"Belleau Wood- German defenses- book/website recommendations?" Topic

Hey all,

Does anyone have any good book or website recommendations on the German defensive plan at Belleau Wood in 1918? I have a bunch of sources already, but none of them go into too much detail about how the Germans actually defended the area. If anyone has anything that mignt be good, send the recs my way.

Thanks!
J

Belleau Wood was approximately one mile in length and consisted of thick, heavily wooded terrain, cut by a deep ravine at the southern end, and spotted with large, sporadic boulders. These terrain features made excellent machine gun and trench mortar positions that provided excellent protection for entrenched infantry. The German positions at Belleau Wood were held by the 461st Infantry Regiment, 237th Division, at a strength of 1,169 men and auxiliary troops.

Two battalions held the defensive lines, and one was placed in reserve, within the wood, and additional support was provided by protective artillery barrages. The Germans' main line of resistance curved to the southeast, with three lines of trenches, turning Belleau Wood into a massive machine gun nest. The first trench line faced the villages of Lucy-le-Bocage and Bouresches from the southern edge. It was a natural fortress high on a plateau, scored with brush-filled ravines. Among the huge mossy boulders, 15 heavy machine guns were emplaced so as to provide themselves with interlocking fields of fire. If one were captured, the others could immediately expose it to flanking fire. The second line of trenches ran from east to west through the center of the wood. Protected by a line of barbed wire, trench mortars, and sharpshooters, this portion of the defensive line had trees that stood so close together that visibility was reduced to 15 feet or less. The third and final trench line, the strongest of them all, ran across the northern edge of the wood. In addition to the barbed wire and trench mortars, the avenues of approach were registered and covered by artillery batteries located behind the village of Torcy. The sum of machine guns emplaced in and along the edge of Belleau Wood, against which the Marines would attack, totaled nearly 200. Although the German troops were well-armed and seasoned veterans, their stamina was poor due to food rationing and sickness.

link

worldwar1.com/dbc/bw_def.htm

Thanks, Bill!!
John

Unfortunately, Infanterie Regiment Nr. 461 did not publish a regimental history and there is no war diary. I don't know of any other German sources with the details but will check with my contacts.

Robert

There is a book from the Unter dem Stahlhelm (Under the Steel Helmet) series, which I have ordered. Will post details as and when it arrives.

Robert

The book arrived yesterday. Lots of detail and several maps. There is a whole chapter devoted to the German perspective on Belleau Wood.

Robert