ORGANIZATIONS AND REPLACEMENTS SENT TO EUROPE—ORGANIZATION OF THE
FOURTH AND FIFTH BRIGADES.
THE FOURTH BRIGADE OF MARINES.
The Fourth Brigade of United States Marines was composed of the Fifth
and Sixth Regiments of Marines, and the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion
of Marines.
The companies forming the battalions were as follows:
FIFTH REGIMENT.
_First Battalion._
17th (A) Company.
49th (B) Company.
66th (C) Company.
67th (D) Company.
_Second Battalion._
18th (E) Company.
43d (F) Company.
51st (G) Company.
55th (H) Company.
_Third Battalion._
16th (I) Company.
20th (K) Company.
45th (L) Company.
47th (M) Company.
8th Machine Gun Company.
Supply Company.
Headquarters Company.
SIXTH REGIMENT.
_First Battalion._
74th (A) Company.
75th (B) Company.
76th (C) Company.
95th (D) Company.
_Second Battalion._
78th (E) Company.
79th (F) Company.
80th (G) Company.
96th (H) Company.
_Third Battalion._
82nd (I) Company.
83rd (K) Company.
84th (L) Company.
97th (M) Company.
73d Machine Gun Company.
Supply Company.
Headquarters Company.
SIXTH MACHINE GUN BATTALION.
15th (A) Company.
23d (B) Company.
77th (C) Company.
81st (D) Company.
From June 27, 1917, to the middle of September, 1917, the Fifth
Regiment was a unit of the First Division of Regulars. Although the
Fifth Regiment was the only organization of Marines in France at the
time, the Fourth Brigade of Marines was formed on October 23, 1917,
when Col. Charles A. Doyen cabled acceptance of his appointment
as Brigadier General. From October 26, 1917, to August 8, 1919,
the Fourth Brigade was a part of the Second Division of Regulars,
except from October 20-23, 1918, when the Brigade was provisionally
at the disposal of the Ninth French Army Corps, in the vicinity of
Leffincourt. On August 8, 1919, the brigade was transferred back to
the naval service.
On May 29, 1917, in accordance with directions issued by the
President, the Secretary of the Navy directed the Major General
Commandant “to organize a force of Marines to be known as the Fifth
Regiment of Marines for service with the Army as a part of the first
expedition to proceed to France in the near future.” The Fifth
Regiment was accordingly organized at the navy yard, Philadelphia,
Pa., on June 7, 1917, with Col. Charles A. Doyen in command, and Maj.
Harry R. Lay, as adjutant.
Gen. Pershing and his staff, accompanied by two Marine officers,
preceded the first expedition to France, sailing late in May, 1917,
from the United States.
The final report of the American commander in chief includes the
following:
The offer by the Navy Department of one regiment of Marines to be
reorganized as Infantry was accepted by the Secretary of War, and
it became temporarily a part of the First Division.
On June 14, 1917, the first expedition of American troops left
the United States for France and the Fifth Regiment of Marines
embarked on the naval transports _Henderson_ and _Hancock_, and
the auxiliary cruiser _De Kalb_ (former _Prinz Eitel Friedrich_),
formed approximately one-fifth of it. The fourth group, including the
_Hancock_, did not sail until June 17, 1917.
The orders received by the convoy commander on the day prior to
sailing read in part: “A military expedition is to be embarked on the
above-named transports, augmented by a regiment of Marines embarked
in naval vessels, for transportation to a destination already
communicated.”
The _De Kalb_ was in group 1, the _Henderson_ in group 2, and the
_Hancock_ in group 4; all were part of the escort and not the convoy.
Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, the convoy commander, flying his flag on
the _Seattle_, personally commanded the first group, while Maj. Gen.
W. L. Sibert in the _Tenedores_, was the senior Army officer embarked.
The passage of the four groups across the Atlantic was successfully
accomplished without a single disaster, or the loss of a life due to
enemy causes.
At 10.15 p. m., June 22, 1917, the first group, including the _De
Kalb_, was attacked by enemy submarines. The wake of a submarine was
sighted crossing 50 yards ahead of the _Seattle’s_ bow from starboard
to port. A few seconds later the _De Kalb_ and _Havana_ sighted
torpedoes and opened fire. Two torpedoes passed close to the Havana,
and one passed ahead and one astern of the _De Kalb_. The second
group encountered two submarines, the first at 11.50 a. m., June 26,
1918, about 100 miles off the French coast and the second two hours
later.
The _De Kalb_ arrived at St. Nazaire, France, on June 26, 1917, the
_Henderson_ on June 27, 1917, and the _Hancock_ on July 2, 1917. On
June 27, 1917, the commanding officer of the Fifth Regiment reported
to the commanding general, First Division, American Expeditionary
Forces, and from that date the Fifth Regiment was considered as being
detached for service with the Army by direction of the President.
