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THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION
OF THE
339TH INFANTRY
UNITED STATES ARMY


ORGANIZATION


DAY


N U MB E R




-  U-. --- -— sI luIt              j "'






Organization Day
April 2, 1926
ON THIS, the seventh anniversary of
the Battle of Bolsheozerki, where
American doughboys of the 339th Infantry,
their backs to the wall, threw back with
overwhelming losses the last big push of the
Russian Bolsheviks, the officers and men of
the 339th Infantry dedicate this edition of
the POLAR BEAR CUB to our gallant
dead on that field and on the other fields
of the Russian Campaign.






The War Officers of the
339th Infantry
Camp Custer, Mich., Summer of 1918




"Inform  our troops that all America resounds with praise
of the splendid record that the American Expeditionary
Forces have made. The reputation of the American soldier
for valor and for splendid discipline under the most trying
conditions has endeared every member of the Expeditionary
Forces not only to his relatives and friends, but to all Americans. Their comrades in France have not forgotten that the
Americans in North Russia are part of the American Expeditionary Forces, and we are proud to transmit to you the generous praise of the American people...    I wish every
soldier in Northern Russia to know that I fully appreciate
that his hardships have continued long after those endured
by our soldiers in France and that every effort is being made
to relieve the conditions in the North at the earliest possible
moment."-John J. Pershing.




History of the 339th Regiment of Infantry
1917-1926


EDITOR'S NOTE-The bulk of the data which comprises this history of the 339th Infantry was taken
from the book entitled "The History of the American
Expedition Fighting the Bolsheviki," of which Lieut.Col. Joel R. Moore, 339th Infantry, was one of the
three joint editors and compilers. Col. Moore served
as a company commander in the regiment during its
service in Russia, and is one of the two officers now
assigned to the unit who saw actual service in its
ranks during the war. Lack of space alone prohibits
the publication in these columns of the volume in its
entirety. For gripping interest and thrilling narra

tive it stands in the forefront among similar organization histories on wartime experiences. It records
a little known and less appreciated part which the
American Army played in making world history
seven years ago in such a manner as to make it desirable that it be placed beside those stories which
record the larger but no more gallant actions of the
American forces on other battle fronts. The editor
acknowledges with gratitude the courtesy of Col.
Moore in making the following summary possible.
A small amount of the data has also been obtained
from the official War Department records.


*A          *A            *           *            *             *


The 85th Division, of which the 339th Infantry
was and is a part, was organized at Camp Custer,
Michigan, pursuant to General Orders 95 and 101,
War Department, 1917, from   National Army men
of Michigan, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Indiana, and
Illinois, and was known as the Custer Division, the
divisional shoulder patch, later adopted, bearing the
initials C. D., in red. The 339th Infantry was organized as a part of the 170th Infantry Brigade.
So large a percentage of its personnel was drawn
from Detroit that it soon came to be known as "Detroit's Own."  Trained for service in France, the
Division was successively under the command of
Major General J. T. Dickman, Brigadier General
S. W. Miller, Major General James Parker, Major
General C. W. Kennedy, and Brigadier General
G. D. Moore. While under the command of General
Kennedy, the advance detachment of the Division arrived overseas on July 26, 1918, and eight days later
the first unit arrived.
Upon arrival in England the 339th Infantry, together with the 1st Battalion, 310th Engineers, the


337th Field Hospital, and the 337th Ambulance
Company were detached from the Division and were
designated as a part of the Allied force operating in
North Russia under British command. The Division thereafter never served as a complete unit, and
the history of the regiment becomes a story in itself.
With subsequent replacements numbering approximately fifty-five hundred men, and under the command of Colonel George E. Stewart, the regimental
commander, the expedition, from this time on to be
known as the American North Russian Expeditionary
Force, re-outfitted for the climate and warfare of the
Arctic, sailed from Newcastle-on-Tyne on August
25, 1918, in the British transports "Somali," "Tydeus," and "Nagoya." A fourth ship, carrying
Italian troops, accompanied the convoy a portion of
the way.
Haste was essential. The Russian Bolsheviks, well
equipped, well led, brave and confident, were threatening to overwhelm a meager force near Archangel
composed of a handful of American sailors from the
famous "Olympia," a battalion of French Infantry,




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THE-IE POLARt BEARH CUB


64                              T     P


and a loosely organized force of British cripples.
Full speed was ordered on all the ships, and zig-zagging their way to escape the ever expected submarine,
the expedition crossed the Arctic Circle, entered the
Dvina River and cast anchor off Archangel at 10:00
a. m. September 4, 1918. An attack of the flu had
caused trouble on the trip north, medical supplies
were none too plentiful, and the men suffered from
the cold, which became more severe daily.
The immediate and pressing need upon coming into port was the establishment of hospital facilities.
On September 6th the first American medical personnel debarked at Bakaritza, and made what preparations were possible to care for the sick who had
clogged the sick bays of the transports during most
of the journey.  The British hospitals were found
to be inadequate, the food poor, and medical supplies
so bound about with red tape that adequate quantities were almost impossible to obtain. American medical officers and personnel found themselves handicapped by the fact that they were frequently outranked by British officers, and the clash of authority
often led to much misunderstanding and hardship.
By dint of much hard work and diplomacy and the
able assistance of the Red Cross officials, cleaner and
more commodious hospitals were subsequently established, under more or less American management, but
not before upwards of a hundred of American doughboys had died under the inhospitable leaden skies of
the frozen north.
Meanwhile, prompt military measures were necessary if the cause of the Allies was to be maintained.
On the afternoon of the 5th the 3rd Battalion of
the regiment debarked in full field equipment at
Bakaritza, and immediately started south along the
railroad in two trains of box cars toward the fighting
front. The town of Obozerskaya marked the farthest
advance of the Allied forces, and it was here
that the American troops detrained on the morning
of September 6th. Abundant evidence in the vicinity
testified to the fact that here tile stern work of the
expedition was to begin. Outposts were established,
and the American sentries took over their first duties
as guardians of the Allied front.
On September 7th two platoons of Company "K"
were detailed for the relief of tile American sailors
near Tiogra, while the remainder of this company
guarded the wireless station and railroad repair shops
at Issaka Gerk. Obozerskaya, meanwhile, was established as a field base.  Supply trains, munition
dumps, and transport units were established.  The
expedition's only air force, a number of planes shipped from the Western Front, were assembled and a
landing field prepared for them.
It was early decided that the expedition must work
offensively. Efforts were made to enlist the support
of the native Russian population by enlisting the
men in units under British control. On September
11th advance units of Company "M," reconnoitering
in force, met a heavy force of Reds, and fought the


