1st Battalion 5th Marines WWI Patch

1st Battalion 5th Marines WWI Patch 5.00" x 5.00" Embroidered Patch with Sew-On Backing

Superior Materials: Made with premium polyester thread and durable twill fabric, ensuring long-lasting color and strength.
Advanced Embroidery Technology: Crafted using the most advanced embroidery machinery, guaranteeing intricate detail, sharp lines, and consistent quality every time.
Sew-On Application: Designed with a clean fabric backing for durable, long-term attachment.
Versatile Use: Ideal for uniforms, jackets, rucksacks, or framed displays—crafted for Marines and military history enthusiasts alike.
Durable and Washable: Built to endure both wear and time, holding its color and shape through years of display or use.

Formations & Origins
The 1st Battalion, 5th Marines—known as 1/5—was formed in 1917 at the onset of America’s entry into World War I. It quickly became one of the Marine Corps' most storied units, forged in the fires of the Western Front. Attached to the Army’s 2nd Division, the battalion was sent to France, where it would earn legendary status on the battlefields of Europe.

Notable Commanders
During World War I, one of the most notable figures associated with the 5th Marines was Major Julius Turrill, who led Marines through the dense and deadly forests of Belleau Wood. Over the years, the battalion has been led by decorated commanders who carried forward a legacy of valor born in the trenches of WWI and passed down through generations of warriors.

Major Campaigns/Operations
In WWI, 1/5 fought in several of the most iconic battles involving U.S. forces:

• Battle of Belleau Wood (June 1918): The battalion earned lasting fame by halting a German advance toward Paris, fighting with such ferocity that the Germans nicknamed the Marines “Teufel Hunden”—Devil Dogs.

• Soissons and Blanc Mont Ridge: Follow-up offensives where 1/5 continued to push German lines back under grueling conditions.

• Meuse-Argonne Offensive: One of the final blows to German resistance before the Armistice.
  For its actions, the regiment—including 1st Battalion—was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with two palms and one gilt star, and it remains authorized to wear the fourragère.

Specialized Role/Equipment
As a rifle battalion, 1/5’s WWI Marines were light infantrymen equipped with bolt-action Springfield rifles, bayonets, grenades, and Chauchat machine guns. What they lacked in mechanization, they made up for with fierce discipline, marksmanship, and raw fighting spirit—embodying the Marine Corps ethos on battlefields where trench warfare met sudden, brutal assault.

Acts of Heroism
The Battle of Belleau Wood alone was filled with countless examples of heroism. Marines from 1/5 charged through machine gun fire and mustard gas to clear German strongholds in close combat. Men like Gunnery Sergeant Ernest Janson, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for repelling a German counterattack with bare hands and bayonet, embodied the gallantry of the unit. The battalion suffered immense losses but never broke, standing firm when others faltered.

Legacy & Notable Achievements
1st Battalion, 5th Marines remains an active and vital part of the Marine Corps today, but its soul was tempered in World War I. The traditions of Belleau Wood echo in every Marine who has worn the battalion's patch. This emblem commemorates the beginning of that legacy—a time when a new battalion of Marines crossed the Atlantic and etched their name into history with courage, sacrifice, and an unbreakable will to fight.