Five hundred negro stevedores had been brought from the United States
by the Army to discharge ships, but they were found inadequate
for the large number of ships concerned. The Marines relieved the
situation somewhat by turning to and discharging their own vessels.
On June 27, 1917, the First Battalion, less the Fifteenth Company
which joined the battalion the following day, disembarked from the
_De Kalb_ and occupied quarters ashore. On this date Lieut. Col.
Logan Feland joined the Fifth Regiment. On June 28, 1917, the Second
and Third Battalions went ashore from the _Henderson_ for a practice
march, and the following day the First Battalion erected tents for
the regiment on a camp site a short distance outside of St. Nazaire.
By 8 p. m., July 3, 1917, the entire Fifth Regiment was ashore under
canvas.
On July 15, 1917, the Fifth Regiment, less the Third Battalion, which
remained behind to perform guard duty, and other detached units
and officers, proceeded to the Gondrecourt training area, and was
stationed in Menaucourt and Naix.
On August 1, 1917, Gen. Pershing inspected the battalions at the two
towns where they were billetted.
On August 15, 1917, the First Division, including the Fifth Regiment
of Marines, was reviewed by its commanding general on a plateau 12
miles distant from the training area.
On August 19, 1917, Gen. Pershing and Gen. Petain, commander in chief
of all the French forces, inspected the Marines, as a unit of the
First Division. Gen. Petain congratulated the colonel of the regiment
on the splendid appearance of its officers and men, as well as the
cleanliness of the towns.
Every opportunity was taken advantage of to perfect the regiment for
combat duty, but this work was handicapped by the fact that many
units of the regiment were scattered along the Line of Communications
performing duty of a necessary but of a nontraining nature. One
company and one battalion commander left the regiment on September
22, 1917, for duty in England, and did not rejoin the regiment until
March 11, 1918. Many other officers and men were placed on detached
duty.
On September 24, 25, 1917, that part of the Fifth Regiment available
for training arrived in the Bourmont training area and was stationed
at Damblain and Breuvannes.
The following letter dated November 10, 1917, addressed by Gen.
Pershing to the Major General Commandant is both complimentary
and explanatory as to why the Marines were used along the Line of
Communications:
Your Marines having been under my command for nearly six months,
I feel that I can give you a discriminating report as to their
excellent standing with their brothers of the Army and their
general good conduct. I take this opportunity, also, of giving you
the reasons for distributing them along our Line of Communications
which, besides being a compliment to their high state of discipline
and excellent soldierly appearance, was the natural thing to do as
the Marine Regiment was an additional one in the Division and not
provided for in the way of transportation and fighting equipment in
case the Division should be pushed to the front. When, therefore,
service of the rear troops and military and provost guards were
needed at our base ports and in Paris it was the Marine Regiment
that had to be scattered, in an endeavor to keep the rest of the
organized division intact.
I have been obliged to detach a number of your officers as
assistant provost marshals in France and in England, all of which
I take it you will agree with me was highly complimentary to both
officers and men, and was so intended. I can assure you that as
soon as our service of the rear troops arrive, including a large
number of officers and men for the specific duties now being
performed by your men, the Marines will be brought back once more
under your brigade commander and assigned to the duties which they
so much desire in the Second Regular Division under General Bundy.
It is a great pleasure to report on your fine representatives here
in France.
Col. Charles A. Doyen was in command of the Fifth Regiment from the
date of its organization on June 7, 1917, to October 29, 1917; and
Lieut. Col. Hiram I. Bearss from October 30, 1917, to December 31,
1917. Col. Wendell C. Neville having arrived on board the _De Kalb_
at St. Nazaire, France, on December 28, 1917, reported to the Fourth
Brigade for duty on January 1, 1918, and on that date assumed command
of the Fifth Regiment, continuing in command until July, 1918.
The Sixth Machine Gun Battalion of Marines was organized at the
Marine barracks, Quantico, Va., by order of the Major General
Commandant on August 17, 1917. The battalion was designated the First
Machine Gun Battalion, but on January 20, 1918, after arrival in
France, was renamed the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion. On December 14,
1917, the battalion sailed from New York on the _De Kalb_, arriving
at St. Nazaire, France, December 28, 1917. On January 3, 1918, the
battalion arrived at Damblain in the Bourmont training area and began
training with headquarters at Germainvilliers.
Maj. Edward B. Cole was in command of the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion
of Marines from the date of its organization until June 10, 1918,
when he received a mortal wound.
On August 4, 1917, in accordance with directions issued by the
President, the Secretary of the Navy directed the Major General
Commandant “to organize a force of Marines, to be known as the Sixth
Regiment of Marines, for service with the Army in France,” and the
regiment was organized as directed.
