New-York tribune., 1919-01-09
Marines and Land Fighters
Shared About Equally in
Losse es, List Shows
Sob Out Permanently
Mutual Respect Seals Bond
of Comradeship Between
Two American Brigades
By Wilbur F orrest
Special Gable Service
Neln York Tribune

Copyright 1919, New York Tribune. Inc.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY OF
OCCUPATION IN GERMANY, Jan. s.
The American Second Division, which
comprises the famous Fourth Marine
brigade and the equally famous Ninth
and Twenty-third Infantry regiments,
suffered 24,3S5 casualties in the Euro
pean war, according to strictly accurate
figures, compilation of which was COM
pleted at Neuweid, the division head
quarters, to-day.
Of this total the marine casualties
totalled LAO men and 365 officers,
and those of the two regular army
regiments, known as the Third brigade
1915 men and 289 officers. The re-
mainder of the casualties were divided
between the Second Field Artillery
brigade, the Second Regiment of Engi-
neers, the Fourth Machine Gun Battal-
ion and other organizations attached
TO the Second Division, aside from the
two brigades.
Some idea of the serious fighting in
which the division participated during
llA0 StlAVNS dCtlOUS Ol Inc war is ulS-
closed by these figures.
5,013 Permanent Casualties
The marines emerge from the war
with 81 officers and 2,198 men listed as
permanent casualties, including those
checked as either killed in action, dead
CT wounds or permanently missing.
The Third brgade's losses of the same
character include 81 officers and 2,677
men.
While the unique character of the
marine brigade brought our marines
more to the attention of the American
reading public, the casualties in five
great actions of the war--Chateau
Thierry, scissors, St. Mihiel, Cham
pagne and the Argonne-s show that the
two purely land regiments of the di-
vision were always side by side with
their seagoing compatriots in every
battle
Beginning March IS, in the Verdun
sector, the two hrigades saw their first
action in the trenches. The Third
Brigade casualties here totalled five Of
ficers and 2l0 men, and those of the
marines seven officers and 524 men.
Vaux Taken by Land Troops
They next entered the Chateau
Thierry sector, where the world heard
of "the Fighting Marines" at Belleau
Wood, and later they captured the
strongly fortified village of Vaux. 1t
was the marines who fought mainly at
Beleau Wood and the Third Brigade
which took Vaux. The marines emerged
from the entire action with casualties
of 1875 officers and 5,073 men, and the
Third Brigade sixty-eight officers and
3,1s4 men.
They next saw action south of
scissors, beginning July 1S. when the
ist and I'd Divisions, with General
Margin's French army, helped strike
the blow which turned the war in favor
of the Allies. The marines emerged
from this battle with seventy officers
and 1922 men out of action, and the
Third Brigade ffty-seven officers and
1,T76 men.
1t was September when the two
brigades again faced the enemy, help
ing to take the st. Mihel salient The
marines here had only eighteen officers
and I'll men put out of action, and the
Third Brigade twenty-one officers and
693 men.
Then the division joined General
Gcuraud's French army in Champagne.
beng placed in the most critical and
strongly held point of the entire line
Casualties About Equal
Within five days these two fighting
brigades had broken the enemy's back
and hurled him into the retreat which
forced the entire Champagne line to
give way. The marines casualties wero
81 officers and 2,127 men, while the
companion brigade's list showed 81
officers and 2,277 men.
The Argonne was the last battle for
the I'd Division. In the desperate
lighting, where the land and sea troops
again fought shoulder to shoulder, they
emerged from the battle with At ma
rlne officers and 1,183 men out of ac-
ton, while the land soldiers had 90 Of
iicers and 1882 men as casualties.
:. AT division headquarters to-day in
Neuwied. German manufacturing
city on the Rhine, was told that the
bond Of ccmradeship between these
Two @ American brigades is sealed
There is mutual respect 1t is the
first time. in the long history of the
marines that the sea dogs ever openly
admitted the equality Of land troops.
:, me strength of a division of the
Cnited States Army is $1,000 men of
all arnz ' ~