World War I
Episode91
January 17, 2022
Blanc Mont Ridge: The Forgotten Turning Point
This episode covers one of the Marine Corps' most overlooked, but bloodiest battles of World War I: Blanc Mont Ridge. After their success at Saint Mihiel, the 2nd Division was called up again, this time to break through heavily fortified German positions in Champagne. Lejeune fought to keep the division intact and led them into nightmarish terrain, even by WWI standards. We follow the 5th and 6th Marines as they charge uphill through open fields, tangled trenches, and relentless machine-gun fire. It was a brutal fight, with chaos, heroism, Medal of Honor moments, and a full-blown retreat.
References
- Antrim, R. P. (2016). Where the Marines Fought in France. Wentworth Press.
- Clark, G. B. (2015). The Fourth Marine Brigade in World War I: Battalion Histories Based on Official Documents. United States: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers.
- Cowing, K. F. (2021). Dear Folks at Home: The Glorious Story of the United States Marine in France as Told By Their Letters from the Battlefield (First Edition). Houghton Mifflin.
- Curtis, L. C. T. J. (1993). History of the Sixth Machine Gun Battalion, Fourth Brigade, U.S. Marines Second Division and its participation in the Great War. (Second Edition). Brass Hat, 1993.
- Dyer, W. A., Catlin, A. W. (1919). "With the Help of God and a Few Marines,". United States: Doubleday, Page.
- Flagg, J. M. (2021). Roses and buckshot (3rd ed.). G.P. Putnam’s Sons.
- Gregory, J. P. (2021). A Calamity of Errors: The Untold Story of the 5th Regiment at Blanc Mont Ridge on 4 October 1918. Marine Corps History, 7(2), 22–35. https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/MarineCorpsHistory_vol7no2_Winter2021_web%20%282%29.pdf
- Harbord, J. G. (1925). Leaves from a War Diary. United States: Dodd, Mead.
- International Peace Conference, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace., International Peace Conference, & International Peace Conference. (1915). The Hague conventions of 1899 (II) and 1907 (IV) respecting the laws and customs of war on land.
- Jones, W. K. (1987). A Brief History of the 6th Marines. United States: History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marines Corps.
- Lanham, C. T. (1934). Infantry in Battle. United States: Infantry journal, Incorporated.
- Lejeune, J. A. (2018). The Reminiscences of a Marine. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
- Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War. (1931). United States: Center of Military History, U.S. Army.
- Simmons, E. H. (2014). Through the Wheat: The U.S. Marines in World War I. United States: Naval Institute Press.
- United States Army in the World War, 1917-1919: Military operations of the American Expeditionary Forces. (1990). United States: Center of Military History, U.S. Army.
Explore the battles from this episode
Find every engagement on the Bloodline interactive battle map.