Show Marine Heroism Is Told to Congress s 4 z 2 4 2 1 1 Daniels Daniels' Describes Our Great Fight in In the annual r report port of or Secretary of ot the Xav Navy Daniels made to Congress there Ie appears a thrilling chapter devoted devoted de de- de voted to the achievements of or tho the American marines at Chateau Thierry and Belleau wood The Tho extract from the report follows This efficient fighting building an and landing landing- force of the tho na navy nathe the tho marine corps has won Imperishable glory In inthe I tho the fulfillment of at its latest duties upon tho the battlefields of or France where the tho marines fighting for fol the time under General Pershing a part of at tho the vic vic- American army have o written written- a a. stor story of or valor and sacrifice sacrifice that will live In th the brightest annals of or the war var With heroism that nothing could daunt the marine corps played a atal vital tal role in stemming tho the German rush on Paris faros and In later atel days aided alde in the beginning of or tho the great offensive the freeing freeing- of ot and ancI participated In Inthe Inthe inthe the hard fighting I In Champagne which had as Its object the tho throwing back backof backof of at tho the Prussian armies in the vicinity of ot Cambrai and St. St Quentin With anI only men engaged In the fiercest battles the marine corps casualties casualties casualties cas cas- numbered 63 69 officers and 1 1031 1531 1 enlisted men dead and 78 officers and 4 2435 15 5 enlisted men wounded seriously enough to be officially reported b by cablegram to which number should be added not a few whose wounds did not Incapacitate them for further fighting However with a casualty list lIsl that numbers nearl nearly half hal the original men who nho ho entered batt battle e the official reports account for only onh seven fifty United States marines who vho have been captured by the tho enemy This In Includes Includes Includes In- In those who were wounded farin far farIn farIn In advance anCe of or their lines and who fell Into the l hands of or Germans wh Je unable un- un unable un un- able ble to resist Memorial day a shall henceforth have haye havea hayea a greater deeper significance for America for tor It was way on that day May 13 0 SO IBIS 1015 1 t that at ou our country ou rea really reah h re im JUI first ursi tali 10 to o attle me oat oat- tie In which American troops had bat tho the honor of or stopping slopping the German drive e on Paris throwing back the Prussian Prussian sian hordes hods in attack after attack an and l beginning the retreat which lasted until unto un un- til to Imperial Germany German was beaten heaten to its ItZi knees and Its It emissaries appealing fortie for foron on tie armistice under the tho flag nag o or of truce And AncI lg to the United States marines ff fighting side by side sille with equally brave bra and equally II lIal I courageous men In inn the American arm army irmy tl to that faithful i sea a and land force of oC the na navy natell fell tell the thc honor of ct taking over o the Hurts where the tho blow low of oC the Prussian yslan would strike the hardest the lino IIno that lint was n nearest I Paris and where should a breach oc- oc oci i cur curtail all all would bo be lost The Tito a world knows today that the United States Stales marines held that line that they blocked the advance anco that was WaS' rolling on toward Parts Paris at a rate of oC six Ix or seven rn miles lIcit a a. day 1 that t. t the they met nut the tho attack in American fashion CashIon and 1111 with American heroism that marines ma nm- rines an and soldiers of or the American army threw back tho the crack guard g di divisions dl- dl visions of or G Germany broke their advance ad- ad vance anee and then attacking drove thorn them b back in the tho h beginning of or a retreat that I I was as nut not to to end until the cease 1111 fir fir- 1 Ing log signal Bounded for Cor tho the end encI of or the worlds world greatest war In this tion tiun Melville St Stone Slone ne general man manger manager ter terp p pf the Associated ted Pros 1 said bald following C I. I an exhaustive c trip of or Investigation In Europe The They the tho marines had before them tho tto best Prussian guards and shuck shock troops the tho Germans were perfectly sure suro the they could drive the amateurs amateurs ama back It waa a dramatic situation for Cor success success suc- suc cess cees meant that tho the Germans could probably push for fat Calais and other I channel ports but Foch dangled Paris before their eyes b by putting raw Americans Amer Amer- leans at al a n point across the tho direct road to Paris Parts In the tho pocket between I and Instead of or driving back the amate amateurs rs the tho amateurs drove o them and gave ave them there also a Yer very sound thrashing Their losses were ere heavy but the they did the work worle and In doing It also did three things The They saved I Paris they seriously injured the morale morale mo- mo rale o nf of th the tha li lJ hest st t r n 1 1 thc they set act et eta a a standard ta d rd and dI fixed a reputation reputation tation tatton for American troops that none nono I other dared dare tarnish Such is the opinion of or the head ot or a I. I great ne force torce regarding