Devil Dog

This article is about the U.S. Marine nickname. For other uses, see Devil Dog (disambiguation).

A recruiting poster by Charles B. Falls makes use of the "Teufel Hunden" nickname

Teufel Hunden, allegedly meaning Devil Dogs in German, is a motivational nickname for a U.S. Marine.

U.S. Marine Corps legends

According to tradition in the United States Marine Corps, the title was assigned by German soldiers to U.S. Marines who fought in the Belleau Wood in 1918. The Marines fought with such ferocity that they were likened to "Dogs from Hell." Although unverified by the Germans, the reports were made by American media at the time.

Diary

teufelshunde A very common story repeated in the Marine Corps holds that the nickname was adopted from the diary of a German soldier who was killed in action during the Battle of Belleau Wood. In it, he apparently referred to Marines as "dogs of the devil" for their fighting spirit and tenacity.

In fact though, the story about US Marines being called "Devil Dogs" because of the Battle of Belleau Wood is a myth. The term first appeared in US newspapers in April 1918, almost two months before the Battle of Belleau Wood.

An April 16, 1918 story in the Victoria (Texas) Daily Advocate is headlined "MARINES ARE NAMED DEVIL DOGS BY FOE" and has a Washington dateline. The article says:

"That time honored nickname by the U.S. Marines for generations leathernecks' is no more! At least, the Germans have abandoned it, according to a report from France.

In its place the Teutons have handed the sea-soldier one with far more meaning. They call the American scrappers "teufel hunden," which, in English means 'devil dogs.'

'Gee those guys rank us with the 'Ladies from Hell',' declared a grizzled old Marien (sic) Sergeant swelling with pride, when he heard the new title."

A variation of the story was printed in the Ogden (Utah) Examiner on April 28, 1918, this one with a New York dateline.

"United States Marines in service in France are proud of the title 'Teufel Hunden' or 'Devil Dogs' conferred upon them by the Germans, according to letters received received at marine corps headquarters here. The letters say, saves the 'soldiers of the sea' from selecting a substitute for the unfavored 'Sammy.'"

That story closes with the same quote from an unnamed Marine sergeant.

Research of newspaper archives at http://www.newspaperarchive.com shows that the earliest version of this story was printed April 15, 1918 in the Chillicothe (Missouri) Constitution. Other newspapers throughout the United States printed the story in April and May 1918, but the "Devil Dogs" term did not come into widespread usage until after the June 1918 Battle of Belleau Wood.

Gas masks

Some Marines offer a more detailed story: The Battle of Belleau Wood was fought in France in the summer of 1918, in the midst of a heat wave. At some point during the battle, the Marines were ordered to take a hill occupied by German forces. As the Marines prepared to charge the hill, word came down from command that the Germans were preparing to use mustard gas to repel the attack. As a precaution, the Marines were ordered to put on their gas masks and take the hill. As the Marines fought their way up the hill, the heat caused them to sweat profusely, foam at the mouth and turned their eyes bloodshot. Additionally, at some points the hill was very steep, which caused the Marines to have to scramble on all fours to make their way up. Consequently, from the Germans' vantage point, they witnessed a pack of tenacious, growling figures whose lower faces were obscured by gas masks (which at the time had a prolonged shape that somewhat resembled a snout) but left open their bloodshot eyes and mouth foam seeping from the sides, advancing up the hill, sometimes on all fours, and killing everything in their way. As the legend goes, the German soldiers, upon seeing this spectacle, began to yell that they were being attacked by "dogs from hell."

Dispatch

USMC Master Sergeant Phil Mehringer (2008) explains it like this:

"The term "Devil Dog" has its origins at Belleau Wood. It was in a dispatch from the German front lines to their higher headquarters explaining the current battle conditions that described the fighting abilities of the new, fresh Americans as fighting like "Teufel Hunden" or "Hounds from Hell.""

Teufel Hunden is grammatically incorrect

A poster created by Charles B. Falls in 1918 (exhibited further up) was one of the first recorded references to the term.

In German, a compound noun is always a single word, so using two words "Teufel Hunden" is grammatically incorrect. The correct German would be Teufelshunde in nominative, genitive, and accusative cases, and Teufelshunden only in the dative. In either form, the linking element s steps between the words. Examples:

Sie waren Teufelshunde. - they were devil dogs.

Er war ein Teufelshund. - he was a devil dog.

Er sprach von den Teufelshunden. - he talked about the devil dogs.

Furthermore, the word "Teufelshund" is unknown in the german language. The nearest equivalent is "Höllenhund" ("dog of hell"), the german translation of the mythical Kerberos; a term that can also be used to describe a reckless and courageous person. All this suggests that the Marines were never actually referred to as "devil dogs" by German WW1 soldiers.

Modern use

Currently in the Marine Corps, the term Devil Dog is a very common nickname for all Marines. "Devil Dog" was historically a well accepted term of endearment. Professional Military Education had stated "Devil Dog" is a title of honor, and should be regarded as such. "Devil Dog" should be called out when praising ones actions when they are in keeping with the high standards of the Corps. The "dog" in the phrase is usually depicted as a bulldog in line with the original 1918 poster. The bull dog is the official mascot of the Corps. A line of bulldogs had served as the unofficial mascot of the Corps since the 1920s, most named after General Chesty Puller.

The United States Marines Corps bulldog design was inspected by the Department of the Navy, Headquarters, United States Marine Corps, Washington, D. C. on January 25, 1983 and adequately conformed to the Department of Navy's specifications and approved. Subsequent to this approval, it was further approved for product and licensing distribution.

Upon approval of the United States Marine Corps, Department of Navy, Headquarters, United States Marine Corps, the copyright application was submitted. It took approximately four years to have the copyright approved. It was issued on February 3, 1983. The copyright was a significant step in having the Headquarters, US Marine Corps ranking the Bulldog as the official Bulldog for the United States Marine Corps. [1]

See also

• VMF-111