Belleau Wood

In June 1918, German forces advanced toward Paris in one of their final major offensives of the war. The dense forest of Belleau Wood became a critical defensive position along the Marne.
American Marines and soldiers were ordered to hold the line.
What followed was weeks of brutal, close-quarters combat fought in thick woods, wheat fields, and shattered terrain. Machine gun nests were hidden among trees. Artillery tore through the forest canopy. Progress was measured in yards.
On 3 June 1918, U.S. forces began the counterattack. By 26 June, after repeated assaults and heavy casualties, the wood was secured.
Belleau Wood became a defining moment for the American Expeditionary Forces and for the United States Marine Corps. It marked the arrival of American combat power on the Western Front and proved that U.S. forces would not retreat.
The ground was not symbolic.