John Blackshoe Sends: Serendipity History - A Souvenir of the American North Russia Expeditionary Forces 1918-1919 (Part 2 of 2)

Composite photo showing full inscription on PVT Joyce’s souvenir shell case.

Author’s collection and photo

While PVT Joyce and the 339th Infantry were crossing the pond, General Pershing, in response to Washington directions, decided to divert 143 officers and 4,344 troops to North Russia, instead of France, and thus the “Polar Bears” adventure began. The 339th was the core of the American force, with additional engineers and medical troops. After arrival in England, the 339th were issued Russian Model 1891 Mosin Nagant rifles (made in America but stalled in the UK after the Russian revolutionaries repudiated the Tsarist contracts). Using those would make logistics easier when cooperating with loyalist “White” Russian forces. They left England on August 27th, and arrived in Archangel (near Murmansk) on September 4th to become part of a larger Allied force, with a lot of Brits, some Canadians and a smattering of French, and Polish troops, augmenting local Russian forces of dubious loyalty or effectiveness.

This force covered lines about 450 miles long, extending 200 miles south towards Moscow on the sole railroad, and on two rivers (which in the winter were frozen like you see on “Ice Road Truckers” except with small sleds drawn by horses or reindeer). 

So, how did sending Americans to Russia fit into the bigger picture?

While the west was busy fighting Germans in France, Russia was doing internal Russian stuff in 1917-1918, and the eastern front collapsed, freeing German troops for action on the western front. Something like this:

• February 1917 Revolution- Riots and mutinies in Russian Army and Navy- Tsar abdicates- dual governments take over.
• October 1917- “October Revolution” Lenin and the Bolshevik “Reds” take over. “Whites” oppose them.
• March 3, 1918- Treaty of Brest-Litovsk – Russia quits the war and cedes control of Finland, Eastern Europe, Poland and Ukraine. Read more about this important but little known treaty here.
• July 1918- Tsar executed 

The situation in Russia 1918-1920 showing effects of Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Source

In the summer of 1918, there were massive amounts of supplies and arms in Archangel and Murmansk to be kept from the Russian revolutionaries, or possibly German forces seeking to open a naval base in Murmansk. In reality, the Russians had already looted the most valuable stuff from the warehouses, and the Germans were in no shape to move in that direction. Still, there were a large number of Czech troops cut off on the eastern front that the Allies hoped to rescue and transport to fight on the western front. It all sounded good on paper, and, President Wilson wanted to ensure the U.S. had some weight at the eventual negotiating table, so he ordered U.S. troops to North Russia and Siberia.

The Polar Bears basically ended up fighting back and forth along the railroad and rivers, heading inland from Archangel, spending the winter of 1918-1919 in sub-zero weather, living in impoverished villages waiting for the Bolsheviks to attack. The White Russians proved a fickle ally, aware that the Allies would leave someday, and they would still be there.

The details of the campaigns, combat, weather, logistics, relations with the locals (who generally liked the Americans), the Red Cross, the YMCA, the allies are really well covered in 339th’s unit history by CAPT Joel R. Moore, LT Harry H. Mead and LT Lewis E. Jahns, The History of the American Expedition Fighting the Bolsheviki; Campaigning in North Russia 1918-1919, Polar Bear Publishing Co. Detroit, MI, 1920.

The digital version is available here, or in hard copy from ABEbooks.com for people who like to read physical books.

 

It includes a photo of a Trench Mortar crew on page 97. Possibly one of them is our PVT Joyce, but the quality of the digitized half tone image is marginal. They had at least 7 mortars.

Source

The History Guy’s “1918 Polar Bear Expedition” is a superb 17 minute summary, with many more details. He includes some of the video which used in Part I, while adding context and great commentary on the futility of the whole operation.

The final part of this video shows the 339th embarking in Archangel for their return to the U.S. in June 1919. Can you spot anyone with a 16” long shell case in his backpack? Ancestry.com documents include the muster list for the return voyage, and PVT Joyce’s discharge on July 18, 1919 and his later living in Wilmington.

VA Grave marker application.
Source

Veterans Administration records of headstone or grave marker requests are another great resource for historians or genealogists, and readily available on Ancestry.com. This confirms Pvt. Joyce’s military career, dates of birth and death, and identifies a relative. His grave marker (ordered above) notes his rank as “Mechanic” unit Headquarters Company 339th Infantry, and World War I, but no mention of service in Russia. (Source)

PVT. John J. Joyce’s grave in Wilmington, DE, with the marker ordered above.
Source

The AEF- North Russia had 553 casualties: 109 killed in battle; 35 died of wounds; 81 from disease (90% of those from influenza); 19 from accidents/other causes; 305 wounded and 4 POWS (released). Even after recovery operations post war, about 30 of the American dead remain in unknown graves in Russia.

Another excellent historical study of the expedition is Roderick Hosler, “THE AMERICAN INTERVENTION IN NORTH RUSSIA, 1918-1919,” published by the Army Historical Foundation.

Confirmation of the dubious value of excessive interventionism is found in the 84 page U.S. Army Campaigns of World War I Publication 77-50 “The Russian Expeditions 1917-1920.” It covers both the North Russia Expedition discussed here and the concurrent, but totally separate, “American Expeditionary Forces- Siberia” way over on the Pacific terminus of the Trans Siberian Railroad, about 5,500 miles away. (We might look at some artifacts and people from that theater some other time.) The Army summary is:

“In early 1917, the Allied coalition in the First World War was in crisis as German pressure pushed the Russian Empire to the brink of collapse. Desperate to maintain the Eastern Front against the Central Powers, the Allies intervened. However, with their resources committed elsewhere, they needed a source of military forces for deployment to Russia. President Woodrow Wilson agreed to supply American troops for two expeditions: the American North Russia Expeditionary Forces and the American Expeditionary Forces-Siberia. Unfortunately, there was no specific or long-term objective in Russia. Without a clear mission or tangible achievements, the expeditions eventually faded into the background.”

339th Infantry Distinguishing Unit Insignia
Source

Source for unit insignia description below:

The 339th Regiment Unit Crest, better known as a DUI or a unit crest, with the Regimental motto III TBIKB P B IIIAETB (Russian), which translates as “The Bayonet Decides” or “We Finish With The Bayonet” and is pronounced as if it were spelled "shtuk ryshayet" in English.

A polar bear on a blue background is copied from the unofficial Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the North Russia Expeditionary Force. The canton (inset at upper left) displays part of the coat of arms from the city of Cadillac, founder of Detroit, reflecting the fact that the Regiment consisted of a large proportion of men from Detroit (it was locally referred to as “Detroit’s Own”).

Private John J. Joyce’s souvenir shell case reminded him of his adventures in Russia. It should also remind all of us about the service and sacrifice of Americans in every clime and place. And, that national borders constantly shift around the world and that our involvement often accomplishes little.