Category: Belleau Wood

Belleau Wood

Entrance to Belleau Wood park.
In French the wood’s name was officially changed to “Bois de la Brigade de Marine,” although most folks still know it by it’s original name.
The memorial park area in Belleau Wood.
Captured field guns at Belleau Wood.
Bullet holes in this field gun’s shield show how close and deadly the fighting was at Belleau Wood.
A century later, shell holes and trenches remain visible in the ground.
Memorial to the US Marines who fought in Belleau Wood in June 1918.

German Cemetery at Belleau, France

Just got back from 10 days in France, and I’ve decided to actually start using this website for more posts.

Right after we landed in Paris and got our car, we headed right out for Belleau Wood. A little over an hour northeast of the City of Light, this was the first battle area we visited. It was some 95 degrees (F) out that day, but it was so moving to see the wheat fields over which the US Marines attacked in June 1918, and to walk in the wood itself.

One spot where we stopped was the German cemetery at Belleau, where some 8,000 Germans rest in peace now. Many of the dates of death center in 1918, the time of the German Kaiserschlacht offensives.