American Polar Bears in Russia: Soldiers of the 339th Infantry and the Archangel Campaign, 1918-1919

by William Thomas Venner

Overview

At the end of World War I, the U.S. Army 339th Infantry--nicknamed the "Polar Bears"--was deployed to northern Russia to prevent Allied supplies stockpiled near the port city of Archangel from falling into the hands of the Bolsheviks. Drawing on firsthand accounts from men in the regiment, their 18-month campaign is narrated from the point of view of the riflemen, NCOs and officers of companies I and M. Each chapter highlights an individual soldier's experience fighting the Red Army and the Arctic winter, a quarter century before the Cold War.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476648385
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	01/25/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	218
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

William Thomas Venner has researched and written widely about the American Civil War. His articles have appeared in Civil War Times Illustrated, Journal of Field Archaeology, and America’s Civil War. A retired teacher of history and archaeology in schools and at the college level, he lives in Huntersville, North Carolina.
William Thomas Venner has researched and written widely about the American Civil War. His articles have appeared in Civil War Times Illustrated, Journal of Field Archaeology, and America's Civil War. A retired teacher of history and archaeology in schools and at the college level, he lives in Huntersville, North Carolina.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
 1. Camp Custer, Michigan—The 339th Infantry Is Formed
 2. The 339th Heads to the Western Front
 3. Why America Sent Troops to Russia
 4. First American Troops in Russia
 5. The Americans Settle In
 6. A Muddled Assault
 7. Assault on Verst 455
 8. A Change in Strategy
 9. The Great War Ends
10. Archangel
11. On the Front Lines
12. The March to Pinega
13. The Pinega Campaign
14. Winter on the Railroad Front
15. A Mutiny in Name Only
16. The Fight for Bolshie Ozerki
17. Prisoners
18. Spring 1919
19. Homeward Bound
20. Bringing Home the Fallen
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index