the tho achievements of or the United States marines at Chateau Thien Thierry where In the b battlefield ld of or Bois Bols de Belleau now note named the Bois Hols do e la Brigade dc de Marine Marine Ma- Ma MaI Ia- Ia I rine b by official order of the tho French staff this branch of the na navy met the Geri Germans n and blocked their drive on Pai Paris is It was on the evening of May 30 0 0 after a n da day dedicated to the memory of their comrades who had fallen in I the tho training days dars and In tl the e Verdun sector that the the Fifth and Sixth regiments reul- reul 1 ments and th the Sixth machine gun eun battalion bat bat- United States Stites marines each received re received re- re the following orders orders- Advance Information officially received r re- re that this re regiment will null move mo at 10 CO 0 0 Ia p. p pm p.m. m. m May b by bus to new area All 11 trains shall be loaded at once and ani arrangements hastened Wagons when loaded will move to Serans to form train I All through though the night there was fc Cc e j I ered vered activity among the lt i Then the next morning the long Ions trains of or camions busses and trucks each aeh carrying its full complement of oC United States marines went forward on a a. road which at place wound within l less ss than ten miles of or Paris toward to Meaux and the he fighting II line lie Through the town of at Meaux M aux went tho the I long line of oC earn Ion B and to tho the 11 lago lage of or aux Lions aux leiS lees than four Cour miles from tho the rapidly advancing ul German line On this trip tho camIons camIons cam- cam Ions loris containing the Americans were elo the th j only traffic traveling in the direction of tho the Germans everything else ciao was walt going the other othar way 1 refugees old men and women small children riding rid rid- ng ing ng on ever every conceivable conveyance ance many trudging along tho the Ido of ot the road driving a n cow or 01 calf calC before thorn them rn all of or them thorn covered with the white dust ut which tho the camion caravan Wa was vas wh whirling up m a i It rolled alon along along that lint road anI only ono one organization was advancing ad the United States ma ma- rines At last their thell destination reached carl early on tho the morning morning- of or June 2 they disembarked stiff and t tired after a IL Journey of or more more mor than two seventy He two miles but hut ns fiS they formed their lines JInes and marched matched onward In the tho direction of tho the line thoy they to hold they wore d and cheerful That evening I the first field message rom from rom tho Fourth brigade to MaJ 1 Gen Con Omar Bundy commending commanding com com- mending manding the Second division went forward forward for tor ward Second battalion Sixth marines in I n line Une from Ie Le through bauts hauts woods to Triangle to Luc Lucy In Instructed Instructed In- In to hold line First Sixth marines going Into line Iron from rom Lucy through Hill H 1 Third battalion I In support at La Vole du Chatel which Is la also the post command of tine the Sixth marines Sixth machine gun battalion I distributed d at line liner I j Me Meanwhile le tho the Fifth Firth regiment was moving into line machine guns were advancing and tho the artillery taking Its Us position That night the inon men and officers officers otel- otel cers of tho the marines slept In the open j many of at them In n a field that that green I with 2 d wheat awaiting the unit Lilli wuen 11 u icy ty oe De to battle The next day at 5 o'clock the afternoon of or June Juno 2 began bes-an the battle haUle of Chateau Thierry with the Americans holding the line against the most vicious wedge of or the tho German adanee ada ad ad- vance anee a nce Tho Tim advance ance of or the Germans was as across a wheat field driving at Hill 16 an and l advancing in inn smooth columns column The Wilted United States State marines trained to keen observation upon the rifle range nearl nearly eYer every ono one of or them wearing a marksman's ns n's medal or better that of or orthe the tho sharpshooter hooter or expert rifleman dl did not wait for Cor those gra gray clad hordes to a advance ance nearer Calmly they set get their sights and aimed with tine the same same ame precision that the they had shown hown upon the Ile rifle ranges at al Paris Pari Island Islan Mare Iara Island and Quan- Quan tico Incessantly their rifles rUles cracked and with their thell fire Ire came camo the support of or the thc art artillery iller Tho The machine gun fire Incessant also begun began to to make its Inroads In- In roads upon the advancing forces Closer and closer the thc shrapnel burst to its targets target Caught In a tle seething wave wa of ot machine gun fire of scattering shrapnel of ot accurate fire tho the Ger- Ger nn I o l 1141 0 VU t. t a III cL rua Ll in which further t advance ance could anI only mean absolute suicide The lines h sl- sl The They stopped They broke for tor cover while the marines raked the woods and ravines ravines-in In which the they hail had taken refuge e lilt machine gun and nd rifle to prevent them making another attempt to lO advance b by infiltrating through A Above ove a French airplane was checking checking check check- ing inS up on on n the artillery fire lIre Surprised by Iry h