Request WW I photos from Belleau Wood

[Gildwiller1918]

I can imagine it takes quite some time. Not much of that in my area unfortunately, most of the better/larger antique places shut down during covid to never reopen.

[72 usmc]

 Some interesting photos :

https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/wwi/pt03/ch19/pt03-ch19-sec02.html

[72 usmc]

 I finally found my missing card. Hill 204. Notice the hay stacks.  There is a strung wire fence along the perimeter.  Weeds over the graves. Possibly fall of 1918

?

[72 usmc]

 Mint card just found. Marked Paris. 

 

This is the original color of the aged card. The first photo is B&W shot.

 

 

[72 usmc]

another card to find....

 

I think this  post card shows the original USMC aid station and cemetery.   Notice buildings left of the two large trees in the above and lower post card close up view .  Notice the long buildings in the stereoview card and the above post card on the horizon.  The guy in the stereoview is pointing to the future relocated cemetery  location at the foot of the hill. The aid station's first USMC cemetery is shown in the stereoview card to the left of the man's shoulder.  I have no idea from what WW I  post card booklet this post card originated from. A very interesting post card by Jhot????

rd

[72 usmc]

A 3"x 4 1/4" photo I just obtained.  I have not seen this card so its an odd one to find.  

 

[72 usmc]

Marine veteran Kevin C. Seldon has written two volumes about the battle of Belleau Wood, both are entitled:  Among the Ranks of the Carrion Men (Volume I and Volume II). Both are impressive. These are 6x9 inch economical thick trade paperbacks produced by Lulu press. These were privately published. In an effort to keep the price down, the books have a lower quality glued perfect binding with the many pages (over 400) lacking staples or sewn packets. They are held together by glue and are less durable and will crack with age. The maps are small and difficult to see. I would have preferred full page maps. However, with a copy of the BELLEAU WOOD FRONT LINE PROGRESSION BATTLE MAP by Battle Archives, all is fine. The many pictures of the soldiers and marines are sourced from old books or newspapers of the time. Some have a grainy look, most a fine. Most originals are lost to history. All maps and photos are black and white. I would have hoped such significant key reference books would have been offered in hard back, but both volumes can be rebound as hard covers. A great map source to print out and use for the many place names in the books is found here: MCA Marines.com battlefield study package Belleau Wood

https://mca-marines.org/bsp/bsp-europe/belleauwood/

This includes woods, farms, towns, roads and hill numbers as well as topographic elevation lines. For example these two references work best and the maps enlarge for reading: 

 

Each quote and its source from oral history of the battle is referenced in the books. Its all personal accounts of the battle day by day  and hour by hour... 

 

Volume I (2018) with 410 pages covers the end of May from 27 May and includes the action of the first 5 days of June 1918. Volume II (2019) covers the June 6 action with a focus on Belleau Wood, Hill 142, and fighting around the town of Bouresches, France. Volume II focuses in great detail on the June 6, 1918 attacks, it has 598 pages. Both books provide a chronological narrative of the battle gleaned through research of a vast set of references such as oral history, family member’s accounts, soldier and marine letters, personal accounts, unit histories, historians, lecturers, and books. Both of Seldon’s books record events and first hand accounts of the battle. Its emphasis is not with analyzing tactics or the criticism of the movements during the battle. I would encourage anyone with an interest in the USMC, or the action of the Belleau Wood battle to get a copy of this reference.

V. 1   ISBN 9781387981972

V. 11 ISBN 9780359665433

[72 usmc]

 I will add this interesting film footage--silent.  Occupation of Chateau Thierry Sector, June 6-July 14, 1918, Second Division, US National Archives 

 

 

 

[72 usmc]

 I was lucky and found 20 detached post cards from  an unidentified Chateau Thierry WW I post card booklet produced by Levy Fils & Cie, (LL) marked from Letellier, Paris. Most cards are views of the destroyed city, but two are cemetery scenes I already owned.  But the great finds are   a scene of Vaux and two views of Hill 204. One shows two shell craters each ten meters across, while the other the other is a view from the top of Hill 204 looking down slope. Another interesting card is of the base of a German  platform for Bertha that was firing on Paris in July of 1918. This is a slightly different view of the first I showed.  I have shown the back of the post cards -all are the same because they came from a single souvenir post card booklet. The LL marked booklets are more difficult to find. The best part, they only cost a buck each!

 

 

Interesting views of Hill 204. Hill 204 is just east of Vaux,  sort of located between Chateau Thierry and Vaux, but closer to Vaux. 

 

The town of Vaux

 

The back of the cards and the LL mark.

