"Detroit's Own" story on WTVS Channel 56 this Sun. Nov. 8

[Mikeg]

Two years ago I wrote this extended thread about the WW I soldiers of "Detroit's Own" 339th Infantry Regiment, who fought against the Bolshevik Red Army near Archangel, Russia. These soldiers formed the bulk of the 5,000 US Army soldiers in the American North Russia Expeditionary Force, whose veterans later became known as "Polar Bears".

Pamela Peak - a granddaughter of one of those veterans - has spent the past two years producing and directing a film about the Polar Bears. Titled "Voices of a Never Ending Dawn", it will have its broadcast premiere this coming Sunday at 3:00 PM on WTVS-Detroit Public TV [[Channel 56). It will be shown on other PBS stations across Michigan during the next three months and on PBS stations nationwide during 2010.

Tune in this Sunday afternoon or set your DVR/VCR to record it for later viewing!

Visit the following web sites for more information about the Polar Bears:

• "Voices of a Never Ending Dawn"
• Polar Bear Expedition Digital Collections
• Polar Bear Memorial Association
• Michigan's Own Military & Space Museum

[Vic_doucette]

Mike, I've known Pam most of my life. I've already got the DVR set to records this.

[EastsideAl]

The story of the "Polar Bear" Expedition is one of the least-known stories in American military history. And involved many men from our area. It is nice that someone is telling it.

There is a pretty impressive monument to the expedition out in Troy in the White Chapel Cemetery

[eno]

I'm looking forward to it too. Thanks for the heads up.

[Omaha]

I had no idea until well over 30 years ago when I saw a CBC documentary about the Allies' attempt to help overthrow the Red Russians and help the White Russians re-assume power. Found it fascinating then, and now, thanks to Mikeg, there is more to learn.

I'll have to wait til 2010, but I'll tell those of my family in the Metro area to watch on Sunday.

[maxx]

From what I read of the Polar Expedition, it was a less than glorious point in U.S. history. It sounds like the Polar Expedition was the "brain child" of Black Jack Pershing who appeared to turn rogue and rewrite his orders.
"President Wilson agreed to a limited participation by American troops in the Allied Intervention with the stipulation that they would only be used for guarding the stockpiled war material. When U.S. Army General John J. Pershing received the directive from President Wilson, he changed the orders for the 339th Infantry Regiment, along with the First Battalion of the 310th Engineers plus a few other ancillary units from the 85th Division. Instead of heading for France, these units were trained and re-outfitted in England with Russian guns and then sent to North Russia, where they arrived in Arkhangelsk on September 4, 1918 and placed under British command." [wikipedia]

I'd like to know how ol' Black Jack liked being under British command. It also sounds like U.S. army morale turned bad after a year of less.

"Following the Allied Armistice with Germany on November 11, 1918, family members and friends of the ANREF soldiers began writing letters to newspapers and circulating petitions to their representatives in the U.S. Congress asking for the immediate return of the ANREF from North Russia. In turn, the newspapers editorialized for their withdrawal and their Congressmen raised the issue in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, aware of not only the change in their mission, but also of the Armistice on the Western Front and the fact that the port of Arkhangelsk was now frozen and closed to shipping, the morale of the American soldiers soon plummeted. They would ask their officers for the reason they were fighting Bolshevik soldiers in Russia and would not receive a specific answer other than they must fight to survive and avoid being pushed into the Arctic Ocean by the Bolshevik army."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_Bear_Expedition

[Mikeg]

From what I read of the Polar Expedition, it was a less than glorious point in U.S. history. It sounds like the Polar Expedition was the "brain child" of Black Jack Pershing who appeared to turn rogue and rewrite his orders........
I'd like to know how ol' Black Jack liked being under British command. It also sounds like U.S. army morale turned bad after a year of less.

The Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War was promoted by the governments of Great Britain and France. During the first half of 1918, their leaders applied great pressure on President Wilson to send US troops to North Russia as well as Siberia. President Wilson's Secretary of State Robert Lansing and the US Ambassador to Russia David Francis supported the British and French request while the Secretary of War Newton Baker and the US military leaders were adamantly opposed. President Wilson was initially opposed but eventually capitulated and directed General Pershing to select the regiments to be sent to Archangel and Vladivostok. Gen. Pershing was only following the orders he received from his commander-in-chief, which also included the directive that the US troops would be placed under Allied command once they arrived. The two officers who were in charge of the US troops selected to go to North Russia and Siberia interpreted that directive quite differently. Lt. Col. George Stewart accepted the written directive he received and told his officers to take their direction from the British officers in North Russia. Perhaps because he received his orders during a face-to-face meeting with Sec. Baker, Maj. Gen. William Graves was less inclined to relinquish the command of his forces in Siberia and while he cooperated with the Japanese officers who were ostensibly in command, his officers always reported directly to him.

[Mikeg]

A reminder that "Voices..." will be broadcast this afternoon at 3:00 PM.

[Vic_doucette]

A fine and moving memorial to some of our best and bravest. If you missed it this time, I hope you get a chance to see it in the future.

[vetalalumni]

Thanks for mentioning this interesting subject. I missed the presentation but will try to catch it in the future.