Customer Reviews

Devil Dogs: Fighting Marines of World War I

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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From Leatherneck Magazine - March, 1999

The rich thread of tradition has woven itself throughout the tapestry of Marine Corps history. From these threads, Marines of today uphold the standards of service and sacrifice of the past as the proud inheritors of this heritage. Of all the eras of Marine Corps history, arguably the most romantic and colorful would be the involvement of the Marines in the First World War. The Marine Corps of today is still flavored by the traditions and experiences of those years. Words such as Devil Dog and Foxhole still permeate the language of our Marines and students from The Basic School have adopted Belleau Wood and travel over regularly to assist in the maintenance of this hallowed ground, the only wholly-owned American battlefield on foreign soil. By the same token, this has remained one of the least explored eras throughout the history of the Marines.

Certainly, the classics of Asprey's "At Belleau Wood" and Stallings' "Doughboys" stand forth as valuable contributions to the understanding of that history. However, no one has published a comprehensive examination of the actions and service of the 4th "Marine" Brigade until now.

It is with a clear love and empathy for this subject that former Marine, George Clark undertook the monumentous task of shifting through and composing the far-flung resources of documentation into a concise and readable history of the Fourth "Marine" Brigade and it's service from formation until disbandment.

Clark's work, drawn from 25 years of research into the subject, captures the color and character, as well as the facts and figures, of the Marine Brigade as no previous work. Based on contemporaneous unit histories, Marine diaries, personal letters, as well as official documents and correspondence, this book blows open the door and illuminates the incredible story of ordinary men, who, under extraordinary circumstances, left a legacy of valor courage and sacrifice unsurpassed to this day.

Highly detailed and filled with fascinating insights, "Devil Dogs" takes no prisoners. It tells the unvarnished tale of the largely volunteer force, leavened by a strong cadre of seasoned Officers and NCOs, who formed the nucleus of the 2nd Division (Regulars) of the infant American Expeditionary Force. The author offers interesting and thought-provoking opinions of the success and failure of the various Officers who led the Marines in combat in France and makes no apology for ruffling a few feathers along the way.

A rollicking, fun book to read, Clark takes the reader along from the stateside clashes with Pershing and the Army bureaucracy to training in France and through the battles of Belleau Wood, Soissons, St. Mihiel, Blanc Mont and Meuse-Argonne. Chapters also cover the history of Marines in the Occupation of Germany and explore the little known history of the Marines in the Composite Regiment of the AEF - Pershing's Showpiece.

Though not for those wishing a "quick" synopsis of Marine involvement in the Great War, "Devil Dogs" is a must for any student of Marine History or for those wishing to get the full picture of this most colorful era. Clark's work justifiably joins Asprey and Stallings as a modern classic of the American experience in the Great War. With valuable lessons for today's military, it stands as a true picture of the success by leadership, unmatched valor and pure guts, against a seasoned and battle-tested foe.

Patrick Mooney

I support the Leatherneck review and am tempted to rate it 5 stars. It is refreshing to read not only the USMC WW1 history but the authors considered opinions on the battles and personalities involved.

Here is a wonderfully detailed and moving book. It satisfies the serious scholar in its overwhelming details, and yet carries the `human thread' to show the true wonder of what these marines did. My grandfather was with the 6th Marines at Belleau Wood and I guarantee he would have loved and respected this book.

With so few great titles on the American experience in the Great War this book is a must read. It reads very well and spares no small detail. It gives you a "leather-necks" view of the the war in France.

This book is excellent. All the other reviews are dead on accurate.

Just to add something different to the discussion...

I would have given it five stars but for one thing. Occasionally the detail overwhelmed the writing and story telling aspect lagged. Just every so often it started to read like an after-action report. Don't let this put you off, just don't plan on being able to read parts of it right before bed time.