first engagement, driving the enemy from their positions, and capturing a bridge at Verst 464.
On September 16th the enemy launched a savage
counter-attack on the outposts being held by Company "L." Supported by two platoons of Company
"I," the untried doughboys passed through their
baptism of fire like veterans, but paid with the loss
of the first man of the expedition killed in action.
MIinor engagements of outposts were of daily occurrence. On September 28th General Finlayson, the
British commander, arrived and ordered a converging attack on the strongly held village of Plesetskaya. Company "K," which had been holding the
Seletskoe Kodish front, was reinforced by Company
"L," and directed to form one of the columns of the
joint drive, while Companies "I" and "M," reinforced by a company of French Infantry, an armored
train, and a detachment of Headquarters Company,
hastily transformed into a Stokes mortar unit, and
armed with three mortars, formed the other jaw of
the pinchers. The latter column was further split
into two sections. Company "M" and two platoons
of Company "I," supported by a detachment of
Engineers, were detailed to march many miles around
the flank, with the purpose of cutting the railroad at
Verst 455, while the remaining two platoons of Company "I" made a frontal attack on the enemy's positions. Thus split into three weak columns against
a force of Reds variously estimated at from four to
ten times as large as the attackers, unsupplied with
maps or guides, and with the entire plan poorly conceived and planned by the Allied commander, the
expedition was foredoomed to failure. The flanking
detachment, after an all-night march through forests
and swamps, were forced to return to their starting
point at daybreak, it having been found impossible
to proceed in the untracked wilderness.
The column of a company and a half took up a
position where they would support the main attack,
which started at 6:00 a. in., September 29th. The
first allied attack drove the Russians from their front
lines, but a counter-attack soon brought all units into
action again. The Stokes mortar gunners here gave a
good account of themselves, and supported by machine gun and rifle fire, they repulsed the attack.
Ammunition, however, was exhausted, and reserve
supplies not having come up, a second counterattack was more successful, and the French and Americans were driven back over the ground captured
during the morning. The withdrawal became increasingly serious, and field headquarters was in danger of
capture.  Much depended upon the defense of a
bridge. One platoon of Company "M," and a half
platoon of Company "G" were rushed in to hold this
vital spot. Supported by a single machine gun, the
bridge was gallantly held during the night and the
following day, despite counter-attacks and persistent
shelling from the Russian artillery and armored
trains.
Both forces now dug in to await developments.
Positions were consolidated, and affairs settled down




THE POLAR BEAR CUB


65


to a daily routine of artillery actions and minor raids.
On October 13th a small Franco-American attack
was launched in an effort to cut the railroad behind
the Russian armored train. The Russian lookouts
spotted the advance in time to hastily withdraw their
rolling stock, but not until after they had been severely handled by the doughboys. The attack was not
without value, however, as the worried Reds withdrew ten versts, the Americans moving forward all
along the line.  Company "I" held the position
farthest advanced. On the 17th, Company "M" relieved Company "I," and improved the position, driving off a force of 600 Russians sent to oppose them.
Here the fall advance of the Archangel-Volegda
Railway ended. The objective originally had been
set at Volegda, but it had been found impossible to
progress that far in the face of stubborn resistance,
and with the handful of men available. Winter was
rapidly coming on, and plans were pushed for a final
consolidation of the positions. The Allies dug in during the remainder of October and the first part of
November, defeating several savage counter attacks
during the process, and being constantly harrassed
by the excellent Red artillery.
Meanwhile the 1st Battalion remained on the
transports until the morning of September 7th, when
it disembarked and prepared for five days' trip up
the Dvina River in ancient cattle barges. The river
at this point is an extremely meandering stream, dotted with many low islands, and surrounded by vast
areas of swamps-an exceptionally unpromising terrain for offensive military action. September 11th
saw the force disembarking at Beresnick, and preparing to advance to the relief of a small British
force farther up the stream.  On September 15th
the battalion left for Chamova, which was reached
early the following morning, and it was here that
the unit received its first taste of hostile artillery
fire. The Russians retired on Seltzo before the
American advance, and in the afternoon of September 19th the doughboys prepared for an attack on
the village, across a swamp waist deep in mud and
water, and utterly impracticable for artillery. Companies "C" and "D" formed the attack, supported
by Company "B." Their advance was held up when
within 1500 yards of the Russian lines, where they
dug in as best they could in the mud and water to
spend the night. The men were without overcoats
or blankets, rations were unobtainable, and their
sufferings were severe.
Desultory attacks were made throughout the following day, Company "B" losing the first man of
the expedition.  In the afternoon friendly artillery
arrived behind the American line, and covered by its
barrage, the battalion attacked frontally and gained
the village.  It was found impossible to bring up
the Allied Artillery and, in grave danger of being
blown to pieces by the Russian batteries, the battalion
returned the following morning to Yakovlevskaya.
A few days later the advance was resumed, the
outskirts of the village of Pouchuga being reached


