SUPPORT OUR TROOPS^®

Belleau Wood, France. (May 29, 2025): Civilians often wonder why Marines proudly call themselves “Devil Dogs”. In this photo by Corporal Garrett Gillespie, U.S. Marine Corps General Christopher Mahoney, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, left, and a key French leader, right, drink from Devil Dog Fountain during the 107^th anniversary of the battle of Belleau Wood.

This famous battle occurred in June 1918 during the German spring offensive in World War I near the Marne River in France. The Germans, having signed a peace treaty with Russia, launched attacks on the Western Front hoping to defeat the Allies before U.S. forces could arrive. The German leadership hoped the influx of fifty divisions could overwhelm the Allied forces in France before millions of Americans could cross the Atlantic and reinforce France and Britain. They nearly succeeded, reaching to within fifty-nine miles of Paris.

That is when they ran into American Marines.

When the battle began, the French ordered the Marines to fall back and dig trenches further to the rear. Countermanding the order, Marine Captain Lloyd W. Williams of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines uttered the now-famous retort "Retreat, hell! We just got here." Instead, he ordered his Marines to "hold where they stand" and to dig shallow fighting positions from which they could shoot from the prone position. The fighting was relentless, much of it at close quarters and involving bayonets, knives, and even fists. The Americans launched six attacks before the Germans were finally expelled from Belleau Wood on June 26.

United States forces suffered 9,777 casualties, included 1,811 killed, while German casualties were estimated to be over 10,000 with 1,600 taken prisoner. After the battle, the French renamed the forest “Bois de la Brigade de Marine” (Wood of the Marine Brigade) in honor of the Marines' tenacity. 

An official German report classified the Marines as "vigorous, self-confident, and remarkable marksmen and used the term Teufelshunde (Hell Hounds) to describe their ferocity. To this day, every Marine is proud to be called a “Devil Dog” in honor of their brothers who made such a lasting impression on the enemy.