Lot 137

WW1 US MARINE CORPS 5TH REGIMENT DOCUMENT LOT WWI

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WW1 US MARINE CORPS 5TH REGIMENT DOCUMENT LOT WWI

Estimate: $200 - $300

Starting Bid: $100

(0 Bids)

by Milestone Auctions
August 1, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
38198 Willoughby Parkway
Willoughby, OH, US 44094

Lot of two, WW1 US Marine Corps Documents to include 1) Citation à L'ordre de L'Armée (U.S. Marine Corps French Fourragère Certificate) [Washington, DC): U.S. Marine Corps, 1918. Very nice example of an official Marine Corps French battle citation issued to the 4th American Brigade of the 2nd Division recognizing the 5th Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Regiment, and the 6th Marine Machine Gun Battalion for their actions at Belleau Wood which entitled members of those units to wear the fourragere. These generic certificates, which were issued to unit members, are scarce in their own right, however this example comes with the official English translation, and more importantly, the almost never seen mailing tube. . The multi-color certificate (12" x 18.5") is in much nicer shape than is usually found. It has some wear and soiling, but no chips, ragged edges, or missing pieces. The colors are still strong as it has been stored in its mailing tube. The certificate has been rolled for almost 100 years, but will flatten out nicely if framed. The smaller translation page is printed in black on white paper. It has some wrinkling, closed edge tears, and a small marginal hole. The mailing tube shows some wear and is missing one of the end caps; about 2/3s of the attached mailing label is present. The tube is addressed to Leo F. Hartm[an]. Hartman was a private in the 74th Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines. He was wounded in action at Belleau Wood on 17 June 1918 during one of the unsuccessful attempts to clear Germans from the forest. Hartman recovered and returned to his company until he was wounded a second time during the first days of the Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge on 4 October 1918.. Certificate. Excellent.  2) English Translation of the Fourragère Certificate Document. Both are finely framed and in excellent condition. History:World War I:The unit was activated on 8 June 1917, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the 5th Regiment of Marines. They immediately deployed to France, arriving on 26 June, and were assigned to the 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army. Later that year, in October, they were reassigned to 4th Brigade of Marines under the 2nd Infantry Division. In spring 1918, the regiment, commanded by Colonel Wendell C. Neville, a Medal of Honor recipient, was involved in the fierce battle of Belleau Wood. While it is often claimed that this is where the Marine Corps famous nickname the Devil Dogs, from the German, “Teufel Hunden"—"Devil Dogs" in English—was bestowed upon the Marines by German soldiers at the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918. However, on April 14, 1918, six weeks before that battle began, hundreds of U.S. newspapers ran stories using the phrase. However the Nickname remains one of the most popular and mythologized among the Marine Corps  The Fifth subsequently participated in the offensive campaigns at Aisne, Battle of Saint-Mihiel and in the Meuse-Argonne offensive. They also participated in the defensive campaigns at Toulon-Troyon, Château-Thierry, Marbache and Limey. From 1918 until 1919 the regiment participated in the occupation of the German Rhineland. In August 1919 it relocated back to Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. It was inactivated on 13 August 1919. The regiment's actions in France earned them the right to wear the Fourragère (seen in the outline of the unit's logo), one of only two in the Marine Corps (the other being the 6th Marine Regiment). The award was a result of being the only regiments in the American Expeditionary Force to receive three Croix de Guerre citations: two in the order of the army and one in the order of the corps—Fourragère and Croix de Guerre with two Palms and Gilt Star. The Fourragère became part of the uniform of the unit, and all members of the organization are authorized to wear the decoration on the left shoulder of the uniform while members of the organization. Three Marines of the regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the war. Sergeant Louis Cukela, Gunnery Sergeant Ernest A. Janson, and Sergeant Matej Kocak each received two Medals of Honor (one from the Navy and one from the Army) for a single action, making them three of only nineteen double recipients of the medal. In addition, two U.S. Navy officers attached the 5th Marines received the Medal of Honor: Lieutenant Commander Alexander Gordon Lyle of the Navy Dental Corps and Lieutenant Orlando H. Petty of the Medical Corps.

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