Devil Dog Explained

Devil Dog is a nickname for a United States Marine coined during World War I.[1] [2]

History

Multiple publications of the United States Marine Corps claim that the nickname "Teufel Hunden" - "Devil Dogs" in English - was bestowed upon the Marines by German soldiers at the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918.[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] However, on April 14, 1918, six weeks before that battle began, hundreds of U.S. newspapers ran a fanciful, unsigned wire service report that stated:

The American press immediately seized upon the new term, and it was used on a Marine Corps recruiting poster by Charles Buckles Falls in July 1918, showing an American bulldog chasing a German dachshund wearing a pickelhaube.[8] [9] [10]

The veracity of the German origin of the term, however, was questioned as early as 1921 when journalist H. L. Mencken wrote that the term was the invention of an American war correspondent.[11] In modern scholarship, Robert V. Aquilina of the United States Marine Corps History Division stated that the term was likely first used by the Marines themselves and that there is no evidence of German use or origin of the term.[12] Similarly, Patrick Mooney of the National Museum of the Marine Corps wrote that "We have no proof that it came from German troops...There is no written document in German that says that the Marines are Devil Dogs or any correct spelling or language component of 'Devil Dog' in German."[13] Further, when asked about the term by Stars and Stripes, Lt. Col. Heiner Bröckermann of the German Military History Research Institute said that he had "never heard anyone using the word 'Teufelshund' or 'Teufelshunde' in Germany."[13] Nevertheless, "Devil Dog" has become firmly entrenched in the lore of the United States Marine Corps.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Simmons, Edwin H. . Westermeyer . Paul . 2018 . The Legacy of Belleau Wood: 100 Years of Making Marines and Winning Battles . Quantico, Virginia . Marine Corps History Division . 58 . 978-0-16-094412-3.
  2. Book: Wright, Evan . 2004 . Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War . New York . G. P. Putnam's Sons . 47 . 9780425224748.
  3. Book: United States Marine Corps . Skyhorse . New York . U.S. Marine Guidebook . 37 . 2010 . 978-1-60239-941-9.
  4. Web site: 6th Marine Regiment > Units > 1st Battalion > History. United States Marine Corps. 2019-05-20.
  5. Robert B. . Neller . United States Marine Corps . A Message from the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps . English . 2018-11-10. https://www.hqmc.marines.mil/Portals/142/Docs/2018%20Marine%20Corps%20Birthday%20MSG.pdf?ver=2018-10-11-115925-700 . 2021-08-26.
  6. Web site: Remembering the Battle of Belleau Wood . Price . Will . 2006-05-28 . United States Marine Corps . 2021-08-26 . Little wonder that from the time of this fierce battle to the present day, Marines are still known by the nickname given them by the awed Germans they vanquished at Belleau Wood: "Teufelhunden," which means "Hounds from Hell," or "Devil Dogs.".
  7. Web site: Marines Maintain Warrior Spirit Through MCMAP . Hanks . Nathan . 2016-11-30 . United States Marine Corps . 2021-08-26 . In 1918, during the battle of Belleau Wood, France, the Marines were given the nickname "teufelhunden," or "Devil Dog," by the Germans for their fierce fighting ability..
  8. Book: Sturkey, Marion F. . 2003 . Warrior Culture of the U.S. Marines . Plum Branch, South Carolina . Heritage Press International . 104 . 0-9650814-1-9.
  9. News: . 1918-07-20 . Teufel Hund Posters at Marine Office . . 4 . 'Teufel Hund'...is the leading display line on the new Marine recruiting placards and posters...the Marine bulldog is showing chasing the German Daschsund. The last line...is 'Devil Dog Recruiting Station'....
  10. Book: Donald, Graeme . 2009 . Loose Cannons: 101 Myths, Mishaps and Misadventures of Military History . New York . Osprey . 124–125 . 978-1-84603-377-3.
  11. Book: Mencken, H. L. . 1921 . The American Language: An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States . New York . Alfred A. Knopf . 2nd . 333.
  12. Web site: This photo of Gen. Neller drinking from the devil dog fountain will motivate you . Schehl . Matthew L. . 2016-06-14 . Marine Corps Times . 2021-08-22 . "The term very likely was first used by Marines themselves and appeared in print before the Battle for Belleau Wood," Bob Aquilina of the Marine Corps History Division told Schogol at the time. "It gained notoriety in the decades following World War I and has since become a part of Marine Corps tradition.".
  13. News: Schogol . Jeff . 2011-01-04 . Did Marines, not German soldiers, coin the phrase 'Devil Dogs'? . https://web.archive.org/web/20110107082848/http://www.stripes.com/blogs/the-rumor-doctor/the-rumor-doctor-1.104348/did-marines-not-german-soldiers-coin-the-phrase-devil-dogs-1.130602 . 2011-01-07 . . 2023-12-03.

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