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The
United States Marine Corps
in the
World War
By
EDWIN N. McCLELLAN
Major, U. S. Marines
Officer in Charge Historical Division
[Illustration: (USMC icon)]
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1920
EXPLANATORY NOTE.
This brief history has been prepared for the purpose of acquainting
both the personnel of the service and the public with the general
facts concerning the United States Marine Corps in the World War.
It is a partial compliance with the instructions contained in Marine
Corps Orders No. 53 (Series 1919), directing that a history of
the United States Marine Corps for the period of the World War be
prepared, and is preliminary to the final and detailed history of the
United States Marine Corps during the World War, which is in course
of preparation.
The statistics and other information contained herein are as accurate
as it is possible to obtain at the present date. Every effort has
been made to avoid expressions of opinions and criticisms, or the
drawing of conclusions of an important nature.
LETTER OF TRANSMISSION.
NOVEMBER 26, 1919.
From: Officer in Charge Historical Division, Adjutant and
Inspector’s Department, United States Marine Corps.
To: The Major General Commandant.
Via: Officer in Charge, Adjutant and Inspector’s Department.
Subject: The United States Marine Corps in the World War.
1. There is transmitted herewith for your formal approval a concise
history of the United States Marine Corps in the World War, including
certain statistics, with the recommendation that it be published to
the naval service.
EDWIN N. MCCLELLAN.
[First endorsement.]
ADJUTANT AND INSPECTOR’S DEPARTMENT, HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES
MARINE CORPS,
_Washington, D. C., November 26, 1919_.
From: The Acting Adjutant and Inspector. To: The Major General
Commandant.
1. Forwarded, approved.
H. C. HAINES.
Approved:
GEORGE BARNETT,
_Major General Commandant,
United States Marine Corps_.
Approved:
JOSEPHUS DANIELS,
_Secretary of the Navy_.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Page.
CHAPTER
I. In general 9
II. Statutory and actual strength of the Marine Corps on
various dates 11
III. Recruiting—Applicants, rejections, enlistments—Enlistments
by States 14
IV. Geographical location and disposition of Marines during the
war 17
V. How officers were obtained and trained 21
VI. Training of enlisted men in the United States and in
Europe 25
VII. Organizations and replacements sent to Europe—Organization
of the Fourth and Fifth Brigades 29
VIII. Operations in general 36
IX. Units composing the Second Division—Commanding generals
of the Second Division—Verdun operations 38
X. Aisne Defensive—Hill 142—Bouresches—Bois de la Brigade
de Marine 40
XI. Aisne-Marne Offensive (Soissons) 45
XII. Marbache sector, near Pont-a-Mousson on the Moselle
River—St. Mihiel Offensive 48
XIII. The Champagne—Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge—Capture of St.
Etienne—March to Leffincourt 49
XIV. Meuse-Argonne Offensive—Crossing the Meuse River 53
XV. March to the Rhine—Army of Occupation—Summary of
operations of the Fourth Brigade 56
XVI. With the Navy on board the battleships and cruisers 59
XVII. The activities of the Fifth Brigade 62
XVIII. Statistics concerning casualties 65
XIX. Citations of Marine units by French—Days in France—Artillery
captured—Prisoners captured—Kilometers advanced
against the enemy—Decorations awarded Marines 67
XX. Rifle practice—Rifle and pistol competitions participated
in by Marines during the war 69
XXI. Aviation statistics 71
XXII. Marine Corps Reserve 76
XXIII. Return of Marines from Europe—Parades in the United
States 78
XXIV. Demobilization 80
XXV. The Office of the Major General Commandant—The Adjutant
and Inspector’s Department 83
XXVI. The Paymaster’s Department 84
XXVII. The Quartermaster’s Department 89
THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS IN THE WORLD WAR.
Chapter I.
IN GENERAL.
When a state of war was declared to exist on April 6, 1917, the
United States Marine Corps was composed of 462 commissioned officers,
49 warrant officers, and 13,214 enlisted men on active duty, a total
of 13,725 and, while the corps was expanded to an actual strength,
including reserves, of 75,101 officers and enlisted men, its high
standard was never lowered. When these figures are compared with the
approximate strength of 3,100 at the end of the Civil War, and of
4,800 at the end of the Spanish War, the growth of the Marine Corps
is illustrated.
