The Battle of Belleau Wood was one of the most significant for the Marines in World War 1. This battle was the first major engagement that American Expeditionary Force had been involved in since they arrived in Europe. The force at Belleau Wood consisted of the 2nd and 3rd Divisions of the United States Army. The 4th Marine Brigade was attached to the Army's 2nd Division, and consisted of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments.
The Marines of the 4th Brigade, along with the 2nd Division of the AEF were assigned to assist the XXI Corps of the French Sixth Army in the area of Belleau Wood. On June 1 the Marines arrived and began digging a defensive position on the west side of Belleau Wood, north of the town of Lucy-le-Bocage. On the 4th of June the French troops began to retreat due to an offensive staged by the Germans. Captain Lloyd Williams of the Marines replied to a suggestion of retreat, "Retreat, Hell! We just got here!" The Marines fought off the German assault. During this offensive, the German Army was about 50 miles from Paris, which is the closest they would get.
On June 5, the French XXI Corps ordered the U.S. Second Division to take the Wood, and the 4th Marine Brigade were assigned specifically with this task. To enter the Wood, the Marines had to cross an open wheat field that was guarded by German machine guns. This day held the most Marine casualties due to the machine gun fire with little cover. Before the Marines charged the field, Sgt. Daniel Daly said, "C'mon you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" After days of fighting, the 4th Brigade had suffered casualties numbering over half of its troops. When a U.S. artillery barrage finally was successful, the troops were able to take that part of the Wood.
On June 11, after and intense barrage, the troops took about 2/3 of the Wood from the Germans. In the days following, the Germans counter-attacked with a heavy artillery barrage and with gas attacks. In the latter half of the month, possession of Belleau Wood changed hands between the Germans and Americans 6 times before the AEF finally was able to secure the entire wood. On June 26, Major Maurice Shearer sent a message stating, "Woods now entirely �U.S. Marine Corps'." See Map.
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