by the troops under your command and to the effectiveness of the help they rendered us.
The civilian population of this part of the country will never forget that the beginning of this month of June, when their homes were threatened by the invader, the Second American Division victoriously stepped forth and succeeded in saving them from impending danger.
I am personally happy to be able to convey to you this modest token of their thankfulness and I am, General,
Yours, respectfully,
(Signed) G. Lugol,
Mayor of Meaux, Député de Seine et Marne.
Voted in a Congress of the Mayors of Meaux District on the 25th of June, 1918.
The mayors of the Meaux district, who were eye-witnesses to the generous and efficacious deeds of the American Army in stopping the enemy advance, send to this Army the heart-felt expression of their admiration and gratefulness.
(Signed) G. Lugol,
President of the Committee.
Meaux, June 25, 1918.
During the first attack on Belleau Wood on June 6, 1918, Col. Albertus W. Catlin was severely wounded and was relieved in command of the Sixth Regiment by Lieut. Col. Harry Lee, who continued in command until the regiment was demobilized in August, 1919.
When Maj. Edward B. Cole was mortally wounded on June 10, 1918, he was relieved in command of the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion of Marines by Capt. Harlan E. Major. On June 11, 1918, Captain Major was relieved by Capt. George H. Osterhout, who retained command until relieved by Maj. Littleton W. T. Waller, jr., on June 21, 1918.
During the fighting in the Chateau-Thierry sector the headquarters of the Fourth Brigade was successively at Montreuil-aux-Lions, (in an automobile for one-half hour on the way to the front lines), Issonge farmhouse, and La Loge farmhouse. After being relieved by elements of the Twenty-sixth Division during the night of July 5-6, 1918, the brigade moved to an area in rear of the lines and occupied what was known as the Line of Defense or Army Line, with headquarters at Nanteuil-sur-Marne. The brigade remained there until July 16, 1918.
During the time the above-described fighting was going on the Germans were frustrated in their fourth 1918 drive (Noyon-Montdidier defensive) between June 9 and 15, 1918, and of course being busy in the vicinity of Bois de Belleau, the Marines had no opportunity of engaging in it.
Having been blocked in the Marne salient, the Germans attacked for the fifth time in 1918 on July 15, and as events turned out it was the last, for from the time of its failure they were on the defensive. The Allied troops including many Americans held this attack, called by the Americans the Champagne-Marne defensive, which was on a large scale, and the grand initiative passed from the Germans to the Allies on July 18, 1918, when Marshal Foch launched his initial major offensive, termed by the Americans the Aisne-Marne. In this magnificent and gigantic operation the Marine Brigade and other elements of the Second Division played leading parts in the vicinity of Soissons.
General headquarters, American Expeditionary Forces, on May 28, 1919, credited the Second Division units with participation in the major operation of Champagne-Marne defensive, but on June 2, 1919, rescinded this credit.
Chapter XI.
THE AISNE-MARNE OFFENSIVE (SOISSONS).
On July 11, 1918, Brig. Gen. James G. Harbord, commanding general of the Marine Brigade, received notification of his appointment as a major general, and two days later left on a five days’ leave of absence. As Col. Neville had been evacuated to a base hospital after leaving the Chateau-Thierry sector, Lieut. Col. Harry Lee assumed temporary command of the brigade. Maj. Gen. Harbord and Col. Neville both returned in time to enter the Aisne-Marne offensive, the former in command of the Second Division and the latter in command of the Fourth Brigade.
Of the six Allied offensives taking place in 1918 on the Western Front, designated by the Americans as major operations, the Fourth Brigade of Marines, with the other units of the Second Division, participated in three, the first being the vast offensive known as the Aisne-Marne, in which the Marine Brigade entered the line near Soissons.
On July 17, 1918, the First Moroccan Division and the First and Second Divisions of American Regulars were hurriedly and secretly concentrated, by terribly fatiguing, forced night marches over roads jammed with troops, artillery, and tanks, through rain and mud, in the Bois de Retz, near Soissons. Headquarters of the Fourth Brigade was established at Vivieres.
The getting to the “jump-off” on time for this operation will always share in Marine Corps history with the glorious victory that followed.