 

[72 usmc]

 

 1918 Map of Vaux showing buildings and strest.  Contour interval 10 M.

I just received an interesting  WW I, Battle of Belleau Wood, the French Village of  Vaux Post card form a vet that he brought home and marked locations on the card and made notations on the rear.  Unfortunately, I do not have the soldiers name. It must have been sent home in a letter because it is not stamped or post marked.  When I saw this for sale I had to own it . This is a picture prior to shelling the fieldstone French built houses. The city of Vaux was recaptured by the second Division around 2  July 1918.  Combat actions in and nearby the village area took place around 1-3  July 1918.

 Some references: http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/ct_vaux.htm

The Post Card notations;

 +  Cliffs I wrote of & caves

++  Where I slept for 17 days . The other night I slept in an attic too low & dark to be seen. 

+++ Three places we drilled over: mud and water, and rain, water and mud. ( 3 sets of +++ marks on card)

"Will I ever say a good word about this place, Ha"

 Auction photos of my purchased card, nice close up views of the front and reverse.

 

Here is a card view of the Village of Vaux after shelling. A more normal Post card find. 

 Aerial view ca. 1919 of  Vaux  is shown below.  Source with some information see:

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/94343/untitled-aerial-view-of-ruined-town-vaux

What an album to find. At least it was saved and preserved as art& history.

https://archive.artic.edu/steichen/category/world-war-i-album/index.html

 

 

5 oct 23 add more Vaux views I recently obtained 

 

 

 A Yard long photo: Title: The town of Vaux, reduced by American artillery fire, 600 prisoners captured, Hill 204 on left 

Schutz Group Photographers (Washington, D.C.) ,  1918

 

Notice the road has no debris, it was cleaned up after the battle.

Date corner 

 

[72 usmc]

 Here is an interesting, but too expensive to purchase original photo at $100. Yips!  Taken in Feb, 1919 with the rifles and wreath still in place from late fall of 1918  relocation of isolated burial plots made during the battle of the summer of 1918. Notice the snow in the photo .   There are three stacks of rifles left in the cemetery. I have no idea of what rifle was used. Damaged US 1917s , Berthiers, or Gew 98s?  Photo source:these are photo shots from seller. This is one I'd love to own.  Notice flag is still present in the snow in February.  The name tags and ribbons on the crosses are in place in all three photos. 

 

 

 

A post card of the same area , but no snow, rifles and the Flag are in place. I guess this photo dates the post card 's view to late fall of 1918 0r 1919.

 

A similar view on a different post card. The rifles have a long blade type bayonet. The wire enclosure and fence posts are shown in each photo . Tall grass/weeds of a few months growth over the graves is shown in each view. 

[72 usmc]

This photo of the ceremony that I own is dated Oct 1918. So the cemetery was established showing dirt piles, no weeds in Oct 1918 with many more graves to be added. I see a flag and a stack of rifles . I assume the rifles were in place for at least four months at the time of the snow photo dated 2 Feb. 1919. Notice no wire fence was in place in  Oct. 1918

 

[72 usmc]

I just found some odd photos. These are not on photo paper, rather, some sort of card stock about the thickness of a baseball card, less than a normal post card. There size is 8cm by 11cm.   I was after the Belleau Wood and Chateau  Thierry photo cards.  These are old vintage card stock lacking a maker's mark. 

 

 

 The Belleau Wood views: 

These views were taken with my wife's cell phone and do not show the true color.

 I will stick with my real camera...

Note the dog tag on one cross shown on the close up view to the right.

close up view of Germans

 

 

 

Chateau Thierry views:

 This lower view shows the true color of the aged  card stock and photo.  A  photo taken with my camera.  Notice troops in the trench. This view must have been taken from an air plane.  

 

A neat card, but no location of the camp is given:

[72 usmc]

I have recently found a post card rarely seen. This  French made post card shows the cemetery side, the (South side of the building ). The view is facing north toward the Belleau Wood Petit Montgivault farm complex that was utilized as the 6-20 June 1918, Marine HQ and aid station that was manned by Doctor Boone in 1918. This farm came under German artillery fire.

source: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/world-war-i-american-experiences/about-this-exhibition/over-there/belleau-wood/a-perfect-inferno/

The USMC cemetery grave plots can be seen in the lower left corner. Three people are seen in the photo: a civilian, a French soldier, and an American officer standing on the ruins of the farm. Notice no crosses are visible at the head of these graves. 

 

 

In a commonly found stereo view card, the reverse view ( northern face of the interior building) shows the forested Belleau wood’s slope in the background. Looking southeast outward toward the Belleau woods slope, a marine is standing on a door top of the shelled HQ dressing station. He is pointing toward the woods in this stereoview card. Keystone stereoview card # 19254 shows the aid station’s USMC grave plots that are visible just above the roof line, just left of the marine. The cemetery is positioned between the Montgivault farm and the road to Chateau Thierry. These burials were removed in the summer of 1919. Both photos were taken prior to the 1919 removal. These photos date post battle, sometime between the summer of 1918 and the summer of 1919.

