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, a mistranslation of 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 moniker was used by German soldiers to describe U.S. Marines who fought in the Battle of 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. While the legend persists, the Devil Dogs nickname for Marines first appeared in newspapers in the United States in April 1918, about two months before the Battle of Belleau Wood. The La Crosse (Wisconsin) Tribune ran a story about the nickname on April 27, 1918, and other newspapers used the story as early as April 15, 1918. The Battle of Belleau Wood began on June 1, 1918. ^[1][2][3]

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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."[4]

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Grammar problems

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, and may possibly be an example of Denglisch. 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 WWI soldiers.^[1]

Modern use

The term "Devil Dog" is a very common nickname for all Marines. "Devil Dog" is historically a well-accepted term of endearment, as a title of honor. The "dog" in the phrase is usually associated with the bulldog, in line with the original 1918 poster, such as the English bulldog being a common mascot in the Corps.

In contrast, the term has also taken on a negative connotation due to its usage when correcting Marines. The term "devil dogged" or "devil dogging" has come to mean lectured or otherwise reprimanded, prefaced with being called out as a "devil dog".^[5]

See also

• VMF-111

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Flippo, Hyde. "German Myth 13: Teufelshunde - Devil Dogs". About.com. http://german.about.com/od/culture/a/germyth13.htm. 
2. ^ Simmons, Edwin H.: "Leathernecks at Soissons." Naval History, DEC 2005.
3. ^ Schogol, Jeff (January 4, 2011). "Did Marines, not German soldiers, coin the phrase ‘Devil Dogs’?". Stars and Stripes. 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#. Retrieved 27 January 2011. 
4. ^ Mehringer, MSgt Phil. "Memorial Day, Belleau Wood Style". United States Marine Corps. http://www.marines.mil/unit/marforeur/Pages/Memorial%20Day,%20Belleau%20Wood%20Style.aspx. Retrieved 2011-01-21. 
5. ^ Tilghman, Andrew (April 28, 2008). "‘Devil Dog’ term taking a beating". Marine Corps Times. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/04/marine_devildog_042708w/.