It was on June 3, 1918, that the Americans took over the Belleau Wood
sector. Like the Priest Wood near Pont-à-Mousson, Grurie Wood in
Argonne, and the Sabot Wood in Champagne, Belleau Wood has become
famous. The broken, rocky ground lends itself naturally to defence, and,
by filling it with machine-guns, the Germans had made it well-nigh
impregnable.
[Illustration: SEEN FROM HILL 190.]
The attack was begun on June 10, 1918, by the American Marine
Brigade--the first of Uncle Sam’s units to land in France (June 27,
1917)--300 prisoners being taken. Operations were successfully continued
on the 13th, when a powerful German counter-attack, with orders to drive
out the Americans at all cost, was repulsed with heavy enemy loss.
It was from Belleau Wood that, on July 18, 1918, the 26th American
Division, which formed the pivot of General Degoutte’s army, set out on
the Great Counter-Offensive. Its eagerness was such that it had to be
restrained, to allow the wings to reach their assigned positions.
Its first objective was the Torcy-Belleau-Bouresches line (held by
first-class German troops: the famous 1st and 4th Guards and 6th
Bavarians), which was carried in a single rush. Organizing the conquered
ground, it there awaited the signal to advance on =Etrepilly=, given on
July 20 by General Degoutte. (_This village, which is situated on the
farther side of Hill 190, is not visible from where the tourist stands.
The road G. C. 9, leading thither, was crossed on the way to Hill 190._)
The attack on Etrepilly, which was to relieve the French (tenaciously
opposed to the north of Belleau), was executed with great vigour and
ability, according to General Degoutte’s report.
Three guns, one bomb-thrower, numerous machine-guns, and 200 prisoners
were taken, while the advance forced the Germans to abandon their
positions in front of the French lines.
After much bitter, indecisive fighting, and a further attack on the
26th, which resulted in the capture of 264 prisoners, the final assault
was made on the 29th. Two battalions deployed in four lines of
sharpshooters, fifty yards apart, closely followed by the storming
columns in waves, broke through the German positions after fierce
bayonet fighting. The enemy redoubts
[Illustration: AMERICAN OBSERVATION-POST IN BELLEAU WOOD DURING THE
FIGHTING IN JULY, 1918.]
were surrounded and reduced after hard hand-to-hand fighting. The
Americans, who had left off their coats and rolled up their
shirt-sleeves, advanced resolutely in spite of heavy losses.
The capture of this formidable position by the Marine Brigade won the
warmest praise from Marshals Foch and Pétain, and the heartfelt thanks
of the Mayor of Meaux, which city was thus saved from the enemy. The
French High Command decided that the wood should henceforth be called:
The Wood of the American Marine Brigade.
[Illustration: AMERICAN SOLDIER IN DUG-OUT IN BELLEAU WOOD.]
[Illustration: AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN BELLEAU WOOD.]
_Return to the car and continue towards the village of Belleau._
On the left side of the road are shelters for sharpshooters and
machine-guns.
_At the cross-roads, near the entrance to Belleau, a road branching off
the G. C. 9, to the right, leads into the village._
At this crossing there is an American cemetery.
On the left, a road which skirts Belleau Wood, leads to =Bouresches=.
About a mile from the crossing, along this road, there is another
American cemetery. On the right of the graves, an uphill road leads to
the wood, in which traces of the hard fighting are still
visible--trenches, shelters, barbed wire entanglements, branchless
trees, shell holes, etc.
A little further on, in the direction of Bouresches, is another American
cemetery.
After visiting that part of the wood which overlooks Belleau, _return to
the cross-roads and enter that village._
[Illustration: GERMAN CORPSES IN BELLEAU WOOD (April, 1919).]
[Illustration: BELLEAU CHURCH.]
_Descend as far as the_ Castle, which was badly damaged. Behind is the
Church, also in ruins. _In front of the Castle turn to the left, take
the first road on the right towards_ =Torcy=, _skirting the park_, the
walls and trees of which have been badly damaged. Torcy, entirely in
ruins, is reached shortly after.
_Continue as far as what was the_ 13th century church, now a heap of
ruins. The cemetery is a picture of desolation, the Germans having blown
up the underground vaults, which dated from the Middle-Ages.
[Illustration: RUINS IN BELLEAU VILLAGE.]
[Illustration: RUINS OF TORCY CHURCH.]
