The Polar Bear Expedition was a unique event in American and Russian history as well. It stands as the only time that Allied forces including Americans invaded Russia. It began in 1918 when Great Britain and France requested that the US join the Allied Intervention in North Russia. The primary objective of the Intervention was to prevent Allied war material stockpiles in Archangelsk from falling into German hands.
On July 14th, 1918, the Army’s 85th Division set out from their training camp in Michigan to France. Within three days, Woodrow Wilson had agreed to the intervention as long as American forces where only used for guarding the Allied war material stockpiles. The 85th was immediately rerouted through Great Britain and equipped with winter gear and Russian arms. When they arrived in Arkhangelsk on September 4th, 1918, they were placed under British command.
When the British initially arrived in Arkhangelsk ahead of the Americans, they had discovered that the stockpiles had already been moved up the Dvina River by Bolshevik forces. Because of this, the Americans were first used in an offensive rescue of the Czech Legion.
Over time, the offensive gains slowly decreased as the front line was stretched taut. The thin line was difficult to logistically resupply and therefore forced the Allies to adopt a more defensive posture. During the coming winter, Bolshevik forces began an offensive near the Dvina River where they inflicted several casualties and forced the Allies to retreat a considerable distance.
The final withdrawal of Americans came long after the Armistice in November of 1918. Friends and relatives of the 85th division began writing letters and petitioning for the return of the American soldiers. The local newspapers in turn editorialized the petitions and managed to get the issue raised in Congress. Regardless, it was impossible to extract the Americans because the Arctic ocean was frozen over near Archangelsk. The morale of the American soldiers plummeted as they came to grips with their situation. Forced to fight to survive with no easy way out, the Americans trudged on.
The Americans weathered the winter and in February, President Wilson began drawing up plans for the withdrawal of the Americans in Archangelsk. By early June, most of the Americans were on boats heading back home via the port of New York City.