Mike – Page 14 – Battles of the First World War Podcast

Belleau Wood

In French the wood’s name was officially changed to “Bois de la Brigade de Marine,” although most folks still know it by it’s original name.

Bullet holes in this field gun’s shield show how close and deadly the fighting was at Belleau Wood.

A century later, shell holes and trenches remain visible in the ground.

Memorial to the US Marines who fought in Belleau Wood in June 1918.

Looking at Belleau Wood from the North

The ground over which the US Marines of the 4th Marine Brigade, 2nd Division attacked in June 1918:

BW Wheat Fields

German Cemetery at Belleau, France

Just got back from 10 days in France, and I’ve decided to actually start using this website for more posts.

Right after we landed in Paris and got our car, we headed right out for Belleau Wood. A little over an hour northeast of the City of Light, this was the first battle area we visited. It was some 95 degrees (F) out that day, but it was so moving to see the wheat fields over which the US Marines attacked in June 1918, and to walk in the wood itself.

One spot where we stopped was the German cemetery at Belleau, where some 8,000 Germans rest in peace now. Many of the dates of death center in 1918, the time of the German Kaiserschlacht offensives.

Episode 46: Belleau Wood – Warriors Into the Woods

On June 6, 1918, men of the 5th and 6th United States Marine Regiments assaulted the German positions in Belleau Wood. So began a three-week battle for a one-mile square patch of wood that would enter US Marine Corps and American WW1 legend.

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Episode 45: Belleau Wood – Among the Distant Trees

The third major German attack on the Western Front in late May 1918 led to the release of the American 2nd Infantry Division to Allied Command to stem the enemy tide. The 5th and 6th Marine Regiments, part of that US Army division, set up positions just south of a patch of forest known as Belleau Wood.

This episode is dedicated to the men and women of the United States Marine Corps, and to the men and women of the US Army 2nd Infantry Division.

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Episode 44: Verdun – Je Fait Verdun

The Battle of Verdun came to an end on December 18, 1916.But the Verdun salient remained a violent sector of the Western Front until the very last days of World War One.

In this final episode of the Battle of Verdun the after-effects of the 1916 onslaught in the Meuse are covered, from military losses to political casualties to the lingering effects on the battle on the battlefield itself.

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Episode 43: Verdun – October Knockout

The long-awaited French counterattack at Verdun comes. Generals Petain, Nivelle and Mangin deliver a powerful strike on the Right Bank, against which the degraded German 5th Army is unable to hold.

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Episode 42: Verdun – Wastage

The Mill on the Meuse grinds on at Verdun through the summer of 1916. The Germans go on the defensive and GEN Mangin hammers away at them.

The Battle of Verdun begins to make political casualties as well. As summer turns to fall the French begin to prepare for their long-awaited counter-offensive.

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Episode 41: Verdun – Little Willie’s Last Thrust

July 1916 begins and the Battle of the Somme erupts to relieve pressure at Verdun. The Germans begin to divert all available resources for the new battle.

The German 5th Army at Verdun makes one more attempt to break through on the Right Bank of the River Meuse. The line Fleury-Fort Souville-Fort Tavannes is attacked to clear the last defensible ridge line before Verdun.

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