the fact that men inen should dell deliberately berI ber- ber I atel act Hot their sights adjust J t their range lange and then linen fire deliberately at an alt advancing foe each man picking his hla tar target et instead ot of firing Iring merely In tho the direction of or the tho enemy the tho aviator signaled below helow Bravo Dravo Bravo In the tine rear real that thal word was echoed again and a again aln Tie The German drive e on all Paris Parl had head been heen stopped I For tho the next few fow lays days the tho fighting took on the character of oC pushing toai fo j. j I outposts and determining the tho strength of tho the I enemy Now the fl c enc ow fighting l had me ne that tho they thoy should have havo run against a stone slone stonewall stonewall wall of defense just JUHt Ju t when tho they believed be- be be be- lIe that their would bo ho easiest had halted amazed then prepared pro pro- pared to defend the positions 5 the they haul had won with nil all the th stubbornness poI poI- ble le In tho the black bel recesses of or Belleau wood tho the Germans had established nest neat nUt alter nest of or machine m buns suna There lu inn t I Ithe the jungle of ot m lt matted o of cites of heavy he foliage tho they hall hail placed 1 I Ihle themselves in positions they thoy believed Impregnable And AncI this meant that un un- unless less tho they thoy could bo ho routed unless they could bo Lo thrown back tho tie breaking of ot tho tiro attack of oC Juno June 2 would woul moan mean nothing noth noth- ing There Thero would como come another drive and another Tho battle of at Chateau Thierry was Vas therefore not won and could not bo ho won woo until wood woodhall had hall been cleared of tho the enemy It was Jut Juno June ne C 6 that the tho attack of or the the hp I American troops troop began egan against that wood and Its adjacent surroundings with tho the wood Itself and rind tho the towns tons of It Torcy rorey and Bouresches forming tho tine ob ob- At f C o'clock the tho attack came and ancI there began Kogan the sacrifices sacrifices sac sac- lacI I which the tho marine corps gladly suffered that lint ho he Gorman German fighters might be bo thrown back The marines fought strictly according accordIng accord accord- Ing to American methods methods-a a rush a n ahalt ahalt halt a rush ogain In four tour wave wa formation formation for for- I mation the r rear nr waves taking over oyer the work of or those who had fallen rallen bo- bo j bO-j j fore foro them thorn p passing over tho the bodies of at j J their tie dead ad comrades and plunging j I I Ito ahead until they too should be torn to bits But behind those waves were I moro more waves wn and the attack went on Men Ien foil fell like flies files the elon Is that of an in officer r from I Ithe the tho Clel field Companies that had en on entered cn- cn tho battle strong dwindled j i to tift fifty an and six sixty I with a sergeant in command but the the attack attack did ltd not fal- fal j ter At 9 3 o'clock that night Bouresches flour Dour I esches was taken b by James F F Robertson and twenty odd men of or his platoon these soon were joined h by two I reinforcing platoons Then came the tho tho I II enemy counter attacks s. s but the malines ma- ma I lines hel held In wood tho the fighting riGhting had hac been literally from tree treo to tree stronghold strong- strong j i hold to stronghold and It was a fight which mu must t last for weeks before Its Its Its' accomplishment In victory Ictor Belleau I wood was a II Jungle Its every rocky formation formation formation for for- mation forming a a. German machine gun nest almost Impossible to reach by art artillery Iller or grenade fire There Thero was wa only one ono way wa way to wipe I out these nests b by tho the bayonet Onet rindby And rind I Ib b by this method methol were the they wiped out j I Ifor I for United States Stales marines bare baro chest ed td shouting their battle battlo cr cry of E c I Into unto straight h a yip jp charged tho the murderous Ire fire from those guns uns I and won I Out of or tho he number n that charged In I moro more than one on Instance only one would i reach the stronghold There with n his j I as his only onh weapon ho lie would woul i either cither kill or 1 capture tile defenders of I tho the nest and then swinging the tho gun I about in its position turn It against lg tho the remaining Germ n positions in the forest I Such n was as the character of oC the fighting fighting fight fight- ing InS In Bellau wood fighting which continued until July Juh 6 G when after a short relief reller tho the Invincible In Americans Americans' finally wore were taken back hack to the rest billet for recuperation i In all tho the history of the tho marine I j corps there tholo Is no such battle as that eno in Belleau WOOI wood wood Fighting da day I an and night without relief reller without sleep often without water and for days das without with with- j out t hot rations the marines met and I defeated the best divisions that Gelman Germany Gel Ger n I man many could throw Into the line lino The rhe heroism an and doggedness do g of ot that I battle are arc unparalleled Time after aftertime aftertime aftertime time officers seeing their men so dog do o I tired that they the even fell as asleep under |