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A Siberian Experience
In the wake of World War I, The War to End All Wars, members of the American Expeditionary Force took on a very little known mission. They were sent to intervene in the Bolshevik Revolution that was gaining momentum in Russia. The Russians had signed a peace treaty with the Germans, ending their participation in the war. This left Lenin free to finish his coup at home. The revolution was purging the Czar rulers and ushering in the new era of communism. Most of Russia was under the control of Lenin’s army by this time. The United States and several WWI allies went in to help slow communism for the first time. Our forces moved into Siberia, securing the vital ports of Murmansk and Archangel, Russia and taking over security of the railroads. Their main mission was to protect allied supplies in the area. As they arrived for their mission other soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines were returning home to victory celebrations. The Great War had been won and would lead to everlasting peace, or so we thought. This victory deserved a lot of attention. Members of the AEF served in brutal environmental conditions and were relatively unknown to anyone at home. A lack of modern communications and the victory in Europe helped to hide their service from the public. In that era, military units were made of from small, geographic areas. The soldiers that went to Siberia were mainly from Detroit and California and much of the rest of the nation was unaffected by the deployment. The 339th Infantry Regiment was predominantly from Detroit and was known as the “Polar Bears”. They served under some of the most extreme weather conditions in the area of Archangel, with temperatures plunging to -56F. During their deployment they were also deluged with propaganda fliers attempting to attack their will to fight. American Soldiers fought several engagements against the Red Partisan Army of the Soviets. The battles were much smaller in scale compared to World War I, but they were costly in numbers of casualties. One company lost 50 of 90 men in the defense of a railroad depot. Throughout the summer of 1919 these engagements were common. At its peak, the American Expeditionary Force numbered close to ten thousand soldiers and support staff. In 1920 the soldiers of the Siberian Conflict were returning to California for discharge or the Philipines for further service to the United States. The US Army in Siberia lost upwards of 500 men to combat or disease during the deployment. The numbers vary due to lack of proper records at the time. Of the 5,500 soldiers that served with the Polar Bears, 232 died and over 300 were wounded. In 1929 former soldiers of the unit were allowed to return to Russia to recover the bodies of those left behind. In 1930, 55 sets of remains were returned to Michigan and laid to rest in a Troy, Michigan cemetery. They are buried in a circle around a large marble statue of a polar bear. |
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End of this presentation — You may go to Introduction & Table of Contents for A Vet's Take or Home - Contact Us - Cold War Hist. - 91st SRS Hist. - Stardust 40 Mission Story |
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