without serious opposition. Rain fell almost incessantly, and the column was wet, footsore, and weary.
Supplies were difficult to get up, and emergency
rations were the rule rather than the exception.
Shortly afterward orders were received to proceed
to the Vaga River front, where a third column of
the Allied forces were operating. The trip was made
by barge down the Dvina and up the Vaga, the
battalion halting at Shenkursk.  Conditions here
were a great improvement over the Dvina lowlands,
and the troops had the privilege of a week's respite,
with considerably improved food supplies. At the
end of this time, however, Company "B" was again
ordered to the Dvina, and departed on the tug "Retvizan." This company, from October to April, was
detached from the battalion, and formed a part of a
mixed force under British control operating along
the Dvina River. The unit guarded the left bank of
the stream, and was quartered during the winter at
Toulgas. Several spirited engagements were fought
during the fall months, until the advent of winter
made further advance impracticable.
While the 1st and 3rd battalions of the regiment
were pushing slowly southward on two fronts, the
2nd Battalion was called upon for guard duty in
Archangel itself and the districts immediately surrounding. Disembarking on the afternooon of September 4th, under the command of Major J. Brooks
Nichols, the troops were assigned the work of guarding the provisional Russian regime in the city, the
docks, the public utilities, and in general the stabilizing of an increasingly delicate situation at the headquarters of the entire North Russian Expedition.
Hardly had posts been established when an enterprising but misguided young Russian, Colonel
Techaplain, undertook, on the evening of September
5, overthrow of the existing authorities by kidnapping the governor, Tchaikowsky. Great excitement
prevailed as a result, a street car strike was declared,
and it was not until the good offices of the American
ambassador had been enlisted, and the strike firmly
handled by the simple expedient of manning the cars
with American doughboys, that the governor was released, and calm restored.
The troops were soon busily engaged in mastering
the intricacies of the British and Russian firearms
with which they had been equipped. Knowledge
of the Colt and Browning must be superseded by
mastering of the British and Russian Vickers by the
machine gunners. The Lewis gun, long the standby
of the British Tommy, became a familiar weapon in
the hands of the Yanks.    The one-pounder, the
French Chauchat, rifle grenades and their dischargers, Stokes mortars, and French machine guns
made up the daily routine of study and drill. The
platoon of Headquarters Company were equipped as
gunners of a battery of Russian "75" field pieces.
This company under the command of Captain Taylor,
was established at Olga Barracks, with the Machine
Gun Company, under Captain Kenyon, in Solombola
Barracks. The latter was assigned the special mission of guarding the quays, and preventing the riot



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66                          THE POLAR BEAR CUB


ing of a large group of disgruntled Russian merchant
sailors. The Supply Company was quartered at
Bakaritza, under Captain Wade.
Regimental Headquarters were established in the
Technical Institute, a vast old building with fourfoot walls, located in close proximity to Olga Barracks, where the Headquarters Company was stationed in constant readiness in case of the ever-expected
uprising of the uneasy populace. The British Commanding General had established his headquarters in
another part of the city, and from the first there were
serious lapses of that co-ordination between the
Allied forces which was so important in an expedition of this nature. The American doughboy chaffed
when he was subjected to British orders; he resented
the fact that his rations were poor, and were delivered to him by British supply trains; he could not put
his heart into fighting under tactical plans drawn
up by officers not his own. British high commanders
were appointed and relieved often without the knowledge of the American commanding officer. The latter
had extreme difficulty in distributing even his general
orders to his units scattered over a front of four
hundred miles. He lost touch with his battalion and
company commanders.    In general, administrative
matters were anything but ideal.
The 2nd Battalion pushed out its first offensive
column when two platoons of Company "H," commanded by Lieutenants Phillips and Pellegrom, began an ascent of the Onega Valley on September 15.
On the 18th Pellegrom's force of fifty-eight men
began the trip up the Onega, reaching the village
of Chekuevo, about fifty miles up the stream, on the
following day. Three days later the remaining
platoon joined this outpost, and reinforced by ninetythree Russian volunteers, repulsed a force of Bolsheviki of twice their number, who made an attack
at dawn on the 24th. Supported by machine guns
and attacking from three sides simultaneously, the
enemy at first gained ground, but well handled fire
from Lewis guns finally caused their retreat and dispersion.
On September 30th orders were received from
American Headquarters for the force at Chekuevo
to open wire communication with the American column
at Obozerskaya, and to move southward for a distance of about sixty miles to block the expected retreat of the enemy westward across the river. Unsupplied with Signal Corps personnel, and with the
certainty of the southern movement being opposed
by superior forces of the enemy, the two platoons
of doughboys were faced with a herculean task. It
was known that seven hundred Reds were entrenched
at Kaska. The force under Lieut. Philips at this
time did not number over two hundred and twentyfive effectives, of whom only half were Americans,
the remainder being friendly Russian volunteers and
Cossacks. At 2:30 a. m. on October 1, the march
southward was begun, the attack on the enemy's lines
being scheduled to begin at five o'clock. with eight
miles to cover in the meanwhile. Most of the Rus

