“We stood facing the dark, sullen mystery of Belleau Wood. It was
a mystery, for we knew not what terrible destruction the Hun might
be preparing for us within its baleful borders, nor at what moment
it might be launched in all its fury against us. That the wood was
strongly held we knew, and so we waited.
“No one knows how many Germans were in those woods. I have seen the
estimate placed at 1,000, but there were certainly more than that. It
had been impossible to get patrols into the woods, but we knew they
were full of machine guns and that the enemy had trench mortars there.
We captured five of their minenwerfers later. So far as we knew, there
might have been any number of men in there, but we had to attack just
the same, and with but a handful. Sibley and Berry had a thousand men
each, but only half of these could be used for the first rush, and as
Berry’s position was problematical, it was Sibley’s stupendous task to
lead his 500 through the southern end of the wood clear to the eastern
border if the attack was not to be a total failure. Even to a Marine it
seemed hardly men enough.
“Orders had been given to begin the attack at 5 o’clock. The men knew
in a general way what was expected of them and what they were up
against, but I think only the officers realized the almost impossible
task that lay before them. I knew, and the knowledge left me little
comfort. But I had perfect confidence in the men; that never faltered.
That they might break never once entered my head. They might be wiped
out, I knew, but they would never break.
[Illustration:
© _Leslie’s Weekly._