On September 23, 1917, the First Battalion of the Sixth Regiment
sailed on the _Henderson_ from New York and landed at St. Nazaire,
France, on October 5, 1917. On October 17, 1917, the Seventy-third
Machine Gun Company, Headquarters, and Supply Companies, and Col.
Albertus W. Catlin, commanding officer of the Sixth Regiment, with
his Staff, sailed from Philadelphia, Pa., on the _De Kalb_, and from
New York on October 18, 1917, arriving at St. Nazaire, France, on
November 1, 1917. On October 31 1917, the Third Battalion of the
Sixth Regiment sailed from New York on board the _Von Steuben_ and
anchored at Brest, France, on November 12, 1917. On January 24, 1918,
the Second Battalion of the Sixth Regiment sailed on the _Henderson_
from New York and arrived at St. Nazaire, France, February 6, 1918,
and with the arrival of this last battalion, the entire Sixth
Regiment of Marines was in France.
On October 23, 1917, the Fourth Brigade of Marines was organized,
with Brig. Gen. Charles A. Doyen in command. Brig. Gen. Doyen
continued in command until May 7, 1918, when he published in General
Orders No. 5, that he had relinquished command. Maj. Harry R. Lay was
the first brigade adjutant, and performed the duties of that office
from October 24, 1917, to August 9, 1918, except during the period
February 7 to May 9, 1918, when Maj. Holland M. Smith was brigade
adjutant.
On October 26, 1917, Brig. Gen. Charles A. Doyen, United States
Marine Corps, assumed command of the Second Division as its first
commanding general, and announced his staff in General Orders No. 1,
with station at Bourmont, Haute-Marne, serving as such until relieved
by Maj. Gen. Omar Bundy, United States Army, who announced that he
assumed command in General Orders No. 4, November 8, 1917.
Like the Fifth Regiment, the Sixth Regiment spent several months
performing the necessary but undesired duties along the Line of
Communications. On January 12, 1918, Col. Albertus W. Catlin
established headquarters for the Sixth Regiment at Blevaincourt in
the Bourmont training area. The Third Battalion arrived in this area
on January 12, 1918, the headquarters units the same date, the First
Battalion during January, 1918, and the Second Battalion on February
10, 1918.
Therefore, on February 10, 1918, the Fourth Brigade of Marines was in
the Bourmont training area intact, with the exception of one company
on duty in England, training industriously as an infantry brigade of
the Second Division. While the brigade had been organized on October
23, 1917, and had actually functioned as a brigade with elements of
all three of its units present from January 12, 1918, it was not
until February 10, 1918, that the Brigade organization was perfected.
FIFTH BRIGADE OF MARINES.
On September 5, 1918, the Major General Commandant directed the
post commander, Marine barracks, Quantico, Va., to organize brigade
headquarters of the Fifth Brigade, United States Marine Corps.
This brigade was accordingly organized and was composed of the
Eleventh and Thirteenth Regiments and the Fifth Brigade Machine Gun
Battalion. The companies of the Fifth Brigade were designated by
letters and not by numbers.
Brig. Gen. Eli K. Cole was designated as the brigade commander and
on September 15, 1918, he and the Brigade Staff sailed from Hoboken,
N. J., on board the _Von Steuben_, arriving at Brest, France, on
September 24, 1918.
The Thirteenth Regiment left the Overseas Depot at Quantico, Va., on
Friday, September 13, 1918, and on September 15, 1918, sailed from
Hoboken, N. J., on board the _Henderson_ and _Von Steuben_, arriving
at Brest, France, on September 25, 1918.
On September 29, 1918, Eleventh Regiment Headquarters and the First
Battalion sailed on the _De Kalb_ from Philadelphia, Pa., and arrived
at Brest, France, on October 13, 1918. On October 16, 1918, the
Second and Third Battalions of the Eleventh Regiment sailed from
Brooklyn, N. Y., on board the _Agamemnon_ and _Von Steuben_ and
arrived at Brest, France on October 25, 1918.
On October 28, 1918, the Fifth Brigade Machine Gun Battalion sailed
from South Brooklyn, N. Y., on board the _Henderson_ and arrived at
Brest, France, on November 9, 1918. With the arrival of this unit the
entire Fifth Brigade was in France.
AVIATION UNITS.
On January 21, 1918, the First Marine Aeronautic Company arrived at
naval base No. 13, Ponta Delgada, Azores.
On July 30, 1918, the First Marine Aviation Force (less Squadron D)
disembarked at Brest, France, and formed the Day Wing of the Northern
Bombing Group. Squadron D joined the Day Wing in October, 1918.
MARINE DETACHMENTS FOR NAVAL BASES.
On January 21, 1918, and on July 20, 1918, detachments for the naval
base No. 13, arrived at Ponta Delgada, Azores.