Here is a view of the aids station USMC cemetery prior to its removal in the summer of 1919. 

 

Another view from USMC archives. I do not have this photo. 

 

The second post card shows an overgrown German trench with vegetation growth and heavily weathered and slumped trench walls.  Notice all the tall weeds,this appears at least a seasons growth over the barren mud of the battle.   This is described as “German trenches in front of Belleau wood on the road to the village, they were retaken three times by the Americans.”  1918.   I somehow  believe this photo was taken post 1918, more likely 1919 or 1920. There is just too much plant growth and weather damage.  As printed, the off-set cut post card shows a 1918 date. 

[72 usmc]

 Number 18724,  is a common Keystone stereoview card that is sometimes difficult to find. I recently picked this up because it shows a close up view of the officer seen in a few of the other Keystone views from Belleau woods. On this card it is observed that the officer is most likely a U.S.  Army Captain. We see Captain bars on his shoulder.  More clearly shown is the cap. The top of the class A officer's hat lacks the Quaterfoil design on its top like found on USMC officer's caps. From this evidence, I do not believe this is a Marine reviewing the battlefield for photos with the Keystone photographer; it is an Army officer. Due to the overcoat, this photo must have been taken in late fall or winter of 1918. Odd, no lost WW I equipment or discarded artifacts are show on the ground in the views.  These  could be spring of 1919  photographs.  I see exposed soil, no recent spring growth. No leaves are found on the scrub growth. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Keystone produced a few stereo view cards with this officer in the photo. For example, below is shown two close up views from Keystone stereoview card V 18948 showing the same officer in a photo that was most likely taken the same day at a different nearby location in Belleau woods.  I own both cards.  This is a V series post 1920 produced stereoview card. source see https://xula.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16948coll10

This photo was taken prior to 1920.

Note the  U.S. Army insignia on the sleeve 

source https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/41289-officers-overcoat-w-hood-c-1907-lt-col/

 

 

 

The back of the card reads:

 

A USMC First Lt WW I coat with sleeve Insignia is different. 

 

 Keystone Stereoview Card  18725  the next in the series,  also shows a view of this officer. 

[72 usmc]

To download free four of the yard long Belleau Wood, 1918 and 1919 photos from the Schutz Group photographs see the National Museum of the U.S. Navy. These print out very nice on 8 x 14 paper if you have access to a high quality printer.

https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/explore/photography/wwi/wwi-aef/battles/battle-of-belleau-wood.html

[72 usmc]

 This item has sold at $100, so I guess it is OK to post. I was not the winner due to such a high price   I would have loved to purchase this , but more like $35. Someone really wanted it.   A fantastic piece of Belleau Wood history.  The auction information/description is as follows as a QUOTE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[72 usmc]

Does anyone know if this card is from Belleau Wood?  No one seems to know. Anyone have an ID on this Post card?  Update this is not a Belleau Wood view . Thanks to Fritz

[Gildwiller1918]

Never seen that post card before, nice details on the equipment and uniforms. 

[Fritz]

I've seen this photo before often, I believe it could be at Chémin des Dames, either 1917 or during the March offensive 1918

[72 usmc]

Thank You,  Fritz.    I kind of figured the seller was pulling my leg to sell a card!

 

Here are some exceptionally clear photos from large B&W prints from Belleau Wood. Not post cards.

 

And another interesting smaller 2x3 inch baseball card size photo on thick card stock also commonly found is shown below.  Not a post card. It must have come from a set of small cards as a WW I  souvenir pack? I also have a cemetery view of similar size . I enlarged this view of the card. They are so small it is difficult to see the details. I always prefer original  press photos.

 

This is similar to my cards, but the seller shows the scale nicely the way she holds it.

[Fritz]

The seller probably doesn't know either, photos from WW1 and WW2 have been used in publications for years with different captions, nobody really knows any more. Best to consult original sources. I will check this up in my book by the Reichsarchiv published in the 1920s.

A good source of information to consult would be the US Marines Corps History and Museums Division

The fighting ended, exhausted and seriously depleted ranks of the 6th Marines gather outside Belleau Wood before moving on
Source: Wikipedia

https://www.leparisien.fr/societe/centenaire-de-la-grande-guerre-le-chemin-des-dames-et-du-drame-16-04-2017-6858018.php

Chémin des Dames, 1917

[72 usmc]

Chateau Thierry cemetery U.S.

 

A new view on this post card shown below. 

 

 

[72 usmc]

 A  common view seen in books,  but this is the post card version. 

[Gildwiller1918]

Nice image, like seeing that Sergeant in the foreground with the binocular case, don't see many enlisted carrying those in period images.