Miracle at Belleau Wood : The Birth of the Modern U. S. Marine Corps

by Axelrod, Alan

• ISBN13: 9780762761302
• ISBN10: 076276130X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-10-05
• Publisher: Lyons Press

Summary

Now in paperback! Military Book Club Main Selection History Book Club Featured Alternate * The battle that transformed a group of common soldiers into the modern-day Marine CorpsMiracle at Belleau Woodbegins in June 1918 at Les Mare Farm in France with just 200 U.S. marines, who spilled their blood to prevail against impossible odds, resisting an overwhelming German force of thousands and turned the battle back against the enemy, saved Paris, saved France, and saved the Allied hope of victory. Called "the Gettysburg of the Great War" by many at the time, it rescued America and its allies from almost certain defeat. This book tells the riveting story of the modern marines as America's fiercest and most effective warriors, the world's preeminent fighting elite. Miracle at Belleau Woodis the story of an epoch-making battle--a battle that elevated the Corps to legendary status and forever burned them into the American imagination. Praise for Alan Axelrod and his works ForMiracle at Belleau Wood "Axelrod brings us back vividly to the shocking casualties of 'the war to end all wars.'" Bing West, author ofNo True Glory, former Assistant Secretary of Defense "Alan Axelrod has perfectly captured the embodiment of U.S. Marines and their unparalleled Esprit de Corps. . . . A must read!" Jay Kopelman, author of the best-sellingFrom Baghdad with Love "Axelrod is one of America's great military historians. He's done it this time with riveting non-stop action that reads like the best of Hemingway's frontline reports plus the Marine Corps novels of W.E.B. Griffin. Axelrod pushes you right into the action, onto the battlefield, and never lets up." Paul B. Farrell, JD, PhD, syndicated columnist for Dow Jones'sMarketWatch,former Staff Sergeant in the US Marine Corps ForPatton: A Biography "Like Patton at his best: polished, precise, and persuasive." Kirkus Reviews Alan Axelrod, who holds a PhD from the University of Iowa, is the best-selling author or coauthor of more than sixty books, includingPatton: A Biography, a Military Book Club Editor's Choice;Patton on Leadership; andThe Real History of World War II. He has appeared on Discovery Channel documentaries and has been an NPR guest. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Author Biography

Alan Axelrod, who holds a PhD from the University of Iowa, is the best-selling author or coauthor of more than sixty books, including Patton's Drive (Lyons Press), Patton: A Biography, a Military Book Club Editor’s Choice; Patton on Leadership; and The Real History of World War II. He has appeared on Discovery Channel documentaries and has been an NPR guest.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Patch of Woods	p. vii
Bellhops and Stevedores	p. 1
ôA Quiet Sectorö	p. 21
Orders	p. 41
In This Line	p. 57
First Blood	p. 67
Retreat, Hell!	p. 81
Teufelhunden	p. 97
Hill 142	p. 111
A Dark, Sullen Mystery	p. 129
ôDo You Want to Live Forever?ö	p. 143
Taking Bouresches	p. 159
Armies of the Night	p. 171
ôCheap Successesö	p. 183
A Mad Lust	p. 201
Bois de la Brigade de Marine	p. 215
Notes	p. 231
Index	p. 247
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