"With the Help of God and a Few Marines": The Battles of Chateau Thierry and Belleau Wood

”When the United States declared war on Germany, a thrill went through the Marine Corps, for we were fighting men all and we learned that Marines were to be rushed over to France to take their stand on the Frontier of Liberty beside the battle-scarred veterans of France and Great Britain.”

Brigidier General Albertus W. Catlin and his fellow marines were among the first American soldiers sent across to France in World War One and within months they were thrown into the thick of the action.

As the Germans made a last ditch attempt to break through allied lines and capture Paris it was the marines who stood in their way.

In the bloody days of June 1918 Catlin and his small band of marines fought ferociously against the Germans, utilising all the training that they had been through and showing the true metal of the marines.

It is a period that has gone down as one of the greatest achievements of the United States Marines Corps.

This fascinating history of the marines and their involvement in World War One was written during Catlin’s recovery period after he had been shot by a sniper during the sixth day of the Battle of Belleau Wood.

“The story of the marines in France is told with authority and interest.”— Booklist

“It is one of the books about the American war effort which is well worth keeping as well as reading.” — Outlook

“A well-written and complete account.” — Library Bulletin

Albertus W. Catlin (1868-1933) was a career soldier who had received the Medal of Honor for leading the 3rd Marine Regiment at Vera Cruz, Mexico and for displaying “distinguished conduct in battle”. He published ”With the Help of God and a Few Marines in 1919.