Subdeacon Joe Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Securing the Flanks at Belleau Wood "As June 6th dawned, tendrils of mist drifted here and there along the ground; it promised to be a clear, hot day. As the Allied artillery barrage began to concentrate solely on the hill, the German commanders passed the word to their foremost gunners to be on the alert. The Allied artillery barrage of the previous night had already alerted them to the possibility of an attack.Crowther's and Hamilton's Marines deployed in front of the wood, the platoons of each company ready to move out in four attacking waves, as they had been taught to do. The men had stripped to their 20-pound combat packs and were festooned with hand grenades, bandoliers of extra rifle ammunition and gas masks. Still chilly from the damp night air, they stood ankle-deep in ground mist, rifles loaded, bayonets fixed, their eyes on the exploding terrain through which they soon must pass. After a brief preparatory pre-assault artillery barrage by light field artillery and machine guns, which did little more than alert the enemy, Major Turrill, although unready to do so, gave the order to attack. Nothing more could be done-time had run out. At 3:45 a.m., just as the red-ball of the sun was rising, the whistles of the company commanders cut through the din of exploding shells to start the first waves forward across the wheat field. Nervous young platoon commanders, their swagger sticks pointing forward to into the unknown, shouted, "Follow me!" The whole line of the gallant but green 1st Battalion of the 5th Marines, on the extreme left of the 2nd Division, leaped to the attack.The forces opposing the Marines included two of the most highly trained units in the Imperial German Army-the 28th Brandenburger Regiment, better known as the Kaiser's Own, and the 362nd Regiment. "By the white piping on their uniforms, they were Prussians," wrote Captain John W. Thomason, Jr., a machine-gun officer in the 5th Marines, "and by the ugly, confident look of them, with a touch of Berlin swank, they were Prussians of a very good division; and there were no better soldiers in the world." " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Semper Fi! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 And if we still killed everything that moved on a battlefield today, we would NOT be in the BS jam we face today in every corner of the globe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorty Jack Hammer Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 A coworker of mine is a retired Marine and was telling me about going to visit the battlefields at Belleau Wood with some other Marines when he was TDY there. Apparently there is some tradition where you go out in the trenches or something at night and toast to the Marines who were killed. He said they were out in the dark and all got scared ****less because they could hear what sounded like troops moving towards them in the dark. He said he never believed in ghosts but did after that night..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 There are ghosts at the Bellau, and at Gettysburg, and to this day in the Thermopolae pass, vehicle engines quit and won't restart for a time; they finally do start, eventually ... a personal friend, a fighter pilot, reported, flying over Thermopolae, engine failure and no restart until he'd glided a little distance away. He said this experience was not uncommon in that location. I too disbelieved ghosts until I saw one, the shade of a man I had the honor to bear to his grave two days before. I heard a Brit say once that if you're in the trench, you want a Yank beside you. The more I learn about these wars where my family fought and bled, the more I respect the very young men who fought in them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branchwater Jack SASS #88854 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 And if we still killed everything that moved on a battlefield today, we would NOT be in the BS jam we face today in every corner of the globe. For a fact! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Balz, SASS#46599 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 And if we still killed everything that moved on a battlefield today, we would NOT be in the BS jam we face today in every corner of the globe. +1 Sir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Well, Fritz. I suggest you don't move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffee Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Got me to thinking of an old Garrison White Tune It was early in JulyAs the twilight touched the gloom. I was camped outside of Vicksburg Too broke to buy a room Maybe I was dozin’ Perhaps he never made a sound But a man appeared before me And quietly sat down His hair was dark and wild His face had never seen a shave And his coat of blue was torn And stank of powder and the grave As he watched the dying embers He sadly shook his head And I never saw his lips move But I recall the words he said. You should have seen these woods, son When I was here before There were stately groves of elm trees Of Oak and Sycamore But the army needed timbers So we fell them one by one To build stockades for prisoners and caissons for our guns. We sneered and call them traitors We swore that they would fail They cursed us as invaders They fought us tooth and nail And I was told we fought for freedom And I heard we won the day But I don’t know why I came here And I never meant to stay. I see you got no money Since your’e camping by the road The army loves a poor man We’re the cannon’s favorite load And the boys we fought as enemies That filled these Rebel graves Were landless tenant farmers Men who never purchased slaves I hate the Germans did here How the battle here was won By the tactics of starvation As the shameful siege went on They were bombed into submission They were forced to flee to caves By wheelwright and machinist Men who never purchased slaves We sneered and call them traitors We swore that they would fail They cursed us as invaders They fought us tooth and nail And I was told we fought for freedom And I heard we won the day But I don’t know why I came here And I never meant to stay He dusted off his hands And he rose as if to go He smiled upon me kindly His voice was sad and low How I long for Pennsylvania With its somber rolling hills I just can’t seem to leave here And I guess I never will He turned once to salute me He faded from my sight I packed up my belongings For I’d sleep no more that night And as I went on the Vicksburg A silent prayer I gave To help a troubled conscience In a lonely union grave. We sneered and call them traitors We swore that they would fail They cursed us as invaders They fought us tooth and nail And I was told we fought for freedom And I heard we won the day But I don’t know why I came here And I never meant to stay. Garrison White Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caliope Cupcake #13981 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 inspiring anD overwhelming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 In the First War, when the Marines started fighting shoulder to shoulder with the French, they would say "There are some Germans about 800 yards out, I'm gonna get one," and the French would make rude lip noises, roll their Gallic eyes and make comments ... until the Springfield's crack was followed with a soldier going down. Our Marines, especially, were good enough that they would shoot the spikes off the German helmets. Didn't take long for the pickelhaub to fall out of favor. Much of the US at that time was rural and many of the recruits, farm boys who grew up with rifle in hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Yup. They killed everything that moved because if they saw it, they could hit it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 Perfect storm for the Germans. Country boys that grew up with rifles in hand, the Springfield and P17 Enfield rifles, and the 30-06 round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Got me to thinking of an old Garrison White Tune It was early in JulyAs the twilight touched the gloom. I was camped outside of Vicksburg Too broke to buy a room Maybe I was dozin’ Perhaps he never made a sound But a man appeared before me And quietly sat down His hair was dark and wild His face had never seen a shave And his coat of blue was torn And stank of powder and the grave As he watched the dying embers He sadly shook his head And I never saw his lips move But I recall the words he said. You should have seen these woods, son When I was here before There were stately groves of elm trees Of Oak and Sycamore But the army needed timbers So we fell them one by one To build stockades for prisoners and caissons for our guns. We sneered and call them traitors We swore that they would fail They cursed us as invaders They fought us tooth and nail And I was told we fought for freedom And I heard we won the day But I don’t know why I came here And I never meant to stay. I see you got no money Since your’e camping by the road The army loves a poor man We’re the cannon’s favorite load And the boys we fought as enemies That filled these Rebel graves Were landless tenant farmers Men who never purchased slaves I hate the Germans did here How the battle here was won By the tactics of starvation As the shameful siege went on They were bombed into submission They were forced to flee to caves By wheelwright and machinist Men who never purchased slaves We sneered and call them traitors We swore that they would fail They cursed us as invaders They fought us tooth and nail And I was told we fought for freedom And I heard we won the day But I don’t know why I came here And I never meant to stay He dusted off his hands And he rose as if to go He smiled upon me kindly His voice was sad and low How I long for Pennsylvania With its somber rolling hills I just can’t seem to leave here And I guess I never will He turned once to salute me He faded from my sight I packed up my belongings For I’d sleep no more that night And as I went on the Vicksburg A silent prayer I gave To help a troubled conscience In a lonely union grave. We sneered and call them traitors We swore that they would fail They cursed us as invaders They fought us tooth and nail And I was told we fought for freedom And I heard we won the day But I don’t know why I came here And I never meant to stay. Garrison White Never heard these powerful lyrics/prose. I tried googling to find a link but to no avail.....help please!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Never heard these powerful lyrics/prose. I tried googling to find a link but to no avail.....help please!!! I think it's on this album. http://www.amazon.com/Garrison-White/dp/B0001G78F8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grouchy Greg, SASS#71981 Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 There are ghosts at the Bellau, and at Gettysburg, and to this day in the Thermopolae pass, vehicle engines quit and won't restart for a time; they finally do start, eventually ... a personal friend, a fighter pilot, reported, flying over Thermopolae, engine failure and no restart until he'd glided a little distance away. He said this experience was not uncommon in that location. I too disbelieved ghosts until I saw one, the shade of a man I had the honor to bear to his grave two days before. I heard a Brit say once that if you're in the trench, you want a Yank beside you. The more I learn about these wars where my family fought and bled, the more I respect the very young men who fought in them! I used to relic hunt and deer hunt on a non-park section of the Wilderness Battlefield here in Va. that was owned by a big lumber company back in the '70's and early '80's. Every time I went out there, I always had the eerie and uncomfortable feeling of being watched, and had to look over my shoulder occasionally. The feeling got so strong one day when I was in there relic hunting, that I had to leave. A friend and Masonic brother also deer hunted that property and had built a tree stand there. He said he got that same feeling so strong early one morning that he came down out of the stand and never went back. We can't go back now anyway, because the property changed ownership and they won't let anyone hunt it for relics or anything else. Not that I'd even want to anymore, dontcha know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 "BATTLE SIGHT! FIRE AT WILL!" is the best combat command I ever heard..... followed by "FIX BAYONETS AND FOLLOW ME!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffee Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Utah Bob, has it right. I met Garrison White, a number of years ago, at a little bar in Tarzana, CA Another artist that left with world too early. But $95.00 for a CD is a little much I've been trying to get Fredrick Jackson Turner to cover it - so far - no luck Coffee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 "BATTLE SIGHT! FIRE AT WILL!" is the best combat command I ever heard..... followed by "FIX BAYONETS AND FOLLOW ME!" Why Will? What did he do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Why Will? What did he do? Said something rude about my sister. He was right, but still........! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uno Mas SASS #80082 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 "Kill everything that moves."I thought that was the Marines' Mission Statement. And a good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. R. Hugh Kidnme Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 "Kill everything that moves." I thought that was the Marines' Mission Statement. And a good one. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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