At Belleau Wood [Paperback]

Robert B. Asprey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1996

AT BELLEAU WOOD is the full and dramatic story of America's greatest World War I battle. On June 5, 1918, the 2nd U.S. Division, made up of soldiers and Marines - mostly inexperienced - launched an offensive on German lines at Belleau Wood. Using sources on both sides of the Atlantic and interviewing many of those who fought in the battle, Asprey recreates what took place. He describes the troops and their officers, the mistakes and misunderstandings, the combination of tactical ingenuity and pure guts which ultimately enabled Major Maurice Shearer to report: "Belleau Wood now U.S. Marine Corps entirely." The battle at Belleau Wood allowed the Allies to end the war by year's end.

"Robert Asprey...has masterfully captured the tenacity, undying courage and stark fortitude which marked the conduct of friend and foe alike." (General G.C. Thomas, USMC (Ret.))

--This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

On June 15, 1918, the 2nd U.S. Division--consisting of army soldiers and combat-ready troops recruited from the Marine Corps by General Pershing to supplement limited American forces--met with their German opponents at Belleau Wood. At the time, Allied spirits were extremely low; the question was not if the Germans would march into Paris, but when. But the 2nd fought hard and pulled out a victory, and created the psychological turning point that allowed the Allies to end the war by year's end. Military historian Robert Asprey tells this rousing tale with much first-hand testimony (in interviews, memoirs, and letters home) from the troops that made it happen.

From the Publisher

8 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: University of North Texas Press (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574410164
• ISBN-13: 978-1574410167
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #278,610 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Retreat, hell, we just got here!, March 9, 2000

By 

Robert M Vogel (West Chester, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At Belleau Wood (Paperback)

These famous words uttered by a Marine Corps Major sum up the fighting spirit of the United States Marine Corps. And "At Belleau Wood" is a fabulous glimpse into the "Old Corps." Rarely does a book so technically sound, and painstakingly researched, captivate the reader so fully. Appropriate for both the "armchair general" and the military scholar. If you are interested in either the origins of our nations "Premier Fight Force," or in the brutal combat of the Great War, this book is for you.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Robert Asprey Became a Superb Historian, February 8, 2002

By 

David Bradford (Merritt Island, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: At Belleau Wood (Paperback)

Update: Robert Asprey died January 26, 2009. He left a major portion of his estate to New College of Florida. I knew him, wrote for and with him, and called him my mentor for over 35 years.

Robert Asprey has emerged as the consummate military historian. His recent works, which include War in the Shadows, The German High Command, and the two volumes on Napoleon, have brought him critical praise for their detail and keen insights into the minds of military professionals. To understand how Aprey arrived at where he now stands in the world of military historians, one must read this book, one of his earliers forays into writing. The budding historians would be well served by reading this book because it neatly folds details-analytical and precise-with sparse dramatization while giving the reader keen insights in the demeanor of the military mind at war. At Belleau Wood remains a masterful narrative and more importantly, the book has lost none of its relevance. Why? If the reader substitutes the situation in which the American Expeditionary Force found itself at Belleau Wood with the situation in which it now finds itself in Afghanistan, the relevance becomes all too clear: extended presence in an unfamiliar nation, stagnant combined-arms training, aviation limited by horrible weather conditions, and erstwhile allied support. The University of North Texas Press has done the military a great service by reprinting this book because the lessons learned can't come quickly enough as they gear up for a very, very, long war.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty dry, April 24, 2005

By 

PTR "papapossum" (Bon Aqua, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At Belleau Wood (Paperback)

I listened to an unabridged recording of this book, and found it distant and uninvolving. Asprey seems to rely heavily on the official records rather than first-hand accounts. Indeed, the first-hand accounts are fairly few and far between. I was never tempted to quit listening; Asprey keeps things moving at a pretty quick pace. But he seems to assume that the reader knows what is going on in trench warfare and in actual combat. There was little of visceral, jarring descriptions of fighting to which we've become accustomed today, and which really drives home the horror and the fear of it. Asprey keeps things at a official-sounding, abstract level for most of the book.