the god of the woods review

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(as of Jan 06, 2025 06:18:13 UTC - Details)

”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.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (December 5, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 194 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1519082347
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1519082343
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.49 x 9 inches
Reviewer: james
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: early 20th century marine history
Review: it's a great read, and insight into marine history and dedication of the time and before. the writing style may not appeal to everyone but it was true to the era. the descriptions of the men's spirit and loyalty from the point of view of the officers interesting. the letters from the troops in training and in france and battle reports are marvelous. students of military history and citizens of any age should learn much from the straightforward accounts. many of the current day marine institutions gained their names from the leaders of the WWI effort.

Reviewer: Gerry
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A First Hand Accounting: Filled with the scars of Battle - First World War is simply a tragedy
Review: “It might be wiser, perhaps, if I were to leave all critical discussions of the war in general and the problems growing out of it to those trained writers and thinkers who have made special study of these things. Viewing the situation broadly from afar, their ears unassailed by the roar of cannon and the groans of dying men, a clearer view is granted them. But they are for the most parts civilians, and my only excuse for indulging in these closing reflections is that the views of a professional soldier, whose life has been spent with the Marines and who has faced the Boche on the firing line, may be not without a certain interest for those who gain most of their conceptions of the war from magazine writers and the editorial pages of the daily papers.” Written nearly a century ago – this statement was provided within the final pages of the book – in my opinion it is quite telling to how the more things change – the more they remain the same. A grunt is a grunt; whether in Roman or Greek times or for those that fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, Agincourt in 1415, Waterloo in 1815 – the Somme of 1916 or Belleau Wood of 1918 – the fundamental purpose of human nature and habits have never changed. Technology has evolved – people have not evolved – many accounts of war prove this time and time again.This book written by Brigadier General Albertus Catlin, USMC (Retired-Deceased) was begun during his recuperation period after sustaining an injury that would have taken the lives of many others; and, was completed in 1919; though it looks to be a mere single edition book the writing within the pages suggests at least another attempt to update the book could have occurred by 1923. It is a thoughtful book and account of one of the most historic battles that the U.S. Marines fought and taught to its history in times going forward. The bulk of the book covers the Bois de Belleau was renamed by the French people and Government as Bois de la Brigade de Marine, in honor of the Marine Corps' tenacity in its re-taking. In this book and to the proximity of time as experienced by this Marine Officer the reader of history will appreciate that General Jack Pershing was most appreciative and respected the fighting ability of the U.S. Marine and his (later) Second Division as commanded by U.S. Army Brigadier General James Harbord. Harbord took command of the 4th Marine Brigade and later was the Commanding Officer (July 1918 of the U.S. Army Second Division). There are many myths dispelled in this book and yet, many historical facts brought to life from the efforts of the Marines during the course of this battle. The most important point of this book is the simple truth. This book is an unintentional dispelling of General Smedley D. Butler’s book (that would come out in the year of the death of General Catlin) entitled “War Is a Racket”; General Butler gets many good referenced mention in this book of General Catlin; as became clear throughout this book Catlin leaves certain points (that he brings to discussion) for future historians to reflect and write about later into the future. After reading this book it is clear in my mind that he would not have agreed with Major General S.D. Butler’s future book; nor the opinions of the same. It still confounds me in reflection as to how in an older age he became so embittered with the protection of the nation. Between the Spanish American War and the First World War there is no doubt that many actions took place where the United States and in our hemisphere protected many innocent people from Nicaragua, to Haiti to the Philippine Islands.Catlin does not toot his own horn, but it is apparent that he deserved better credit than he gave himself in this accounting. The good heart and strong conscience of General Catlin is ever present in this book. He provides a good beginning with enough background that does not lose the reader in minutiae and then gets into the detail of efforts prior to, during and after having landed in France. There is however a part of this book that one is able to read that this author had no assistance in writing of the same (though an alternate credit is provided it is difficult to read where the General had assistance) – in some parts of the book he is simply too close (and both literally and metaphorically speaking) to the woods to see the forest among the trees. Because he does take 5 years to complete the book he is able to minimize a common human error as he reflects, reads, studies the bigger picture of the events that he miraculously survived and manages to incorporates this information within his pages; he goes to great length to discuss the future of a Post WW I and scratches the surface of his opinion of the economy of Germany in a Post War period. In this manner his closeness and personal experience to the battle itself is mitigated to where the book becomes relevant even for today. I do have to ponder; however, if one Major George W. Hamilton ever came into contact with Brigadier General Catlin prior to or during the events of the Battle of Belleau Wood. During the course of the battle Catlin was in fact a full Colonel.To the telling accounts of one scene that struck out to me as I was reading this book – General Catlin inserts letters from Marines that were written home and saved by family members one such (and only one I will use in my review) letter was quite telling of the experiences. Private S.E. Steck of Camden, New Jersey and though his Marine Company was in reserve and not called upon until the 11 of June 1918; at night between the 6th and 10th he and two Sergeants would sneak out at night and attempt rescue efforts on injured Marines; there were stories in these early days of the battle to which full companies were rescued by the disobedience of orders. On one such evening during a rescue attempt – Private Steck and the two Sergeants came across a German Officer that was seated comfortably with his knees crossed. In front of this officer was spread “a little field table on which was cake, jam, cookies, and a fine array of food. A knife and fork was in either hand.” Private Steck goes on to write that “…there was a bulky German Sergeant next to the officer who had been knitting socks – the needles were still in his fingers – but both of their heads had been blown off.” The Bois de Belleau was not an excessively large area and yet this section along with Château Thierry was in fact the pathway to Paris – the Germans had the desire to do in the First World War and worse what they accomplished in the Franco-Prussian War some 40+ years earlier.There is one overarching fact that cannot be ignored during this conflict; one that General Catlin honestly didn’t see while he wrote this book. The story of Krupp Armaments – Krupp essentially had the market cornered globally prior to the First World War. So much so that when the war ended Krupp was paid £47,000 from the British for expended shells at a cost of 1 schilling 3 pence per each. There is controversy around this total today, but Barbara Tuchman and William Manchester seem to be the sources on this. Manchester had unbridled access to Krupp in the late 1950’s – to early 1960’s while he was writing “Arms of Krupp”. Knowing William Manchester (also author of “Last Lion” first two volumes and research for the third) he would have well researched the financial data accordingly; I for one do not dispute this value earned back to Krupp following the war. Today there is controversy in this matter - in particular MUN 4, as contract prices were complex and could change. The Coventry Ordnance Works Limited is but one company – Whitworth’s was the other that used Krupp shells and fuses. With regard to Krupp fuses, Coventry Ordnance Works and Whitworth's believed they had a legal obligation to pay royalties to Krupp but were prevented from doing so by the British Government who invoked the Trading with the Enemy Act. At some point a historian should commit an effort to either supporting Tuchman/Manchester or dispute this matter with facts – again, I am of the mind that Manchester compiled the correct information and reviewed it thoroughly.Prior to going into a conclusion on this book some interesting notes on General Catlin. He was an 1890 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy - As a young Lieutenant, Catlin was the Officer in Charge of the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Maine when the ship was blown – his account makes no question this ship was destructed by opposition forces in Cuba. He floated the Atlantic for three years up to 1914 and once the war started in Europe he had the foresight to develop his acuity to meet what he saw was coming down the pike for the United States. His story is an interesting one – one that should be developed by a quality author in the near future I would hope. Inside the book he gave enough background and history to the public on the U.S. Marine Corps – I question how much interest there could have been in this arena when isolation was the word of the day by the time the work came out. Prohibition was in full force thanks to the 40 year earlier attempts of the Temperance Movement and the Twenty First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – a movement and law that led to more internal crime than what had ever been intended with the passage of the same.The last 10 pages of the book are General Catlin’s personal reflections; some of them held true flash-forward viewpoints he could never have then realized. To the best of information available it looks to be a work completed in 1919 – but the reprints have seemingly missed incorporating the first edition. In a post war reflection General Catlin writes: “As for the Nation, I am not surprised Americans were slow to wake up to the necessity of preparedness, for they did not believe in burglars. It took a lot to convince them. But, perhaps the lesson has been learned and the Nation will never become quite so completely demobilized again. So long as human nature is what it is, so long as there is a bare possibility that burglars like the Potsdam gang may be in existence somewhere, it is best to be ready.” General Catlin would not be alive on 7 December 1941 – I for one would have liked to have possibly read his Post World War II perspective. The review ends with a quote as much as it opened up with one. Wonderful read – any person interested in reading about the First World War in honor of the sacrifices made by a lost generation – should read this book to provide a balance to many other works.

