1,2.
Marine rifleman, 3/5th Marines. Belleau Wood, June 25, 1918.
This Marine is advancing in “light order” for combat, therefore he is not carrying a bedroll or greatcoat/overcoat. He is armed with the M1903 Springfield rifle (1), a .30-caliber bolt-action weapon that used a five-round magazine. The M1903 weighed 8.69lb and was 43.2in long without a bayonet; with the 20in M1905 bayonet attached (2) it weighed 9.69lb.
On his chest is the haversack (3) for the British gasmask and Small Box Respirator. The gasmask had a head cover with plastic eyepieces, that connected by a hose to the box-like air filter which contained granules of charcoal and other chemicals which absorbed the chlorine and phosgene gases and allowed cleaned air to pass. The mask provided some protection from inhalation and eye exposure to mustard gas, but any exposed skin would be affected by contact. He wears the Army’s M1910 webbing (4); its cartridge belt had ten pouches, each holding two five-round clips for his rifle. His water bottle (5), or canteen, is attached to the belt on his right hip. The bayonet holder (6) is attached to the webbing on his left back. The pack (7), or knapsack, is lightly loaded with emergency rations, and probably a few personal items he wants with him at all times. The entrenching tool (8) is attached to the pack, ready for digging in on a captured objective. He is wearing a British-style M1917 steel helmet (9), the standard helmet of the AEF. His boots (10) are M1917/1918 Army 4.5in-high ankle boots.
3,4.
German infantryman, Infanterie-Regiment 347. Belleau Wood, June 25, 1918.
This German infantryman is part of the local reserves sent to counterattack the Marines and restore the defense. He has left his backpack behind and is carrying his weapons and minimal personal equipment. He is throwing a stick hand grenade (1) and has more attached to his belt (2). His 7.92mm Mauser Gewehr 98 bolt-action rifle (3) is slung across his back and his bayonet is still carried in the bayonet scabbard (4). The bayonet scabbard is attached to his cartridge belt, which has six cartridge pouches (5), each holding 20 rounds for his rifle. Also attached to the belt are his canvas bread bag (6) and a water bottle (7). Hanging from straps in front is his gasmask inside its cylindrical canister (8). The mask was a hood with eyepieces that used a breathing tube connected to the canister, which contained a charcoal or other chemical filter.
This infantryman is wearing a worn M1915 Bluse (9) with the number “347” on the shoulder straps identifying his regiment. His helmet (10) is the M1916 standard “coal scuttle” which does not have a camouflage covering.
The ambush of the 84th Company
5.
US view: We see the leading platoon of the 84th Company coming under fire as they advance over open terrain. The wood is green, and has not yet been shattered by heavy artillery shelling. The half-platoon is on the north side of an unimproved dirt road that is being used to guide the advance south of Belleau Wood. Three of the half-platoon’s waves, as called for in the modified French doctrine, are visible. The automatic-rifle group forms the leading wave, followed by the smaller rifle-grenadier group and then the riflemen group. Following the riflemen group (but not visible here) is the wave of hand grenadiers. Leading the half-platoon is the platoon leader, imbued with the idea that he is to lead the advance. Participants later reported that the advance was peaceful and seemed more like an exercise until the German machine guns began to fire.
6.
German view: Members of an MG 08 machine-gun team from 2. MGK/IR 461 are firing at the 84th Company in the distance. The Americans are marching across ground 500yd away and approximately 100ft lower than their opponents’ positions. The machine-gun team is located in a small open space among giant boulders within the wood and surrounded by trees in full leaf. Marines have entered the machine gun’s fire zone; the crew has just opened fire. The team’s ammunition and gun carriers are ready with their Mauser Gewehr 98 rifles to join in the firing, even though German marksmanship at this stage of the war was generally poor. The machine-gun company leaders had waited for more Marines to move into the fields of fire, in order to make the first volleys of fire as effective as possible against the exposed 84th Company.
7.
The 2/5th Marines’ attack, June 11.
At 0430hrs on June 11, the 2/5th Marines attacked across the open ground toward Belleau Wood that had been the scene of the 3/5th Marines’ failed attack on June 6. Luck was with the 2/5th Marines as an early-morning ground fog hid the advancing Americans from German sentries. Because the supporting artillery was misdirected and shelled the wood north of the point of the attack, the Germans did not expect an infantry assault. When the first wave of Marines emerged from the fog, the German outposts in the edge of the wood were surprised. Marines quickly entered the wood and the combat became bush fighting at close quarters. In these conditions the superior Marine morale, junior leadership, bayonet practice, and marksmanship dominated the action. Based on experiences with the half-platoon waves in the earlier days’ attacks, the 2/5th Marines altered the French tactical deployment. The attack companies still formed in two waves, but now each wave was composed of small mixed groups. These groups were built around either a Chauchat automatic-rifle team or a rifle-grenade-launcher team. The roles of hand grenadiers and riflemen were combined, with each man carrying grenades and ready to use his rifle or grenades as the situation required.
8.
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9.
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