sian volunteers deserted at the first shot, and the
American advance was held up by the fire of several
well manned machine guns. After a spirited engagement lasting all day the attackers withdrew to
Chekuevo, where additional defenses were thrown up.
A squad of men from Company "M," having fought
its way through the forty miles of wilderness separating Company "H" from the 3rd Battalion at
Obezerskaya, opened communications between the
two commands.
Soon afterwards the outpost was augmented by
the arrival of the remainder of Company "H," under
Captain Gevers, and a detachment of twenty-five
French  Infantry.  Company   Headquarters  were
established at Onega, with one platoon at Karelskoe,
and two at Chekuevo. An advance to retain contact
with the retreating Reds began on October 19th but
after progressing some thirty-five miles up the rivei
valley, orders from Headquarters recalled all Troops
to their original stations on the 25th, and further
offensive activities were abandoned, due to the rapid
approach of severe weather.
Company "G" saw its first active service in a flying trip to the lower Pinega River Valley, in an effort
to recover large stores of flour which had been looted
from the loyal population by marauding bands of
Reds. Captain Conway and two platoons of his company left on a fast steamer on October 20th, arriving three days later at the town of Pinega, where the
American officer was to assume command, organize
the defenses, and co-operate with the local governmental officials in raising volunteers. The activities
occupied the time until November 15th, when Lieut.
Higgins, with thirty-five Americans and 210 Russian
Volunteers, was dispatched to clear the Valley and
occupy Karpogora.   They advanced for ten days
without opposition, but from then on daily combat
patrol actions were fought, and on Thanksgiving Day
the column occupied Karpogora. Two hundred miles
from Archangel, and surrounded on every hand by
a multitude of enemies, whose hatred of the foreign
bayonets was daily increasing, the handful of doughboys held the town until December 4th, when, in the
face of a severe attack, in which they suffered their
first casualties, the Americans retired, moving in
good order down the river valley, and taking up
winter quarters in the various villages surrounding
Pinega.
The beginning of winter saw the scattered units of
the 339th Infantry holding a vast horseshoe line
some four hundred miles in length, its northern-most
extremity at Pinega, about one hundred and fifty
miles in an air line northeast of Archangel, its center
at Ust Padenga, something over three hundred miles
distant from Archangel, and its right at Onega. about
a hundred and fifty miles southwest of Archangel.
On this vast front only widely scattered outposts
were garrisoned. Two platoons of Company "G"
were in the vicinity of Pinega. Company "B" was
at Tulgras, one hundred and forty miles distant.
Companies "A," "C," and "D" were dug in in the
(Continued on page 78.)




Published Monthly at
Headquarters 339th Infantry
85th Division
204 New Telegraph Building
Detroit, Michigan
Capt. D. A. Stroh, Inf. (D.O.L.) Editor


Volume III.                                   APRIL, 19296                                    Number 6


A Message from the
Commanding Officer
"The Bayonet Decides"
(By Colonel Geo. W. Blackington, C. 0. 339th Inf.)
Sixty years ago, at the time of the struggle between the North and the South,, war was everything
that General Sherman said it was.   At this date
war is more terrible than it was at that time and it
is doubtful if Sherman or anyone else would have in
his vocabulary terms strong enough to paint the
proper picture of war as it is conducted now and will
be in the future. This nation should and will resort
to all honorable reasons before committing itself to
war with another nation. The best insurance against
war is preparedness. The war department has worked out a very comprehensive scheme of preparedness
and this regiment is a small but important cog in
the machine. Should the day come when it is necessary for this military machine to function in war,
our regiment must be as fully prepared as possible.
The time we can give to training in peace time is
naturally limited and must be made the most of.
The greatest asset the regiment can have is "esprit
de corps" and every means must be utilized to foster
and build up this "esprit."  Proper esprit de corps
will enable us to be better prepared and will expedite
COL. GEORGE W. BLACKINGTON               the training of the regiment in case of mobilization
339th Infantry                  and will insure its greatest success in combat if the
Assumed Command Jan. 1, 19H6          occasion demands. One of the things that has been




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68                          THE POLAR BEAR CUB


done to help build our "esprit de corps" is to set
aside an Organization Day. This is a day on which
the officers and men of the regiment are gathered together with former members of the Polar Bears and
some of the distinguished citizens of Detroit to review the past accomplishments of the regiment and
to instill a new pride in the personnel of the regiment
and acquaint our citizens with the ideals of the regiment.
Tradition is a wonderful foundation on which to
build up an esprit de corps. Officers and men of the
339th Infantry, you have a noble heritage in the
glorious tradition back of this regiment. The regiment was assigned one of the most disagreeable
tasks given to any unit during the war and they carried the message in excellent shape. Let their sterling example spur you on to help build this regiment
up into a harmonious, smooth working organization
such that, if similar or greater tasks are ever assigned to us, Detroit will still be proud to call us
HER OWN.
Our regiment is fortunate in being located within
the limits of a single city where it is easy to get the
entire organization together, frequently, for such inactive training as is possible and for gatherings of
this kind to build up moral. This fact is known to
the War Department and to those responsible for
the building up and training of the Organized Reserves.  So a great deal is expected of us.  We
should and must be one of the units to set the pace
for the great third line of defense of the United
States Army.
Ours is a real responsibility and we cannot shirk
our duty now any more than we could in case of
hostilities. Let us make the most of our inactive
training and set a pace that the War Department
may cite to other Reserve Regiments in order that
our country may be well prepared for the day which
must come again when we will have to defend our
homes and our institutions from some ambitious or
envious foe.
Be proud of your regiment. Make it a point to
attend your battalion and regimental meetings and
take an active interest in working out the map problems which are conducted at these meetings. Carry
on one of the Correspondence Courses offered by the
Corps Area Headquarters. Believe in preparedness,
talk preparedness and be prepared. For if each of
you are prepared the regiment will be prepared, likewise, and the Nation will be prepared.
EXTRA COPIES OF APRIL PO]LAR
BEAR CUB
A few extra copies of this issue were printed more
than required. Anyone desiring extra copies may
obtain them by addressing the publisher, Lieut. R.
W. Curtis, 556 W. Larned ISt., or calling Main 0078.


