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Polar Bears
Click Polar Bear Camouflage Suit to view an enlarged version of the image. Here, we see a soldier wearing a camouflage suit. That may seem like an odd-looking camouflage suit, but the design makes sense when you consider the location. This World War I-era soldier stands in the midst of a Russian winter! The North Russia Expeditionary Force - known as the "Polar Bears" - arrived in Archangel, Russia on September 4, 1918. A majority of the 5,000-troop contingent hailed from Michigan, with most of these being from Detroit. Upon arrival, they were ordered to join a British campaign against the Bolsheviks. The Marxist Bolsheviks (with Vladimir Lenin as the nominal leader) came to power after the ousting of the Russian Czar in 1917. They soon sued for peace with Germany, ending Russia's involvement in World War I. This concerned the Allies, who wished to keep Germany occupied in the East. They also wished to guard military ordnance that the Allies had previously given to the Russians. President Woodrow Wilson initially directed that the American Polar Beers were only to guard military stores. However, the men soon found themselves actively fighting Bolshevik troops. On November 11, 1918, an armistice officially ended World War I. That same day, the Polar Bears found themselves engaged in their fiercest battle to that date! They remained in Russia as a new year began. Michigan citizens started to become restless. In Detroit, they held protest meetings and circulated petitions. In Lansing, the state senate called for immediate withdrawal from Russia. Finally, in April, General Wilds P. Richardson arrived in Archangel, carrying orders to withdraw. Withdrawal couldn't really begin until June, however, due to frozen waterways. The first returning group of Polar Bears reached Detroit on July 3rd. The next day - July 4, 1919 - a formal ceremony on Belle Isle welcomed them home. The troops were transported to the Isle on a steamer. As they disembarked, rockets were fired, while women and young girls of the American Red Cross showered them with perfumed flower wreaths. Altogether, the Polar Bears had spent over nine months in Russia, suffering 245 casualties. They battled the Bolsheviks through a harsh Russian winter and beyond, remaining at war while other Americans celebrated peace. -Bob Garrett, Archivist E-mail: garrettr1@michigan.gov Click Military Sources Page for an overview of military history sources in the Archives of Michigan. A key source for this article was Roger Crownover's "Stranded in Russia," published in the January/February 1999 issue of Michigan History Magazine. Click Michigan History Magazine to order back issues. The University of Michigan's Bentley Library maintains a "Polar Bear Expedition Digital Collections" site. Click Polar Bear Expedition Digital Collections to access it. Michigan's Own Military and Space Museum in Frankenmuth, Michigan maintains a large collection of Polar Bear artifacts. Click Michigan's Own Military and Space Museum to visit their web site Click Archives of Michigan to visit the Archives of Michigan home page. Click Archives Image of the Month to view archived image pages.
Archives of Michigan This page is the Archives Image of the Month page for September 2007. Updated 08/31/2007 Michigan
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