Early on the morning of July 18, 1918, Marshal Foch threw these three picked divisions at the unsuspecting Germans with overwhelming success, and again on the following day. The American commander in chief in his first report stated:
The place of honor in the thrust toward Soissons on July 18 was given to our First and Second Divisions, in company with chosen French divisions. Without the usual brief warning of a preliminary bombardment, the massed French and American artillery, firing by the map, laid down its rolling barrage at dawn while the Infantry began its charge. The tactical handling of our troops under these trying conditions was excellent throughout the action. * * * The Second Division took Beaurepaire Farm and Vierzy in a very rapid advance, and reached a position in front of Tigny at the end of its second day.
In his final report he stated:
Gen. Petain’s initial plan for the counterattack involved the entire western face of the Marne salient. The First and Second American Divisions, with the First French Moroccan Division between them, were employed as the spearhead of the main attack, driving directly eastward, through the most sensitive portion of the German lines to the heights south of Soissons. The advance began on July 18, without the usual brief warning of a preliminary bombardment, and these three divisions at a single bound broke through the enemy’s infantry defenses and overran his artillery, cutting or interrupting the German communications leading into the salient. A general withdrawal from the Marne was immediately begun by the enemy, who still fought stubbornly to prevent disaster. * * *
The Second Division advanced 8 kilometers in the first 26 hours, and by the end of the second day was facing Tigny, having captured 3,000 prisoners and 66 field guns. It was relieved the night of the 19th by a French division. The result of this counter-offensive was of decisive importance. Due to the magnificent dash and power displayed on the field of Soissons by our First and Second Divisions the tide of war was definitely turned in favor of the Allies.
Maj. Gen. James G. Harbord, commanding the Second Division in this operation, describes the two days’ fighting of his division in these words:
It is with keen pride that the division commander transmits to the command the congratulations and affectionate personal greetings of Gen. Pershing who visited the division headquarters last night. His praise of the gallant work of the division on the 18th and 19th is echoed by the French high command, the Third Corps commander, American Expeditionary Forces, and in a telegram from the former division commander. In spite of two sleepless nights, long marches through rain and mud, and the discomforts of hunger and thirst, the division attacked side by side with the gallant First Moroccan Division and maintained itself with credit. You advanced over 6 miles, captured over 3,000 prisoners, 11 batteries of artillery, over 100 machine guns, minnenwerfers, and supplies. The Second Division has sustained the best traditions of the Regular Army and the Marine Corps. The story of your achievements will be told in millions of homes in all Allied lands to-night.
This was one of the greatest strategical successes of Marshal Foch, and that the part played by the Marines was appreciated by the French is illustrated by the Fifth and Sixth Regiments and the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion being cited in French Army orders. The citations of the Sixth Regiment (that of the Fifth Regiment being similar) and that of the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion are quoted below:
Après approbation du général commandant en chef les forces expéditionnaires Américaines en France, le général commandant en chef les armées Françaises du nord et du nord-est, cite à l’Ordre de l’Armée:
“Le 6e Regiment de Marine Americaine, sous les ordres du Lieutenant-Colonel Lee.
“Engagés à l’improviste dans l’offensive du 18 juillet 1918, en pleine nuit, dans un terrain inconnu et trés difficile, ont déployé pendant deux jours, sans se laisser arrêter par les fatigues et les difficultés du ravitaillement en vivres et en eau, une ardeur et une ténacité remarquables, refoulant l’ennemi sur 11 kilométres de profondeur, capturant 2,700 prisonniers, 12 canons et plusieurs centaines de mitrailleuses.”
Au Grand Quartier Général, le 25 Octobre 1918.
(Ordre No. 10.886 “D.”)
Le Général Commandant en Chef.
Signé: Petain
Après approbation du général commandant en chef les forces expéditionnaires Américaines en France, le maréchal de France, commandant en chef les Armées Françaises de l’est cite à l’Ordre de l’Armée:
“Le 6e Bataillon de Mitrailleuses U. S. Marine, sous les ordres du Commandant L. W. T. Waller.
“Quoique trés fatigué par un long trajet en camion et une marche de nuit sur des routes difficiles, ce bataillon s’est précipité à l’attaque le 18 juillet 1918, prés de Vierzy et a puissamment contribué à consolider et à maintenir la position atteinte ce jour-là.
“Dans la matinée du 19 juillet, il s’est vaillamment porté en avant, en terrain découvert, sous un violent feu d’artillerie et de mitrailleuses, soutenant résolument l’attaque lancée contre les positions renforcées de l’ennemi.
