What was the Battle of Belleau Wood, whose slain soldiers was mocked by Trump as “losers”?

Team Udayavani, Sep 5, 2020, 10:35 AM IST

In 2018, Donald Trump visited France and he had been scheduled to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris, but Trump made excuses and did not go

On Thursday, Sep 3, a report published in The Atlantic has alleged that on the morning of the scheduled visit in 2018, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers”

He later called the more than 1,800 marines killed at Belleau Wood “suckers” for having sacrificed their lives.

Battle of Belleau

According to History. Com, The first large-scale battle fought by American soldiers in World War I begins in Belleau Wood, northwest of the Paris-to-Metz road.

On June 2, 1918, the Marines arrived on the scene under the command of Capt. Lloyd Williams only to see French troops in retreat from the German enemy. The French told the Marines to turn around and head back to from where they came.

On June 6, Allied powers launched their attack on the Germans who were busy preparing to do the same. Marines maneuvered up Hill 142 to prevent a flanking attack on their French allies.

For the next three weeks, the Marines, backed by U.S. Army artillery, launched many attacks into the forested area, but German General Erich Ludendorff was determined to deny the Americans a victory. Ludendorff continually brought up reinforcements from the rear, and the Germans attacked the U.S. forces with machine guns, artillery, and gas. Finally, on June 26, the Americans prevailed but at the cost of nearly 10,000 dead, wounded, or missing in action.