How many Us Marines died in World War 1?

Answer 1

Just over 2,000:

THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS IN THE
WORLD WAR.

(From report of Major Edwin N. McClellan. U. S. Marine Corps, Officer in Charge of Historical Division.)

When a state of war was declared to exist on April 6, 1917, the United States Marine Corps was composed of 462 commissioned officers, 49 warrant officers, and 13,214 enlisted men on active duty, a total of 13,725, and while the Corps was expanded to an actual strength, including reserves, of 75,101 officers and enlisted men, its high standard was never lowered. When these figures are compared with the approximate strength of 3,100 at the end of the Civil War, and of 4,800 at the end of the Spanish War, the growth of the Marine Corps is illustrated.

Despite the fact that on the outbreak of war, 187 officers and 4,546 enlisted men were on duty beyond the continental limits of the United States, and 49 officers and 2,187 enlisted men were serving on board the cruising vessels, of the navy, only five weeks later, on June 14, 1917, the Fifth regiment of Marines, consisting of 70 officers and 2,689 enlisted men, approximately one-sixth of the enlisted strength of the Marine Corps, competently organized and ready for active service, sailed on the Henderson, DeKalb and Hancock from the United States, forming one-fifth of the first expedition of American troops for service in France.

This regiment was soon joined by the Sixth regiment and the Sixth machine-gun battalion of Marines, and the Fourth brigade of Marines was organized, and as one of the two infantry brigades of the Second division of regulars engaged in actual battle in no less than eight distinct operations in France, of which four were major operations.

The French army recognized the splendid work of the Fifth and Sixth regiments of Marines by citing them no less than three times in army orders for achievements in the Chateau-Thierry sector, in the Aisne-Marne (Soissons) offensive, and in the Meuse-Argonne (Champagne). The Sixth machine-gun battalion was similarly cited for its work in the Chateau-Thierry sector and Aisne-Marne (Soissons) offensive. The Fourth brigade received a similar citation for its work in the Chateau-Thierry sector. Since two French army citations are sufficient to make an organization eligible for the award of the French fourragere, the high standard of the Marine units is evident. Information was received in Jan, 1920, that the War Department had accepted the award of the French fourragere in the colors of the ribbon of the Croix de Guerre for several army organizations and the three units of the Fourth brigade.

Within one year after the outbreak of the war the Marine Corps placed about as many enlisted men in France as there were in the Marine Corps when war was declared.

During the month of June, 1918, when the battle deaths around Hill 142. Bouresches, Belleau Wood and Vaux of Americans attached to the Second division amounted to 1,811 (of which at least 1,062 were Marines) and the nonfatal casualties of 7,252 more (of which 3,615 were Marines), the legislative strength of the Marine Corps was but 1,323 officers and 30,000 enlisted men; the actual strength on June 30, 1918, including reserves, was 1,424 officers and 57,298 enlisted men, and of this total about 300 officers and 14,000 enlisted men were in France. These latter figures include those Marines who suffered casualties in the battles of June, 1918.

Approximately 30,000 Marines were sent overseas to join the American Expeditionary Forces, and 1,600 for naval duty ashore.

During the war a great many additional Marine detachments were detailed to guard the radio stations, naval magazines, ammunition depots, warehouses, cable stations, and for other naval activities, and the detachments already established were largely augmented. No call was made for additional Marines for naval purposes that was not fully met, and this is of especial interest as the Marine Corps is essentially a part of the naval establishment, and its first duty is to fill all naval needs and requirements. It was believed to be essential that the Marine Corps should do its full part in this war, and for that reason it was absolutely necessary that the Marines should join the army on the western front, taking care, however, that this should not at any time interfere in the slightest degree with the filling of all naval requirements.

The Marine Corps, while maintaining the Fourth brigade of Marines, a total of 258 officers and 8,211 enlisted men, that fought in eight battle operations, suffering approximately 12,000 casualties, placed and maintained the Fifth brigade of Marines of the same strength in France, supplied the commanding general of the Second division and many officers of his staff; furnished a considerable number of officers to command army units of the Second and other divisions, and for staff and detached duty throughout the American Expeditionary Forces, participated in the naval aviation activities in France and in the Azores; and during the period of the war succeeded in performing in highly satisfactory manner the naval duties required of it including the maintenance of two brigades of prewar strength, standing by to protect the Mexican oil fields, and as an advanced base force in Philadelphia; one in Cuba, one in Santo Domingo, and one in Haiti; administered and officered the Haitian Gendarmerie and Guardia Nacional Dominicana, as well as providing efficient Marine detachments for numerous naval vessels, and maintaining garrisons at the numerous navy yards and naval stations in the United States; and in the Virgin Islands; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Pearl Harbor, Hawaiian Islands; Guam; Cavite and Olongapo, P. I.; Managua, Nicaragua; Peking, China; San Juan, P. R.; London, England; Cardiff, Wales; Paris, France; and the Azores; and supplied many officers and enlisted men for special and detached duty at home and abroad.