“Ayant à faire face à une forte résistance ennemie et à des contre-attaques continelles, a fait preuve du plus beau courage en consolidant rapidement et en tenant résolument l’importante position conquises par l’infanterie ce jour-là.”
Au Grand Quartier Général, le 4 Mars 1919.
(Ordre No. 13.978 “D.”)
Le Maréchal,
Commandant en Chef les Armées Françaises de l’Est.
Petain
Following the advance of the first day, brigade headquarters was moved forward to a cave in Vierzy.
Col. Logan Feland was in command of the Fifth Regiment during the Aisne-Marne offensive, near Soissons, and continued in command of it with the exception of two days in July, 1918 (when Brig. Gen. Lejeune commanded the Fourth Brigade and Col. Neville the Fifth Regiment), until March 21, 1919, when he was relieved by Col. Harold C. Snyder, who retained command until the date of demobilization.
The Fourth Brigade was relieved about midnight July 19, 1918, and after remaining in a reserve position until July 22, 1918, marched to an area farther in the rear, but still in a reserve position, brigade headquarters being established at Taillefontaine. Alter final relief from this active sector the brigade was billeted July 24-25, 1918, in an area around Nanteuil-le-Haudouin, brigade headquarters being established at Nanteuil. The brigade remained in this area until July 31, 1918.
On July 25, 1918, Brig. Gen. John A. Lejeune arrived, and assumed command of the Fourth Brigade on July 26, 1918, General Orders, No. 16, reading as follows:
I have this day assumed command of the Fourth Brigade, U. S. Marines.
To command this brigade is the highest honor that could come to any man. Its renown is imperishable and the skill, endurance, and valor of the officers and men have immortalized its name and that of the Marine Corps.
Brig. General Lejeune retained command until July 29, 1918, when he became commanding general of the Second Division, relieving Maj. Gen. Harbord, who left to assume command of the Services of Supply. Col. Neville, on this latter date, resumed command of the Fourth Brigade.
Chapter XII.
MARBACHE SECTOR, NEAR PONT-A-MOUSSON—ST. MIHIEL OFFENSIVE.
During the last two days of July, 1918, the units of the brigade entrained for a 24-hour railroad journey which took them to an area around Nancy, with headquarters at Villers-les-Nancy, where they remained resting and refitting until August 9, 1918.
On August 7, 1918, information was received of the promotion of Brig. Gen. Lejeune to the grade of major general, and of Col. Neville to the grade of brigadier general, both to date from July 1, 1918.
Col. Albertus W. Catlin arrived in the United States on board the America on August 3, 1918. Col. Catlin, having been wounded on June 6, 1918, during the first attack on Bois de Belleau, was admitted to Hospital No. 2, Paris, France, on the next day, was discharged on July 22, 1918, granted two months’ sick leave, and sailed for New York from Brest, France, on July 25, 1918.
On August 5, 1918, movement of units of the brigade was started for the occupation of the Marbache subsector, near Pont-a-Mousson, on the Moselle River. By August 8, 1918, the movement was completed, with Headquarters established at Scarponne just across the Moselle River from Dieulouard. The sector was quiet and occupation uneventful except for an enemy raid which was successfully repulsed and prisoners captured.
On August 8, 1918, Lieut. Col. Earl H. Ellis was appointed adjutant of the Fourth Brigade, relieving Lieut. Col. Harry R. Lay, who had been detailed as inspector general of the Second Division.
The relief from the Marbache sector was completed on August 18, 1918, and the brigade moved to an area about 20 kilometers southeast of Toul, headquarters being established at Favieres. Intensive training for the impending St. Mihiel offensive was indulged in here.
The brigade started to move from this area on the night of September 2, 1918, and after a series of night marches, during which time headquarters were established at Pont St. Vincent, Velaine-en-Haye, and Bouvron, the brigade arrived just outside of Manonville, headquarters being established in Manonville. From September 12 to 16, 1918 the brigade was engaged in the St. Mihiel offensive in the vicinity of Remenauville, Thiaucourt, Xammes, and Jaulny as a unit of the Second Division of the First Corps of the First Army. Headquarters during these operations were successively at 1 kilometer north of Lironville, Thiaucourt, and finally at Manonville, on September 16, 1918.
On September 20, 1918, the brigade moved to an area south of Toul, with headquarters at Chaudenay. The brigade remained in this area until September 25, 1918, when it moved by rail to an area south of Chalons-sur-Marne, with headquarters at Sarry.
