The Polar Bear Expedition Memorial

So as I said in the last post, my main purpose for going to the cemetery was because they had a memorial dedicated to the Polar Bear Expedition.

In 1918, the United States was asked by Britain and France to help the Counter-Revolutionary Forces in Russia.  The United States obliged by sending a group of men to Archangel and another group to Vladivostok.  The group that was sent to Archangel was mostly composed of men from Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

In September of 1918, the American troops arrived in Russia and were placed under a British commander.  They were used to rescue stranded allied units among other things.  The offensive went well at first but then the lines were stretched and supplies became difficult, so they changed to a defensive posture.

After the signing of the Armistice with Germany, families of the men stuck in Russia started to petition for their return.  In the country, there were several mutinies.  They were finally withdrawn in August of 1919, after which almost 200 men were killed.  Several years after, the expedition was called a mistake.

Eventually, the bodies of the dead were repatriated with 56 of them buried here.  This sculpture was made by Leon Hermant.

The polar bear exhibit at the Detroit Zoo is also a memorial to these men.