The 1918 'Polar Bear' Expedition

Despite the distraction of the ongoing World War, troops from thirteen nations were involved in the Russian Civil War, fighting over a variety of goals and objectives. Among those was the United States, which had troops fighting in the bitter Russian cold even after the war in Europe came to an end.

This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.

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Script by JCG

#history #thehistoryguy #Army

[BlasphemousBill]

There is a small cemetery where I grew up. Only 6 or 8 graves. All from the American expeditionary unit Polar Bears.
We local kids had a better understanding of the post WW1 events than our school teachers. Detroit’s own was under one of the names.
Thank you. It’s a great story!

[stevedietrich]

I've learned so much from THG. One of the very best channels on YouTube, and one that this old man is so thankful for. Looking forward to seeing what THG has in store for us in 2023.

[renpixie]

Never thought I’d see a video about this expedition. My grandfather was a Polar Bear from Detroit.

[stephenkneller]

“Churchill’s Secret War with Lenin: British and Commonwealth Military Intervention in the Russian Civil War, 1918-1920” is an absolutely great book about the history of the intervention. While focusing on the Commonwealth forces, it does cover the some of the actions of US forces.

[harrytazzia]

My grandfather (mom’s dad) was a Detroit Polar Bear. His duty was to change the “cheese box” on a Lewis gun. There is a cemetery in Troy, Michigan (north of Detroit) called White Chapel where stands a statue of a Polar Bear with the graves of those who were killed in Russia buried around it. My grand parents took my there when I was 6 or7.

[MightyMezzo]

I first heard of the US participation in the Russian civil war from Phillip Knightley’s book “The First Casualty.” I really appreciate your concise account of this unknown intervention.

[Dscampbell]

as a small boy growing up in the 1960's, I would listen to the stories our local postmaster would tell of his time in the Polar Bears. They almost always ended with him saying I never understood why we were there or if we did any good.

[kickthesky]

I served in the Army Reserves after my time on active duty. The unit I served in was the 339th Infantry Regiment. When I served with the unit it was a training unit that would have opened basic training bases had WW III broken out, teaching draftees how to operate a tank. The unit crest for the unit had a polar bear on it and Cyrillic writing. It is the only unit crest in the United States military with Russian on it.

[timclark]

I had a relative from Michigan who was part of this. He must have survived because I have one of the reunion medals.

[squonkhunter]

I had a 2nd Great Uncle involved in this. He was a first generation German-American farm boy from Texas. The story I heard had him entering Russia from somewhere in the west and coming out in the east in China. While in China he met and married a young Russian woman who was the sole survivor of a large family murdered by the Bolsheviks. They settled in southern California and stayed there the rest of their lives. I greatly regret that I never got to meet them and hear their story. What a story it must have been.

[RetiredSailor]

Good morning from Ft Worth TX to everyone watching! Happy New Year to all

[navret]

First I learned that we had troops involved in the Russian revolution. Thank you for filing in this void in my knowledge as you do most days.

[khausere]

The "Polar Bears" are memorialized in the Michigan Military and Space Museum in Frankenmuth - well worth the visit. On a personal note, I was attached to the 4/31st Infantry Battalion in Afghanistan in 2002. The 31st Infantry is still nicknamed "Polar Bears" and traces its heritage back to the Russian Expedition.

[christopherseivard]

Beautifully researched! Just to mention, the ship ‘ Olympia’ is on display in Philadelphia; it’s worth the trip!

[danherold]

In Troy, Michigan, my home town, is White Chapel Cemetery. There is a Polar Bear memorial and the remains of many of the dead are interred there. Every 4th of July and memorial day the USAF does a flyover with A-10's from Selfridge ANG base and WW1 reenactors parade in period attire to honor them.

[williamward]

Nice job... For more, read my oral history, "A Well-Kept Secret: The Allied Invasion of North Russia, 1918-1919" by William Ward... While in graduate school, I had the great good fortune to interview 49 Americans and Canadians who were there... The French soldiers who mutinied ended up negotiating their surrender that allowed them to keep their guns... Also, I believe that the most common machine gun was the Lewis gun... There is a painting done by John Toornman of the Battle of Kopogora, the farthest point that Americans reached from Archangel... There is some support that the "suicide" was actually a murder (read the accounts of John Toornman)...

[RocketmanSK]

Thanks for sharing this story with your viewers. My grandfather served as an infantryman in the 339th, E Company. I still have a jar with some hard tack that he kept in his pockets. From what I understand, that and melted snow were all they survived on for weeks.

[wescoastblues]

Thank you. My grandfather was in the 339th company C and was a sharpshooter. It is never mentioned that some were from Illinois, as he was a resident of Cicero outside Chicago. Thank God he made it and lived until 1962.

[MacHamish]

I first learned about this years ago while collection Mosin Nagant rifles and noticing Winchester stamped rifles.

[CulturedHeathen]

Thank you for producing this post. My mother's father, H. O. Cottrell, was a veteran of the Polar Bear Expedition. This military expedition has always given our family some difficulty when trying to find information on the actions of the forces involved. Thank you for "remembering" this small but difficult conflict.