Chapter XIII.
THE CHAMPAGNE—BATTLE OF BLANC MONT RIDGE—CAPTURE OF ST. ETIENNE—MARCH TO LEFFINCOURT.
Marshal Foch, having asked for an American division to assist in breaking through the powerful German defenses in the Champagne, the Second Division, including the Marine Brigade, was temporarily placed at the disposal of the Fourth French Army under Gen. Gouraud from September 27, 1918, to October 10, 1918. At first it was directly subject to the orders of Marshal Petain, but before the actual fighting began it was placed directly under the orders of Gen. Gouraud.
On September 28, 1918, the Fourth Brigade moved by bus and marching to the Souain-Suippes area, with brigade headquarters at Suippes.
On October 1, 1918, in an order of the Second Division, the commanding general of the Second Division encouraged his division with the following words:
1. The greatest battles in the world’s history are now being fought. The Allies are attacking successfully on all fronts. The valiant Belgian Army has surprised and defeated the enemy in Flanders; the English, who have been attacking the enemy without ceasing since August 8, have advanced beyond the Hindenburg Line, between Cambria and St. Quentin, capturing thousands of prisoners and hundreds of cannon; the heroic Allied Army of the Orient has decisively defeated the Bulgars; the British have captured over 50,000 prisoners in Palestine and have inflicted a mortal blow on the Turk; and our own First Army and the Fourth French Army have already gained much success in the preliminary stages of their attack between the Meuse and Suippes Rivers.
2. Owing to its world-wide reputation for skill and valor, the Second Division was selected by the commander in chief of the Allied Armies as his special reserve, and has been held in readiness to strike a swift and powerful blow at the vital point of the enemy’s line. The hour to move forward has now come, and I am confident that our division will pierce the enemy’s line, and once more gloriously defeat the Hun.
The Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge was one of the most powerful and effective blows struck under the direction of Marshal Foch against the retreating Germans, and its brilliantly successful conclusion was due in a great degree to the military genius of Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune of the Marines.
On September 27, 1918, Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune called on Gen. Gouraud at the headquarters of the Fourth French Army, who explained the situation at the front to him. Facing a large relief map of the battlefield, Gen. Gouraud placed his hand on the Blanc Mont Ridge and said: “General, this position is the key of all the German defenses of this sector including the whole Rheims Massif. If this ridge can be taken the Germans will be obliged to retreat along the whole front 30 kilometers to the river Aisne. Do you think your division could effect its capture?” Maj. Gen. Lejeune responded that he felt certain the Second Division could take the stronghold pointed out, whereupon he was informed that he would be ordered to make the attack within a few days and was directed to prepare a plan for the assault.
At this time the Second Division was directly subject to the orders of Marshal Petain, but later in the day Gen. Gouraud informed Maj. Gen. Lejeune that after an explanation of the circumstances Marshal Petain had assigned the division to the Fourth French Army.
The general plan provided for an attack by the whole Fourth French Army between the Argonne and the Suippes River.
On October 1, 1918, the brigade with the rest of the Second Division marched to the front line near Somme-Py on the night of October 1-2, 1918, and relieved elements of a French division. The brigade headquarters was located in the trenches about 2½ kilometers south of Somme-Py. The relief was effected before daylight without incident.
The Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge was fought and won by the Second Division, as a unit of the Fourth French Army, between October 3 and 9, 1918, over the desolated white chalky ground of the Champagne, which was scarred and shell pocked by years of artillery fire, marked with huge mine craters, gridironed with an intricate maze of deep trenches and concrete fortifications, and covered with tangled masses of wire.
The overwhelming success and the far-reaching effect of the Second Division’s part in these operations, the cleaning up of the Essen Hook, the capture of Blanc Mont Ridge, and the capture of St. Etienne, are well described in general terms in the following excerpts from official publications.
That the plan was as brilliantly executed as it was daringly conceived is shown by this extract from an order of the Second Division, dated November 11, 1918, reading in part as follows:
In the Champagne district, October 2 to 10, it fought beside the Fourth French Army. On October 3 it seized Blanc Mont Ridge, the keystone of the arch of the main German position, advanced beyond the ridge and, although both flanks were unsupported, it held all its gains with the utmost tenacity, inflicting tremendous losses on the enemy. This victory freed Rheims and forced the entire German Army between that city and the Argonne Forest to retreat to the Aisne, a distance of 30 kilometers.
