BELLE-ALLIANCE, LA

farm on field of Waterloo. LA BELLEAU BRIGADE WOOD, DE MARINE, or the BOIS a wooded DE height to the northwest of ChateauThierry, France, made notable in the World War by the protracted fighting waged for its po e ion between American and German forces in the summer of 1918. The U.S. Marines were engaged in the struggle, and in honor of their brilliant achievements the wood was renamed by the French as above. The fighting was part of American resistance to the continued advance of the Germans, who had _ reached ChateauThierry and the Marne, and had been forced back from that on. On the north of the town named Belleau Wood presented a serious obstacle to the pursuing American forces, as it was strongly - occupied by the Germans. advance the Americans had been unable to take this little forested stronghold perched on a, hill among rocks, and had swept past it, after capturing a nearby elevation. The wood concealed ambushes of German infantry and machine guns, which were a thorn in the side of the Americans on the outskirts. They made several raids into the wood, expelling groups of Germans here and there, but the next day the enemy would reappear and pour a harra ing fire on the American lines. The fighting began on June 8 by a German attack to oust the Americans from positions they held on the borders of the wood. A counter a ault followed with sytematic deluge of shells that lasted for two days. By June 13 the subsequent attack in force, undertaken by the Marines, resulted in the capture of the last of the German positions in the wood and the capture of some 300 prisoners and many machine guns and trench mortars. The Germans then became a menace on the borders of the wood, where groups of them impinged on a number of awkward Bockets or little salients, and kept the Americans in the wood engaged in continuous skirmishes. By June 23 they had been expelled from all the positions they held on the wood’s borders except a single point on the north. This was finally taken after a scathing American fire lasting thirteen hours.