The Organized Reserves
A Brief Outline of the Largest Component of the Army
of the United States.
The military forces of the United States
consist of all citizens of the United States,
male and female, who are able to render
military service in any capacity, direct or indirect, as combatants or non-combatants.
The organized land forces of the United
States consist of the Regular Army, the
National Guard, and the Organized Reserves. These three components of our military forces have a common mission-elements welded into a harmonious and efficient whole and constitute the Army of the
United States. The Regular Army, the
National Guard, and the Organized Reserves form, respectively, the first, second,
and third echelons of this army. These are
co-ordinate echelons, and each re-enforces
the other. They will not be used as replacements one for the other, except in the case
of unassigned officers of the Organized Reserves, who may be assigned to the Regular
Army.
Each echelon is distinct in its status and
each has a specific mission, but at the same
time is a necessary and co-relative part of
the national military system. In an emergency requiring the maximum mobilization,
the three echelons will furnish six field
armies, each army consisting of two cavalry
divisions and three corps each composed of
three divisions.  In addition to the field
armies, each echelon will supply its pro rata
share of the General Headquarters Reserve
units, and the personnel necessary for the
communications zone and the zone of the
interior. Of the six field armies the Regular
Army will furnish one, the National Guard
two, and the Organized Reserves three.
This scheme of mobilization contemplates,
in principle, initial employment of each
echelon in succession, but ultimately combines them into one effective and homogeneous force. The first echelon, the Regular




THE POLAR BEAR CUB


69


THE POLAR BEAR CUB                          69


Army, from the beginning opposes an invasion and thus gains time for the second
echelon, the National Guard, to complete its
mobilization and preparation and come to
the assistance of the Regular Army. These
two echelons, together, undertake to gain
further delay in order to permit the third
echelon, the Organized Reserves, to be
mobilized, assembled, and trained.  This
plan precludes any adverse decision at the
beginning of a war and permits, without
interruption, the development of such additional military forces as the particular
emergency may require.
The Organized Reserves consist of the
Officers' Reserve Corps, the Enlisted Reserve Corps, and the Organized Reserve
Units. They include troops of all branches
necessary to supplement the Regular Army
and National Guard in order to complete
the first line of defense in a mobilization of
the Army of the United States. In time
of peace, they are potential, rather than an
actual fighting force. The peace establishment is capable of rapid expansion by the
reception of trained and untrained men, but
will require a period of training in mobilization areas before becoming available for
combat operations.
The Officers' Reserve Corps is composed
of selected citizens who voluntarily accept
commissions in that Corps as general officers
and as officers of all grades of the line and
staff branches of the army. It provides the
great mass of officers required for war. In
time of a national emergency expressly declared by Congress, the President may order
reserve officers to active duty for any period
of time. Under other circumstances, he may
order them to active duty at any time, but
not for more than fifteen days in one calendar year without the consent of the officer
concerned. The latter provision, however,
has never been operative, and officers are in
practice not ordered to active duty for any
period without their consent.
The Organized Reserve Units are composed of officers of the Officers' Reserve


Corps, enlisted men of the Enlisted Reserve
Corps, supplemented by a small cadre of
officers and enlisted men of the Regular
Army. The projected war establishment
consists of twenty-seven divisions, six
cavalry divisions, the required corps army,
GHQ reserve, and harbor defense troops,
and the major portion of the communication zones and zone of interior troops. In
peace time, Organized Reserve Units are
maintained as cadres, with the war strength
complements of officers and a limited number of non-commissioned officers. This personnel constitutes the nucleus of the war
time unit. The units are localized as nearly
as practicable so as to constitute complete
higher units.
In peace the Organized Reserves are at
all times organized, so far as practicable,
into brigades, divisions and corps.  The
peace organization forms the basis for a complete and an immediate mobilization for
national defense in the event of a national
emergency declared by Congress. For purposes of administration, training, and tactical control, the area within the continental
limits of the United States is divided on a
basis of military population into nine corps
areas. Each corps area contains at least one
division of National Guard and one or more
of Organized Reserve, and such other troops
as may be directed.
In an effort to maintain organization
pride and esprit, regiments, brigades, and
divisions of all components of the Army of
the United States, so far as practicable. have
been assigned the same numerical designations as those which they had during the
World War. As an example the Eightyfifth Division, which is allocated entirely to
the State of Michigan, contains the same
numerical brigades and regiments, less certain units which are no longer provided for
in tables of organization, as it did during
the War. The spirit of the war organizations thereby is perpetuated in the units
which are a part of the present Army of the
United States.