The amazing success of the attack and the vital effect of the capture of Blanc Mont Ridge and St. Etienne is described in the words of Gen. Gouraud himself in a letter to Marshal Foch, reading in part as follows:
Because of the brilliant part played by this “Grand Unit” in the offensive of the Fourth Army during the autumn of 1918, I propose the Second American Division for a citation in “The Order of the Army” upon the following specific grounds:
The Second Infantry Division, United States, brilliantly commanded by Gen. Lejeune * * * played a glorious part in the operations of the Fourth Army in the Champagne in October, 1918. On the 3d of October this division drove forward and seized in a single assault the strongly entrenched German positions between Blanc Mont and Medeah Ferme, and again pressing forward to the outskirts of Saint-Etienne à Arnes it made in the course of the day an advance of about 6 kilometers.
It captured several thousand prisoners, many cannon and machine guns, and a large quantity of other military matériel. This attack, combined with that of the French divisions on its left and right, resulted in the evacuation by the enemy of his positions on both sides of the river Suippe and his withdrawal from the Massif de Notre-Dame-des-Champs.
The further opinion of the French as to the results and effect of the Second Division’s operations in Champagne is set forth in the following-quoted extract from Information Bulletin No. 12 of the Fourth French Army dated October 7, 1918:
Up to October 4, at which date the present bulletin is written, the Fourth Army has pushed its advance up to objectives of the very highest importance. A splendid American division, full of dash and ardor, the Second Division, United States, placed at the disposition of the Twenty-first Corps on October 3, made itself master of Massif du Blanc Mont, which dominates the valley of the Arnes and gives us excellent outlook on the valley of the Suippe in rear of the region of Monts. This conquest rapidly brought about the downfall of Notre-Dame-des-Champs and the Grand Bois de Saint Souplet.
The American commander in chief in his first report describes the Battle of Blanc Mont in the following words:
The Second Division conquered the complicated defense works on their front against a persistent defense worthy of the grimmest period of trench warfare and attacked the strongly held wooded hill of Blanc Mont, which they captured in a second assault, sweeping over it with consummate dash and skill. This division then repulsed strong counterattacks before the village and cemetery of St. Etienne and took the town, forcing the Germans to fall back from before Rheims and yield positions they had held since September, 1914.
In his final report the American commander in chief remarked as follows:
The Second Division completed its advance on this front by the assault of the wooded heights of Mont Blanc, the key point of the German position, which was captured with consummate dash and skill. The division here repulsed violent counterattacks and then carried our lines into the village of St. Etienne, thus forcing the Germans to fall back before Rheims and yield positions which they had held since September, 1914.
The citation of the Fifth Regiment of Marines (the citation of the Sixth Regiment being identical) reads as follows:
Après approbation du général commandant en chef les forces expéditionnaires Americaines en France, le maréchal de France, commandant en chef les armées françaises de l’est, cite à l’Ordre de l’Armée:
“Le 5ème Regiment de Marine Americain, sous les ordres du Colonel Logan Feland:
“A pris une part glorieuse aux opérations engagées par la 4ème Armée en Champagne, en Octobre 1918. Le 3 Octobre 1918, a participé à l’attaque des positions allemandes fortement retranchées entre le Blanc Mont et la Ferme Medeah, et, poussant de l’avant jusqu’aux abords de Saint-Etienne à Arnes, a réalisé une avance de 6 kilométres. A fait plusieurs milliers de prisonniers, capturé des canons, des mitrailleuses et un important matériel de guerre. Cette attaque, combinée avec celle des Divisions Françaises, a eu pour conséquence l’évacuation des deux rives de la Suippe et du Massif de Notre-Dame-des-Champs.”
Au Grand Quartier Général, le 21 Mars 1919.
Le Maréchal, Commandant en Chef les Armées Françaises de l’Est.
Signé: Petain.
(Ordre No. 14.712 “D.”)
On October 10, 1918, having been relieved from the line in the Blanc Mont sector, the brigade took station in the Suippes-Somme Suippes-Nantivet area and the adjacent camps with headquarters at Suippes, being assigned as Fourth French Army reserve. The brigade remained in this area resting and refitting until October 14, 1918, when, in accordance with orders, it marched to the Vadenay-Bouy-la-Veuve-Dampierre area, north of Chalons-sur-Marne, with headquarters at Bouy. While here orders were received placing the Fourth Brigade provisionally at the disposal of the Ninth French Army Corps to hold a sector in the region Attigny-Voncq-Aisne River.
