page_title: American Expeditionary Force, North Russia
section_title: Expedition
hierarchical_section_title: American Expeditionary Force, North Russia / History / Expedition
caption_attribution_description: A Bolshevik shot by an American guard at Outpost No. 1 at 3:00 a.m. on the morning of January 8, 1919 when an enemy patrol of seven men attempted to creep up on the outpost position. This picture was taken to show the white cloak, which all the members of the patrol wore to conceal their movements in the snow. The clothing worn by the man was warm and in good condition. He carried, in addition to a hand grenade, which lies on the ground, a Remington rifle, in good condition, and a plentiful supply of ammunition. Village of Visokaya Gora, Ust' Paden'ga (Усть-Паденьга, currently part of the en:Shenkursk District), Vaga River Column (Arkhangelskaya Oblast), Russia. Jan. 8, 1919. (Official U.S. Army Signal Corps caption for photo 152821)
context_page_description: The American Expeditionary Force, North Russia was a contingent of about 5,000 United States Army troops that landed in Arkhangelsk, Russia as part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. It fought the Red Army in the surrounding region during the period of September 1918 through to July 1919.
context_section_description: When the British commanders of the Allied Intervention arrived in Arkhangelsk on August 2, 1918, they discovered that the Allied war material had already been moved up the Dvina River by the retreating Bolshevik forces. Therefore, when the American troops arrived one month later, they were immediately used in offensive operations to aid in the rescue of the Czech Legion. The British commanders sent the First Battalion of the 339th Infantry up the Dvina River and the Third Battalion of the 339th up the Vologda Railroad where they engaged and pushed back the Bolshevik forces for the next six weeks.
  However, these two fronts each became hundreds of miles (kilometers) long and were extremely narrow and difficult to supply, maintain, and protect. By the end of October 1918, they were no longer able to maintain the offensive and acknowledging their fragile situation and the rapid onset of winter, the Allies began to adopt a defensive posture.
  The Allied commanders also soon realized they would be unable to raise an effective local force of anti-Bolshevik soldiers. Thus they gave up the goal of linking up with the Czech Legion and settled in to hold their gains over the coming winter. During that winter, the Bolshevik army went on the offensive, especially along the Vaga River portion of the Dvina River Front, where they inflicted numerous casualties and caused the Allies to retreat a considerable distance.
  During their time in North Russia, the American forces suffered more than 210 casualties, including at least 110 deaths from battle, about 30 missing in action, and 70 deaths from disease, 90% of which were caused by the Spanish flu. An October 1919 report gives the casualties as 553: 109 killed in battle; 35 died of wounds; 81 from disease; 19 from accidents/other causes; 305 wounded and 4 POWS (released).
caption: A Bolshevik soldier shot by an American guard 8 January 1919
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