From the cemetery there is a pretty view of the valley. The photograph
below was taken from beyond the cemetery, in the old square now in
ruins.
_Retracing his steps, the tourist should take the uphill road visible on
the left of the photograph above, which he crossed before arriving at
the church, and return to G. C. 9. At the intersection of these two
roads is a_ large shed, the iron framework of which was torn and twisted
by shell fire. _Turn to the right and follow G. C._ 9 _towards_
Bussiares.
Before coming to Bussiares, the Tuilerie Farm, situated on a tiny hill
to the left, comes into view.
At the foot of this hill are German graves. The trenches and shelters on
its sides were heavily shelled.
=Bussiares= was less severely damaged than Torcy.
_After crossing the village take the first road on the right towards_
Hautevesnes. There are some French graves at the side of the road near
the fork. _Cross the railway (level crossing) and the bridge over the
small river Clignon_, which run side by side. Before coming to
Hautevesnes the road passes through shell-torn woods.
[Illustration: AFTER THE CAPTURE OF TORCY BY THE AMERICANS. THE VILLAGE
SQUARE, A HEAP OF RUINS.]
[Illustration: AT THE TOP OF A HILLOCK, THE RUINS OF THE CHURCH AT ST.
GENGOULPH STAND OUT TRAGICALLY AGAINST THE SKY.]
=Hautevesnes= was entirely destroyed.
_Cross the village, keeping a straight line towards_ the village of =St.
Gengoulph=, whose ruined church is at the top of a small hill on the
right (photo above).
_Leave St. Gengoulph on the right, without entering it, and a little
beyond the hill above-mentioned, turn to the right into the I. C. 34
towards Chevillon._
=Chevillon= was badly damaged. On leaving the village, the remains of
numerous trenches and shelters will be noticed on the left, while, in
the surrounding fields, thousands of shells have been collected into
heaps.
At the entrance to Chevillon, on the left of the road, there is an
American cemetery containing 240 graves of soldiers who fell on July 18,
1918 (photo below).
_After visiting Chevillon, return to I. C. 34, which follow, leaving St.
Gengoulph on the left._
_Shortly afterwards, turn to the left and descend to the_ badly-damaged
village of =Vinly= (photo, p. 57). _Turn to the left towards_
Veuilly-la-Poterie. _Cross the river Clignon and the railway
(level-crossing), continuing straight along the village, which visit._
[Illustration: AMERICAN CEMETARY AT CHEVILLON CONTAINING 240 GRAVES.]
[Illustration: AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN THE RUINS OF VINLY VILLAGE.]
The view below was taken a few hundred yards from the level crossing.
_Return to the railway, then turn to the right into G. C. 9, which runs
alongside the railway, on the right._
=Veuilly-la-Poterie= was taken by the Germans, but on debouching from it
they were checked by the Americans, who prevented further progress.
Passing through Eloup and Bussiares, the tourist arrives shortly
afterwards at the ruined shed previously seen opposite Torcy (p. 55).
[Illustration: PICTURESQUE VILLAGE OF VEUILLY-LA-POTERIE.]
[Illustration: RUINED CHURCH OF LUCY-LE-BOCAGE.]
This region was bitterly disputed. On June 6, a Franco-American attack
against the Veuilly-Bussiares line gave 270 prisoners, and the Americans
advanced a mile towards Torcy. Veuilly-la-Poterie was retaken on the 7th
and Eloup on the 8th, the Americans beating off all counter-attacks. On
the 9th the Bois d’Eloup and another wood to the south of Bussiares were
captured by the Allies. On the 10th, during several unsuccessful German
attacks east of Vinly-on-the-Clignon (to the north of Veuilly-la-Poterie),
the Franco-Americans advanced towards Bussiares, capturing 250
prisoners. On the 12th they took the southern part of Bussiares. On July
18, at the time of the great Franco-American Counter-Offensive, the
whole of this region was liberated with fine dash by the 1st American
Corps.
_At the crossing near Torcy leave G. C. 9 and take the I. C._ 32 to the
right. Near this fork, on the right, are American graves. The road
skirts the western side of Belleau Wood. More American graves are seen
before coming to =Lucy-le-Bocage=.
[Illustration: INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH AT LUCY-LE-BOCAGE.]
[Illustration: AMERICAN CEMETARY NEAR BOURESCHES.