Accordingly on October 20, 1918, the brigade was temporarily detached from the Second Division and marched to the area Suippes-Nantivet-Somme-Suippes, with headquarters at Suippes. On October 21, 1918, in obedience to orders, the Marines hiked to the vicinity of Leffincourt, where brigade headquarters was established. While about to take over the assigned sector the Fourth Brigade received orders to rejoin the Second Division, which was preparing to enter the Meuse-Argonne offensive. After a hard march these orders were obeyed and brigade headquarters established at Mont Pelier on October 23, 1918.
On October 24, 1918, Maj. Matthew W. Kingman relieved Maj. Littleton W. T. Waller, jr., in command of the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion of Marines, Maj. Waller joining the Second Division staff as division machine gun officer.
Chapter XIV.
THE MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE—CROSSING THE MEUSE RIVER.
On October 25, 1918, the brigade moved to the Les Islettes area with brigade headquarters at Camp Cabaud. On the evening of October 26, 1918, it arrived in the area south of Exermont and bivouacked in the woods there that night with brigade headquarters at Exermont. The brigade remained in bivouac in this area until the night of October 30-31, 1918, when it moved forward into line to participate in the immense Meuse-Argonne offensive which had started on September 26, 1918, the Second Division being assigned as a unit of the Fifth Corps.
Relieving elements of the Forty-Second Division, just south of Landres-et-St. Georges, the Marine Brigade early on the morning of November 1, 1918, jumped-off, following a terrific barrage, for its final operation of the war, the conclusion of which at 11 o’clock on the morning of November 11, 1918, found the Marines firmly established on the heights of the far bank of the Meuse River, after an advance of 30 kilometers.
The splendid work of the Second Division, including the Marines, is described in official reports, and excerpts from some are given below.
In recommending that the Second Division be cited in General Headquarters Orders for its excellent work in the attack of November 1-11, 1918, the commanding general, First Army, wrote on January 16, 1919, in part, as follows:
4. In the First Army attack of November 1, 1918, the Second Division was selected and so placed in the battle line that its known ability might be used to overcome the critical part of the enemy’s defense. The salient feature of the plan of attack was to drive a wedge through Landres-et-St. Georges to the vicinity of Fosse. It was realized that if the foregoing could be accomplished the backbone of the hostile resistance west of the Meuse would be broken and the enemy would have to retreat to the east of the Meuse. Success in this plan would immediately loosen the flanks of the First Army. The Second Division was selected to carry out this main blow.
5. The Second Division accomplished the results desired in every particular on the first day of the attack, not only clearing the hostile defenses of Landres-et-St. Georges and the Bois de Hazios but continuing its advance to the vicinity of Fosse, i. e., about 9 kilometers. This decisive blow broke the enemy’s defense and opened the way for the rapid advance of the Army.
With reference to the first day’s attack, the commanding general, Fifth Army Corps, wrote officially on November 2, 1918, in part as follows:
The division’s brilliant advance of more than 9 kilometers, destroying the last stronghold on the Hindenburg Line, capturing the Freya Stellung, and going more than 9 kilometers against not only the permanent but the relieving forces in their front, may justly be regarded as one of the most remarkable achievements made by any troops in this war. For the first time, perhaps, in our experience the losses inflicted by your division upon the enemy in the offensive greatly exceeded the casualties of the division. The reports indicate moreover that in a single day the division has captured more artillery and machine guns than usually falls to the lot of a command during several days of hard fighting. These results must be attributed to the great dash and speed of the troops, and to the irresistible force with which they struck and overcame the enemy.
The following citation in Fifth Army Corps General Orders No. 26, dated November 20, 1918, gives a further description of these operations:
The Second Division, in line at the launching of the attack, broke through the strong enemy resistance, and, leading the advance, drove forward in a fast and determined pursuit of the enemy, who, despite new divisions hastily thrown in, was driven back everywhere on its front. This division drove the enemy across the Meuse, and under heavy fire and against stubborn resistance, built bridges and established itself on the heights. The cessation of hostilities found this division holding strong positions across the Meuse and ready for a continuation of the advance.