70


THE POLAR BEAR CUB


CALENDAR OF EVENTS
April and May
April 7
Army and Navy Club, 6:30-10:00 P. M. Unit
assembly, dinner and tactical conference, "The
Battalion in Attack." Open to all members, 3rd
Battalion, 339th Infantry, regimental staff and
special company officers.
April 14
Army and Navy Club, 7:00-10:00 P. M. Group
School: For Second Lieutenants, "Combat Principles, the Rifle Company"; for First Lieutenants, "Combat Principles, the Rifle Company."
Open to all enlisted men and lieutenants of Infantry.
April 17
Fort Wayne, 1:00-5:00 P. M. Marksmanship
instruction, machine-gun, automatic rifle, 37-mm
gun. Open to all officers and enlisted men of
Infantry.
April 18
Fort Wayne, 9:00-12:00 A. M. Marksmanship
instruction, automatic pistol, rifle. Open to all
officers and enlisted men of Infantry.
April 21
Fort Wayne, 6:30-10:00 P. M. Unit assembly,
dinner and tactical conference, "The Battalion
in Defense." Open to all members, 339th Infantry and their friends.
April 24
Fort Wayne, 1:00-5:00 P. M. Marksmanship
instruction, automatic pistol. Open to all officers
and enlisted men of Infantry.
April 25
Fort Wayne, 9:00-12:00 A. M. Marksmanship
instruction, automatic pistol, rifle. Open to all
officers and enlisted men of Infantry.
April 28
Army and Navy Club, 7:00-10:00 P. M. Group
Schools:  For Second Lieutenants, "Combat
Principles, the Rifle Company"; for First Lieutenants, "Combat Principles, the Rifle Company." Open to all enlisted men and lieutenants
of Infantry.
May 1
Fort Wayne 1:00-5:00 P. M.    Marksmanship
instruction, machine-gun, automatic rifle, 37-mm
gun. Open to all officers and enlisted men of
Infantry.
May 2
Fort Wayne, 9:00-12:00 A. M. Marksmanship
instruction, automatic pistol, rifle. Open to all
officers and enlisted men of Infantry.


May 5
Army and Navy Club, 6:30-10:00 P. M. Unit
assembly, dinner and tactical conference, "The
Battalion in Defense." Open to all members, 1st
Battalion, 339th Infantry, regimental staff and
special company officers.
May 8
Fort Wayne, 1:00-5:00 P. M. Marksmanship
instruction, automatic pistol. Open to all officers
and enlisted men of Infantry.
May 9
Fort Wayne, 9:00-12:00 A. M. Marksmanship
instruction, automatic pistol, rifle. Open to all
officers and enlisted men of Infantry.
May 12
Army and Navy Club, 7:00-10:00 P. M. Group
Schools:  For Second Lieutenants, "Combat
Principles, the Rifle Company"; for First Lieutenants, "Combat Principles, the Rifle Company." Open to all enlisted men and lieutenants
of Infantry.
May 15
Fort Wayne, 1:00-5:00 P. M. Marksmanship
instruction, machine-gun, automatic rifle, 37-mm
gun. Open to all officers and enlisted men of
Infantry.
May 16
Fort Wayne, 9:00-12:00 A. M. Marksmanship
instruction, automatic pistol, rifle. Open to all
officers and enlisted men of Infantry.
May 19
Army and Navy Club, 6:30-10:00 P. M. Unit
assembly, dinner and tactical conference, "The
Battalion in Defense."  Open to all members,
2nd Battalion, 339th Infantry, regimental staff
and special company officers.
May 22
Fort Wayne, 1:00-5:00 P. M. Marksmanship
instruction, automatic pistol. Open to all officers
and enlisted men of Infantry.
May 23
Fort Wayne, 9:00-12:00 A. M. Marksmanship
instruction, automatic pistol, rifle. Open to all
officers and enlisted men of Infantry.
May 26
Army and Navy Club, 7:00-10:00 P. M. Group
Schools:  For Second Lieutenants, "Combat
Principles, the Rifle Company"; for First Lieutenants, "Combat Principles, the Rifle Company." Open to all enlisted men and lieutenants
of Infantry.
May 29
Fort Wayne, 1:00-5:00 P. M. Marksmanship
instruction, machine-gun, automatic rifle, 37-mm
gun. Open to all officers and enlisted men of
Infantry.




THE POLAR BEAR CUB


71


Who's Who In The 339th Infantry
An Alphabetical Military Biography


PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Characteristic of those who silently get into
action and attain accomplishment without thrusting themselves
into the limelight, our editor has modestly omitted any mention
of himself in any issue of THE POLAR BEAR CUB. The publisher, therefore, takes this opportunity to print the following
article:
e4 --- —-— ^
DONALD A. STROH, Capt. Inf. D. O. L.
(By Lt. Col. J. Gardner Stevenson, 339th Inf.)
To begin with, on the 3rd day of November, 1892,
Stroh was born. That's how we all begin. This
happy event was chronicled at Harrisburg in the
State of Pennsylvania.
Reference to zodiacal lore acquaints us with the
fact that he was born under the constellation Sagit

The peaceful pursuits of agriculture offered little
attraction to his martial spirit with a world war
in the offing. Accordingly, we find him on May 25,
1917, shortly after the United States' declaration of
war on Germany, enlisted in the U. S. Marine Corps
in which he served at Parris Island and Quantico,
Virginia, until August, 1917.
Having taken an examination and qualified for
second lieutenant U. S. A., he was thereupon transferred to the 2nd U. S. Cavalry and went to Fort
Leavenworth for training with the 3rd Provisional
Class, finishing the course of training in September,
1917, at which time he was ordered to Douglas,
Arizona, for service with the 17th U. S. Cavalry.
In November of the same year he was promoted
to the rank of Captain and placed in command of
Troop "H" at Naco, Arizona, where he acted as
regimental supply officer until the regiment went to
Honolulu in April, 1918. He continued to serve
with his regiment at this station until August, 1920,
when he was transferred to the 35th U. S. Inf. at
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, assigned to command the
Howitzer Company.
In May, 1922, he returned to the U. S. and was
assigned to the 59th Infantry Howitzer Company at
Vancouver Barracks.  Capt. Stroh graduated from
the Infantry School at Fort Benning after sucessfully completing the Company Officers Course.
In June, 1923, he was made Executive Officer
339th Inf. Res. and later in 1925 was appointed
Adjutant 85th Division. In a very real sense, the
339th Inf. is Capt. Stroh, since were it not for this
officer's untiring, persevering efforts, the organization could not have been brought to its present high
state of efficiency. His knowledge of military tactics
and technique and his ability to impart that knowledge to others has won the unstinted admiration of
every officer in this regiment.
Those who have had the good fortune to enjoy the
closer contacts of life in camp have perhaps been
the better able to appraise the patient, painstaking
attention to every detail of their instruction. Capt.
Stroh's personality has won for him the esteem and
friendship of every officer in the 339th Inf. Moreover, modesty which refrains from any assumption
of superiority in dealing with officers, many of whom
hold a higher rank in the reserve, further commends
him to the regiment which is to be congratulated in
having Capt. Stroh as its executive officer.
(Continued on Page 74.)


