Battle of Belleau Wood World War I [1918] Actions Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Belleau-Wood Give Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites U.S. Naval Institute - Battle in Belleau Wood History Learning Site - The Battle of Belleau Wood BBC - Belleau Wood: Why this WWI battle is still important in US Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Belleau-Wood Feedback External Websites Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites U.S. Naval Institute - Battle in Belleau Wood History Learning Site - The Battle of Belleau Wood BBC - Belleau Wood: Why this WWI battle is still important in US Written by Adrian Gilbert Adrian Gilbert is a writer, editor, and consultant with a special interest in 20th-century warfare. Adrian Gilbert Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jun 25, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Date: June 1, 1918 - June 26, 1918 (Show more) Location: Château-Thierry France Marne River (Show more) Participants: Germany United States (Show more) Context: World War I (Show more) Key People: John J. Pershing James G. Harbord (Show more) See all related content →

　　German Prisoners at Belleau WoodFrench and American troops guard German prisoners of war following the Battle of Belleau Wood (June 1–26, 1918). Library of Congress, Washington D.C.(more)The Allies’ victory at the Battle of Belleau Wood, which occurred in France from June 1 to June 26, 1918, greatly boosted morale amid the Germans’ Spring Offensive. The battle was the first major engagement of the U.S. army in World War I, and, only 39 miles from Paris, marked the closest the Germans came to the French capital during the war. The struggle for Belleau Wood, at the time a hunting preserve owned by a wealthy Paris businessman, announced to the Germans that the U.S. armed forces had arrived on the Western Front in strength and were eager to fight. It was a tough baptism of fire for the Americans, but persistence and resolution secured them their first important victory in France. The bravery of the U.S. Army’s 2nd Division, comprising the 4th Marine Brigade (the “Fighting Fifth” and 6th Marine Regiments) was especially noteworthy. In recognition of their service and sacrifice, the French renamed Belleau Wood the “Bois de la Brigade de Marine”—Wood of the Marine Brigade—and awarded the 4th Marine Brigade the coveted Croix de Guerre.

　　As the Germans tried to extend and develop their offensive against the French on the Marne River, they came up against the U.S. 2nd and 3rd Divisions at Château-Thierry and Belleau Wood. Having been checked at Château-Thierry, the Germans advanced through the nearby Belleau Wood, named for a clear spring at its heart, and then encountered more of the 2nd Division and a brigade of U.S. Marines. Neighboring French troops began to fall back and urged the Americans to do likewise, eliciting the famous response from U.S. Marine Captain Lloyd W. Williams: “Retreat? Hell, we just got here!” Many of the retreating French troops, inspired, turned back to fight alongside the American troops. The Allied troops dug in and with a fine display of marksmanship held the German attack on June 4.

　　World War I Events keyboard_arrow_left

　　Battle of the Frontiers August 4, 1914 - September 6, 1914

　　Battle of Mons August 23, 1914

　　Battle of Tannenberg August 26, 1914 - August 30, 1914

　　First Battle of the Marne September 6, 1914 - September 12, 1914

　　First Battle of Ypres October 19, 1914 - November 22, 1914

　　Battle of Tanga November 2, 1914 - November 5, 1914

　　Battle of the Falkland Islands December 8, 1914

　　Christmas Truce December 24, 1914 - December 25, 1914

　　Gallipoli Campaign February 16, 1915 - January 9, 1916

　　Naval Operations in the Dardanelles Campaign February 19, 1915 - March 18, 1915

　　Second Battle of Ypres April 22, 1915 - May 25, 1915

　　Battles of the Isonzo June 23, 1915 - October 24, 1917

　　Battle of Lone Pine August 6, 1915 - August 10, 1915

　　Battle of Verdun February 21, 1916 - December 18, 1916

　　Battle of Jutland May 31, 1916 - June 1, 1916

　　Brusilov Offensive June 4, 1916 - August 10, 1916

　　First Battle of the Somme July 1, 1916 - November 13, 1916

　　Battle of Messines June 7, 1917 - June 14, 1917

　　June Offensive July 1, 1917 - c. July 4, 1917

　　Battle of Passchendaele July 31, 1917 - November 6, 1917

　　Battle of Caporetto October 24, 1917 - December 19, 1917

　　Battle of Cambrai November 20, 1917 - December 8, 1917

　　treaties of Brest-Litovsk February 9, 1918; March 3, 1918

　　Battle of Belleau Wood June 1, 1918 - June 26, 1918

　　Battle of Amiens August 8, 1918 - August 11, 1918

　　Battle of Saint-Mihiel September 12, 1918 - September 16, 1918

　　Battle of Cambrai September 27, 1918 - October 11, 1918

　　Battle of Mons November 11, 1918 keyboard_arrow_right Although heavily outnumbered, the Americans went on the offensive and attacked the German positions in front of Belleau Wood on June 6, suffering heavy losses in the process (the highest in U.S. Marine Corps history until the Battle of Tarawa in 1943); casualties were particularly high among commissioned and noncommissioned officers. A subsequent attack gained the Americans a foothold on the edge of the wood, but progress was painfully slow, the enthusiasm of the Americans being met by equal determination from the defending Germans and their movements impeded by a difficult terrain of low cliffs, rock outcroppings, streams, and ravines. The fighting was relentless, much of it at close quarters and involving bayonets, knives, and even fists. The Americans launched six attacks before the Germans were finally expelled from Belleau Wood on June 26. Subsequently, the adjacent villages of Vaux and Bouresche were also secured by the American forces as the Germans fell back to new positions.

　　The Germans had miscalculated the determination of their newly arrived American foe, their general staff convinced that the Americans would be raw and untrained and would require months to become combat-ready. They were instead moved to dub the Marines Teufel Hunden, “Devil Dogs,” the Marine Corps’ unofficial nickname to this day.

　　Now protected ground, Belleau Wood lies just outside the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, its centerpiece a monument erected by the Marine Corps to honor the fallen.

　　Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now Losses: American, 9,777 casualties (1,811 killed); German, 9,500 casualties, including 1,600 captured.