An order of the Second Division, dated November 5, 1918, reading in part as follows, tells what occurred subsequent to the first day’s attack:
During the night of November 2-3 the Second Division moved forward overcoming the resistance of the enemy’s advanced elements, and at 6 a. m., it attacked and seized the enemy’s line of defense on the ridge southeast of Vaux-en-Dieulet.
Late in the afternoon, the enemy, having reorganized his line on the border of Belval Forest, was again attacked and defeated. After nightfall and in a heavy rain, the advanced elements of the division pressed forward through the forest, and occupied a position on the heights south of Beaumont, 8 kilometers in advance of the divisions on our right and left.
During the night of November 4-5, the division again pressed forward, occupied Beaumont and Letanne and threw the enemy on its front across the Meuse.
An order of the Second Division, dated November 12, 1918, describing the historic crossing of the Meuse River on the night before the armistice became operative, reads as follows:
1. On the night of November 10, heroic deeds were done by heroic men. In the face of a heavy artillery and withering machine gun fire, the Second Engineers threw two foot bridges across the Meuse and the first and second battalions of the Fifth Marines crossed resolutely and unflinchingly to the east bank and carried out their mission.
2. In the last battle of the war, as in all others in which this division has participated, it enforced its will on the enemy.
The commanding general of the Fifth Army Corps has this to say about the crossing of the Meuse by the Marines, who were assisted by the Artillery, Engineers, and other troops of the Second Division:
Especially I desire to commend the division for the crowning feat of its advance in crossing the Meuse River in face of heavy concentrated enemy machine gun fire, and in driving the enemy’s troops before it, and in firmly establishing itself upon the heights covering the desired bridgehead. This feat will stand among the most memorable of the campaign.
With reference to the crossing of the Meuse River the American commander in chief reported as follows:
On the night of November 10, the Fifth Corps forced a crossing of the Meuse against heavy enemy resistance between Mouzon and Pouilly, and advanced to the Inor-Mouzon road with two battalions holding the high ground northwest of Inor.
The general success achieved by the Second Division in the Argonne-Meuse offensive is well described by the words of the order citing Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune, of the Marines, for an Army distinguished service medal, reading in part as follows:
In the Meuse-Argonne offensive his division was directed with such sound military judgment and ability that it broke and held, by the vigor and rapidity of execution of its attack, enemy lines which had hitherto been considered impregnable.
During this fighting the headquarters of the Fourth Brigade was successively established at Exermont, one-half kilometer north of Exermont, Sommerance, Bayonville-et-Chennery, Fosse, Belval-Bois-des-Dames, and Beaumont.
The following self-explanatory memorandum was sent out by the Commanding General of the Fourth Brigade:
Headquarters 4th Brigade,
Marines, American E. F.,
11th November ’18—8.40 a. m.
Peace Memorandum No. 1.
The following telephone message received from Surprise 1 at 8.35 a. m. this morning forwarded for compliance.
8.40 a. m. message from 5th Corps; Armistice signed and takes effect at 11 this morning. Accurate map showing locations of front line elements, including patrols and detachments, will be sent to these Headquarters without delay.
On “the eleventh hour, the eleventh day of the eleventh month, of the year 1918,” Brig. Gen. Wendell C. Neville, commanding general of the Fourth Brigade of Marines, published the following tribute to the officers and men of the Fourth Brigade:
Upon this, the most momentous hour in the history of the World War, the undersigned wishes to express to his command his sincere appreciation of their unfailing devotion to duty and their heroic and courageous action during the recent operations.
The time, when the results of our efforts during the past year are shown, is here. The hour has arrived when the convulsion which has shaken the foundations of the civilized world has ceased. The enemy is defeated and the principles of freedom and democracy have triumphed over barbarism and autocracy. We may all feel justly proud of the extent of our participation which has forced the enemy to a cessation of hostilities. It is fitting, at this time, to think of those of our comrades who have fallen on the field of honor and rejoice in the fact that they did not give their lives in vain.
Your display of fortitude, determination, courage, and your ability to fight has upon more than one occasion been a determining factor in making history, and your work has had a direct bearing upon the remarkable chain of events which have this day culminated in such a satisfactory manner. Along the fronts of Verdun, the Marne, the Aisne, Lorraine, Champagne, and the Argonne, the units of the Fourth Brigade Marines have fought valiantly, bravely, and decisively. They have nobly sustained the sacred traditions and have added glorious pages to the already illustrious history of the United States Marine Corps. It is a record of which you may all be proud.