On September 30, 1918, the detachment for naval base No. 29, arrived
at Cardiff, Wales.
On December 29, 1918, the detachment for the naval forces in France,
staff office, Paris, France, landed at St. Nazaire, France.
REPLACEMENTS FOR AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES.
The following table will show the names of the replacement
organizations sent to the American Expeditionary Forces, dates of
sailing and arrival, and names of vessels:
---------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------
| Date | Date | Name
Name of organization. | embarked | disembarked | of vessel.
| in U. S. | in France. |
---------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------
Fifth Regiment Base Detachment |July 31, 1917|Aug. 22, 1917|Henderson.
Twelfth and Twenty-sixth |Dec. 8, 1917|Dec. 31, 1917|De Kalb.
Companies (disbanded in France).| | |
First Replacement Battalion |Feb. 5, 1918|Feb. 25, 1918|Von Steuben.
Second Replacement Battalion |Mar. 14, 1918|Mar. 27, 1918|Henderson.
Third Replacement Battalion |Apr. 22, 1918|May --, 1918| Do.
Casual Company | do | do | Do.
First Machine Gun Replacement |May 26, 1918|June 8, 1918| Do.
Battalion | | |
First Casual Replacement | do | do | Do.
Battalion | | |
Second Casual Replacement |June 30, 1918|July 9, 1918| Do.
Battalion | | |
Third Separate Battalion |Aug. 13, 1918|Aug. 26, 1918| Do.
Fourth Separate Battalion | do | do | Do.
Fifth Separate Battalion |Aug. 17, 1918|Aug. 27, 1918|Von Steuben.
Sixth Separate Battalion | do | do | Do.
First Separate Machine Gun |Aug. 21, 1918|Sept. 2, 1918|De Kalb.
Battalion | | |
Seventh Separate Battalion |Oct. 20, 1918|Nov. 3, 1918|Pocohontas.
Eighth Separate Battalion | do | do | Do.
Ninth Separate Battalion |Oct. 27, 1918|Nov. 9, 1918|Henderson.
---------------------------------+-------------+-------------+------------
In addition to the above the Twelfth Replacement Battalion sailed
from the United States on board the _Hancock_ in June, 1919, arrived
in France in June, 1919, and joined the American Expeditionary Forces.
NUMBER OF MARINES SAILING FROM THE UNITED STATES TO EUROPE FOR DUTY
WITH THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES AND FOR SHORE DUTY WITH THE
NAVAL SERVICE.
There were 834 officers, not including observers, and 30,481 enlisted
men, or a total of 31,315 Marines, sent overseas for shore duty with
the American Expeditionary Forces and naval service. The following
tables give details:
_For duty with American Expeditionary Forces._
--------------------------------------+---------+--------+-------
Month of departure from United States.|Officers.|Enlisted| Total.
| | men. |
--------------------------------------+---------+--------+-------
May, 1917 | [4]2 | .. | 2
June, 1917 | 70 | 2,689 | 2,759
July, 1917 | 29 | 1,054 | 1,083
September, 1917 | 27 | 1,045 | 1,072
October, 1917 | 45 | 1,536 | 1,581
December, 1917 | 23 | 637 | 660
January, 1918 | 31 | 1,031 | 1,062
February,1918 | 24 | 1,041 | 1,065
March, 1918 | 23 | 1,034 | 1,057
April, 1918 | 22 | 1,284 | 1,306
May, 1918 | 24 | 1,565 | 1,589
June, 1918 | 6 | 751 | 757
August, 1918 | 32 | 4,362 | 4,394
September, 1918 | 172 | 5,275 | 5,447
October, 1918 | 132 | 5,809 | 5,941
+---------+--------+-------
Total | 662 | 29,113 | 29,775
--------------------------------------+---------+--------+-------
[4] Accompanied Gen. Pershing.
Sixty officers of the Medical Corps, twelve officers of the Dental
Corps, five hundred enlisted men of the Medical Corps, and eleven
Chaplains, of the Navy, not included in the above figures, were sent
to France and served with the Marines in the American Expeditionary
Forces.
In addition to the above the Twelfth Replacement Battalion,
consisting of 9 officers and 500 enlisted men, joined the American
Expeditionary Forces in June, 1919.
_For duty with naval service ashore_
--------------------------------------+---------+--------+------
Month of departure from United States.|Officers.|Enlisted|Total.
| | men. |
--------------------------------------+---------+--------+------
December, 1917 | 2 | 59 | 61
January, 1918 | 13 | 172 | 185
June, 1918 | 2 | 75 | 77
July, 1918 | 107 | 654 | 761
August, 1918 | 4 | 120 | 124
September, 1918 | 44 | 288 | 332
+---------+--------+------
Total | 172 | 1,368 | 1,540
--------------------------------------+---------+--------+------