CAPTAIN DONALD A. STROH
tarius (the Archer) which readily accounts for our
Captain's deadly accuracy in all things, as is evidenced by the string of marksmanship medals he
wears on his chest.
With such an auspicious beginning, it is not surprising to find him in quest of knowledge matriculated
at the then Michigan Agricultural, now Michigan
State College, from which in 1915 he received the
degree of Bachelor of Science (B.S.)




72


THE POLAR BEAR CUB


The Polar Bears at a Local Unit Camp


The "local unit camp" scheme for active duty training of regiments of the Organized Reserves was
tried for the first time in the sixth Corps Area during the summer of 1925 with the 339th Infantry.
This unit, during the summer of 1924, similarly established a precedent for unit training with the C. M.
T. C., and is gaining the reputation of a successful
trial horse.
The 1925 camp was established at Selfridge Field,
near Mt. Clemens, Mich., from September 1 to 15.
From the beginning to the end of the Camp Regular
Army officers on duty there acted as instructors and in
advisory capacities only. Lieut. Col. Joel R. Moore,
339th Infantry, the senior Reserve officer on duty,
acted as regimental commander, and was by order


commander of the camp for administrative and disciplinary purposes.  Battalion and company commanders functioned in a similar manner, the greatest latitude being given them commensurate with
carrying out the prescribed training schedule. Unit
and sub-unit commanders functioned as such in the
solution of tactical problems. The plan worked admirably.
Training consisted of instruction in mobilization,
administration, marksmanship with the rifle, pistol
and machine gun, musketry, bayonet, grenades, automatic rifle, machine-gun mechanism, elementary drill,
mathematics and field firing, close order drill, map
reading, military law, physical training, and tactics.
It was assumed from the beginning that the regi



THE POLAR BEAR CUB        73
np at Seifridge Field, September 1-15, 1925


ment had actually been mobilized to meet a maj or
emergency on September 1 at the contemplated
rendezvous point, the Northwestern High School,
Detroit. Based on this assumption a series of interesting and instructive administrative and training
problems were solved. Each company maintained a
morning report, sick report and duty roster, based
on assumed personnel and assumed changes. These
papers went through the usual daily routine between
company and regimental headquarters.
Tactical exercises were conducted over about
twenty square miles of terrain in the vicinity of Selfridge Field. A special map of the area was prepared by regimental personnel, and every road, road
junction, stream, patch of woods, etc., was named in


honor of an officer or enlisted man of the war time
regiment who had been killed in action in Russia.
The local unit camp idea is believed a good one.
The writer has been privileged to attend three successive Reserve camps where Reserve Organizations
functioned as units, first as a part of a large general
group of Reserve officers, second, superimposed on
the C. M. T. C. and third, that described above. It
is his opinion, and the unanimous opinion of Reserve
officers attending each of the three types, that the
last is by far the most desirable from many standpoints. Detailing a Reserve regiment to a camp "on
its own" develops a sense of responsibility and esprit,
the team spirit, that can be obtained from no other
type of active duty training.




74


THE~IE POLAR BEEAR CUB


74                          THE POLAR BEAR CUB


WHO'S WHO IN THE 339TH
INFANTRY
(Continued from page 71.)
SECOND LIEUTENANT SAMUEL H. JOLLIFFE, attached for training to Company "L," served from April
1916 to August 1918 as an enlisted man in the West
Virginia National Guard. Graduating from a training camp on August 26, 1918, he was commissioned
2nd Lieutenant and assigned to the 65th Pioneer Infantry in which organization he served until discharged in December, 1918.
SECOND LIEUTENANT RAYMOND L. JONES, attached
for training to the 2nd Battalion Headquarters, is an
alumnus of Beacon College. Lieut. Jones served for
nearly one year as an enlisted man in the National
Army during the World War.
FIRST LIEUTENANT RAY K. KELLY, second in command, Company "H," is an alumnus of the Colorado
Agricultural College. He graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry from the first training camp and
was assigned to the 343rd Infantry. Lieut. Kelly
served from September 1918 to July 1919 in the
A. E. F., a part of this service being with the 4th
Provisional Training Regiment, 83rd Division.
CAPTAIN  OLIVER KEMP, commanding Company
"C," began his war service as a sergeant in the 124th
Infantry. Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant early
in January 1918 he served as a Battalion Adjutant
in that regiment until promoted to 1st Lieutenant
three months later. He was discharged in October
1919. Captain Kemp attended the 1925 camp with
the regiment at Selfridge Field.
FIRST LIEUTENANT HANS B. KEYDEL, commanding
first platoon, Company "F," is a graduate of the
Michigan Agricultural College. At the outbreak of
the World War Lieut. Keydel was a student at the
Lansing school, a member of the R. O. T. C. Early
in November 1918 he entered an officers' training
camp, and was discharged January 15, 1919. Lieut.
Keydel served as a student officer in the 1922 Reserve
camp.
CAPTAIN FLOYD W. KNOX, attached for training to
Company "I," graduated as a 1st Lieutenant from
a training camp in November 1917 and was assigned
to the 335th Infantry. He was promoted Captain
in April 1918 and finished his service in the 82nd
Division the following December.
FIRST LIEUTENANT CHARLES F. KORNEFFEL, Second in command, Company "F," served from 1914 to
September 1917 as a sergeant in the Michigan National Guard. On September 24th, 1917 he was appointed 1st sergeant, 125th Infantry, and entered a
training camp in August 1918. He was commissioned
2nd Lieutenant in the latter part of September and
subsequently served with the 60th Infantry and
Prisoner of War Company No. 98. Lieut. Korneffel
saw' combat service at Chateau-Thier vy, Meuse-Ar

