Devil Dogs: The Modern Marine Corps, and Some of Its Best Lore, Began at Belleau Wood
History
By Lauren Coontz | June 11, 2021
The Battle of Belleau Wood raged through most of June 1918. From its opening shots on June 1 to Marines clearing the last German positions on June 26, the battle marked the largest fight in Marine Corps history to that point and the baptism by fire of four future Marine Corps commandants.
A long list of enduring Marine myths also traces back to the battle, including famous moments of battlefield bravado and the service’s “Devil Dogs” nickname.
After the US joined World War I in April 1917 — reinforcing the exhausted French and British troops who had been fighting for three years — Marines were plugged into the front lines throughout France over the course of a year. In early summer, 1918, the 4th and 2nd Marine Brigades were sent to relieve the weary European troops near Chateau-Thierry. The 2nd Marine Brigade stayed in Chateau-Thierry and Reims to reinforce French lines, eventually stopping the German advance at the Second Battle of the Marne in July. The 4th Marine Brigade went 7 miles northwest to Belleau Wood.
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