The Fourth Marine Brigade in World War I

During World War I, the American Expeditionary Force Second Division saw more action and captured more ground and enemy combatants than any other, including the vaunted First Division.
The 4th Marine Brigade, especially, earned a reputation as a steadfast unit of superb fighting men. Drawing on battle reports and other official documents, this volume follows those Marines through their service in France in 1917 and 1918, their postwar occupation of Germany, and their arrival in New York City in August 1919.
Chapters covering each of the brigade’s seven battalions recount their role in some of the most intense battles of the war, including Belleau Wood, Soissons, St. Mihiel, Blanc Mont and the Meuse River.
Descriptions of the Armistice, homecoming parades, and the brigade’s inactivation at Quantico complete this comprehensive chronicle of one of the American military’s most distinguished units.

The late George B. Clark, military historian and former Marine, wrote about World War I, World War II, and the United States Marine Corps. He lived in Pike, New Hampshire.

George B. Clark
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 296
Bibliographic Info: 37 photos, 8 maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2015
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9699-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1813-5
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Preface 1

Introduction 3

Abbreviations 4

1  Fourth Brigade of Marines 5

2  First Battalion, Fifth Marines, 1917–1919 26

3  Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, 1917–1919 67

4  Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, 1917–1919 106

5  First Battalion, Sixth Marines, 1917–1919 149

6  Second Battalion, Sixth Marines, 1917–1919 185

7  Third Battalion, Sixth Marines, 1917–1919 214

8  Sixth Machine Gun Battalion 251

Chapter Notes 279

Bibliography 281

Index 285

“clearly a labor of love, and it is one of the best options for understanding the daily experiences of World War I Marines”—H-Net Reviews.