Reviewer: Greg Brown
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: ... about the actual battle of Belleau Wood was somewhat tedious. It was good
Review: The portion of the story about the actual battle of Belleau Wood was somewhat tedious. It was good, interesting, just long and drawn out. What I really enjoyed was reading the last few chapters about the era's prior to WW I. It's interesting to me, as a former Marine, officer and enlisted, with a son that recently went through boot camp at San Diego, how little has changed, at least in terms of attitude and philosophy toward training and what makes a Marine a Marine. Also interesting to read his comments about America's role in the world prior to the wars and how applicable his ideas from the early 1900's are still applicable today.

Reviewer: Robert A. Hall
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A must for brother Marines
Review: For decades I have read and been amused by the cynical definitions from Bierce's "The Devil's Dictionary." Finally I decided to get a copy. Though much of it is outdated from the 1800s, there were more than enough gems to be worth purchasing it. Things like: "Peace, n. In international affairs, a period of cheating between two periods of fighting." "Politics, n. A strife of interests masquerading as a conflict of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage." And, "In our civilization, and under our republican form of government, Bain is so highly regarded that it is exempted from the cares of (public) office." There are numerous small poems illustrating his definitions by poets I never heard of leading me to suspect they were written by Bierce himself, as doubtless were the many fanciful anecdotes. Well worth a writer's time.Robert A. HallAuthor: The Coming Collapse of the American Republic

Reviewer: Ivan Mejia J.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: USMC Courage
Review: This interested book written by on those times Colonel and later on Brigadier General Albertus Catlin USMC, can be divided in two main areas: The first one is an extensive and detailed narration of the battle accomplished in the year 1918 at Belleau Wood, 35 miles northwest of Paris, during the 1st World War. The second area is a summarized history of the USMC since its organization on November 10, 1775 until 1919 and a short but keen study by the author of the consequences that USA participation on that war would bring to the future of this country.The mentioned first area sometimes becomes heavy and bored due to the meticulous description of the fighting related with this battle, which was so important for the destiny of the war that the Belleau Wood (Bois de Belleau) was afterward renamed by the French as Bois de la Brigade de Marine in memory of the tenacity the Marine Corps fought there until its recovery from the German army.Reading of this book should be recommended to anyone interested in learning about the penalties suffered by the warriors and the bravery, performance and discipline of the USMC members.

Reviewer: John the slow reader..
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: No comment18 is too many words for me to use a this time of night, in any case I do not feel compelled to comment.