filter_framesPolar Bear Expedition Digital Materials

The American military intervention at Archangel, Russia, at the end of World War I, nicknamed the "Polar Bear Expedition," is a strange episode in American history. Ostensibly sent to Russia to prevent a German advance and to help reopen the Eastern Front, American soldiers found themselves fighting Bolshevik revolutionaries for months after the Armistice ended fighting in France.

Because many of the American troops involved in the intervention were from Michigan, the Bentley Historical Library Michigan Historical Collections has long been interested in documenting this episode. This collection contains digitized versions manuscripts and photographs as well as maps and primary printed source materials relating to the Polar Bear Expedition.

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials may be under copyright. Where possible, we indicate more about our rationale for hosting these materials on the item pages. If you decide to use any of these materials, you are responsible for making your own legal assessment and securing any necessary permission.

The primary guide to the Polar Bear Expedition collections held by the Bentley Historical Library can be found here: Polar Bear Expedition History.