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.
Chapter XV.
MARCH TO THE RHINE—ARMY OF OCCUPATION—SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS OF THE FOURTH BRIGADE.
MARCH TO THE RHINE.
On November 17, 1918, the Second Division commenced its march to the Rhine, passing through Belgium and Luxembourg. The German frontier was reached November 25, 1918, crossed on December 1, 1918, the Rhine reached December 10, 1918, and crossed on December 13, 1918. During this march and up to the time the Fourth Brigade settled down to its occupation duty in Germany, brigade headquarters were successively established at Margut, Bellefontaine, Arlon, Usseldange, Berg, Eppeldorf, Neuerburgh, Waxweiler, Prum, Budesheim, Wiesbaum, Antweiler, Neuenahr, Burgbrohl, Rheinbrohl, and Hönningen.