The answer is… Archangel, Russia!
And while the Des Moines had traveled there to pick up the Polar Bears, we’re not talking about the adorable, giant, white bears.
As World War I wound down, President Woodrow Wilson, at the request of Great Britain and France, sent two infantry units and support units to Russia to prevent German advancement and to resurrect the eastern front. Instead, 5,000 troops spent most of their time fighting the Bolshevik revolutionaries and the spread of communism. The campaign was known as the American North Russia Expeditionary Force, or more commonly as the Polar Bear Expedition and the troops were known as “Polar Bears.”
The 339th Regiment, referred to as “Detroit’s Own” was comprised mainly of soldiers from Michigan and Wisconsin. This included Morris Weiner, Machine Gun Company. Want to see Morris Weiner ready for the cold, Russian weather? Check out Weiner in his uniform on our digital database.
Image: Gershon Weiner Papers, Leonard N. Simons Jewish Community Archives, Acc# 2014.01