Despite the fact that on the outbreak of war, 187 officers and 4,546
enlisted men were on duty beyond the continental limits of the United
States, and 49 officers, and 2,187 enlisted men were serving on board
the cruising vessels of the Navy, only five weeks later, on June 14,
1917, the Fifth Regiment of Marines, consisting of 70 officers and
2,689 enlisted men, approximately one-sixth of the enlisted strength
of the Marine Corps, competently organized and ready for active
service, sailed on the _Henderson_, _De Kalb_, and _Hancock_ from the
United States, forming one-fifth of the first expedition of American
troops for service in France.
This regiment was soon joined by the Sixth Regiment and the Sixth
Machine Gun Battalion of Marines, and the Fourth Brigade of Marines
was organized, and as one of the two Infantry brigades of the Second
Division of Regulars engaged in actual battle in no less than eight
distinct operations in France, of which four were major operations.
The French Army recognized the splendid work of the Fifth and Sixth
Regiments of Marines by citing them no less than three times in
Army orders for achievements in the Chateau-Thierry sector, in
the Aisne-Marne (Soissons) offensive, and in the Meuse-Argonne
(Champagne). The Sixth Machine Gun Battalion was similarly cited for
its work in the Chateau-Thierry sector and Aisne-Marne (Soissons)
offensive. The Fourth Brigade received a similar citation for its
work in the Chateau-Thierry sector. Since two French Army citations
are sufficient to make an organization eligible for the award of the
French fourragère, the high standard of the Marine units is evident.
Information was received in January, 1920, that the War Department
had accepted the award of the French fourragère in the colors of the
ribbon of the Croix de Guerre for several Army organizations and the
three units of the Fourth Brigade.
Within one year after the outbreak of war the Marine Corps placed
about as many enlisted men in France as there were in the Marine
Corps when war was declared.
During the month of June, 1918, when the battle deaths around Hill
142, Bouresches, Belleau Wood, and Vaux, of Americans attached to
the Second Division amounted to 1,811 (of which at least 1,062 were
Marines) and the nonfatal casualties to 7,252 more (of which 3,615
were Marines), the legislative strength of the Marine Corps was but
1,323 officers and 30,000 enlisted men; the actual strength on June
30, 1918, including reserves, was 1,424 officers and 57,298 enlisted
men, and of this total about 300 officers and 14,000 enlisted men
were in France. These latter figures include those Marines who
suffered casualties in the battles of June, 1918.
Approximately 30,000 Marines were sent overseas to join the American
Expeditionary Forces, and 1,600 for naval duty ashore.
During the war a great many additional Marine detachments were
detailed to guard the radio stations, naval magazines, ammunition
depots, warehouses, cable stations and for other naval activities,
and the detachments already established were largely augmented. No
call was made for additional Marines for naval purposes that was not
fully met, and this is of especial interest as the Marine Corps is
essentially a part of the Naval Establishment, and its first duty
is to fill all naval needs and requirements. It was believed to be
essential that the Marine Corps should do its full part in this war,
and for that reason it was absolutely necessary that the Marines
should join the Army on the western front, taking care, however, that
this should not at any time interfere in the slightest degree with
the filling of all naval requirements.
The Marine Corps, while maintaining the Fourth Brigade of Marines, a
total of 258 officers and 8,211 enlisted men, that fought in eight
battle operations suffering approximately 12,000 casualties, placed
and maintained the Fifth Brigade of Marines of the same strength
in France; supplied the commanding general of the Second Division,
and many officers on his staff; furnished a considerable number of
officers to command Army units of the Second and other divisions, and
for staff and detached duty throughout the American Expeditionary
Forces; participated in the naval aviation activities in France
and in the Azores; and during the period of the war succeeded in
performing in a highly satisfactory manner the naval duties required
of it, including the maintenance of two brigades of prewar strength
standing by to protect the Mexican oil fields, and as an advanced
base force in Philadelphia; one in Cuba; one in Santo Domingo, and
one in Haiti; administered and officered the Haitian Gendarmerie and
Guardia Nacional Dominicana; as well as providing efficient Marine
detachments for numerous naval vessels, and maintaining garrisons at
the numerous navy yards and naval stations in the United States; and
in the Virgin Islands; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian
Islands; Guam; Cavite and Olongapo, P. I.; Managua, Nicaragua;
Peking, China; San Juan, P. R.; London, England; Cardiff, Wales;
Paris, France; and the Azores; and supplied many officers and
enlisted men for special and detached duty at home and abroad.