gonne, and was wounded in action on October 17th,
1918.
FIRST LIEUTENANT ROY E. KRATZER, commanding
3rd platoon, Howitzer Company, is an alumnus of
the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College
of Washington State University. His war service
included duty with the S. A. T. C. at the Oklahoma
School. Lieut. Kratzer attended the 1923 and 1924
Reserve camps.
FIRST LIEUTENANT RAYMOND W. LABBITT, Second
in Command of Company "G," is a graduate of
Hamiline University. Lieut. Labbitt's war service
extended from September 1917 to December 1918 as
a sergeant, 2nd Lieutenant and 1st Lieutenant in the
Army, most of his commission service being as a personnel adjutant.
SECOND LIEUTENANT ROBERT E. LANDIS, attached
for training to Company "D," is an alumnus of
Vanderbilt University. Until August 1919 Lieut.
Landis served in the S. A. T. C. at the University of
Tennessee. On the latter date he entered a machine
gun training camp at Camp Hancock, Georgia, where
he was discharged on November 25th, 1918.
SECOND LIEUTENANT RUSSELL H. LEACH, attached
for training to Company "I," served from May 1916
to March 1918 as an enlisted man in the Michigan
National Guard, participating in the Oise-Aisne and
Meuse-Argonne offenses.
FIRST LIEUTENANT HARRY LEBESON, regimental
veterinarian, is a graduate of Ohio State University.
From September 1917 until January 1918 he served
as a veterinarian with the 316th Field Artillery.
Transferred on the latter date to the 161st Infantry
Brigade, he served with this organization until May
1919, seven months of which was in the A. E. F.
FIRST LIEUTENANT CHARLES F. LENEWEAVER, commanding first platoon, Company "L," served as an
enlisted man in the 10th Infantry from June 1917
to April 1918 when he was graduated from a training camp as a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry and assigned to the 78th Infantry.
FIRST LIEUTENANT ELI LEVIN, Medical Detachment, obtained his degree from the University of
Chicago. He was appointed 1st Lieutenant in the
Medical Corps on June 30th, 1918, and assigned for
duty at Fort Riley, Kansas. In October 1918 he
was transferred to Camp Hospital 91, with which
unit he served until January 1919. Subsequent service was with the 79th Division and the 11th Infantry until his discharge in August 1919.  Lieut.
Levin served in the A. E. F. from October 1918 to
June 1919.
FIRST LIEUTENANT ROBERT H. LONG, attached for
training to Company "K," has had many years' service as an enlisted man in the Regular Army. He
served from 1899 to 1908 in the 8th Infantry and
(Continued on page 84.)


I




THE POLAR BEAR CUB


Rosters of the 339th Infantry


THEN


NOW


and


Col. George E. Stewart
Capt. Marshall A. Goff
Capt. Harry Carrier
Capt. John Landowski
Lt. Charles E. Lewis
Lt. Roy Bricker
Lt. Robert G. Watkins


Regimental Headquarters
Col. George W. Blackinton
Lt. Col. Joel R. Moore
Major C. E. Frazer Clark
Capt. Guy G. Bratton
Capt. Stanley R. Dickinson
Capt. Clarence J. Mannebach
Capt. Fred Beard
Capt. Minot C. Morgan
Lt. Horace I. Rogers
Lt. Clarence W. Houser


Capt. Joseph Taylor
Lt. Ray E. McAllister
Lt. Adolph Anselmi
Lt. Emil Tessin
Lt. Percival L. Smith
Lt. Lawrence Keith
Lt. R. H. Gleason


Regimental Headquarters Company
Capt. Louis H. Charbonneau
Lt. Hugh E. Dean
Lt. Walter C. Bleil


Machine Gun Company


Capt. Kenyon
Lt. Harry E. Costello
Lt. Woodhull Spitler
Lt. Callaghan
Lt. Lawrence P. Keith


Howitzer Company
Capt. Chat A. Picken
Lt. Carl E. Huckleberry
Lt. Walter C. Spain
Lt. Roy E. Kratzer
Supply (Service) Company
Capt. Donald A. Wallace
Lt. Harry J. Webber
Lt. Charles C. Sherburne
Lt. Edward C. DeVriese
Lt. Frank E. Saalman
Lt. Roy S. Brownrigg


Capt. Chauncey Wade
Lt. Dan Weller
Lt. John E. Brown
Lt. Milton J. Carpenter
Lt. Jerry Collins
Lt. Howard L. Welshofer


Major John Hall
Capt. C. A. Greenleaf
Capt. Pyle
Major Geiger
Lt. F. B. Little


Medical Detachment
Major Samuel E. Cruse
Major Daune W. Crankshaw
Capt. Edgar C. Dunning
Capt. George J. Schaller
Lt. James K. Trumbo
Lt. Eli Levin
Lt. Theodor A. Tosch
Lt. John E. Bakke
Lt. Harry Lebeson




76


THE POLAR BEAR CUB


6       TE PA  B


Lt. Col. James Corbley
Lt. Daniel Steele


First Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters Co.
Lt. Col. James G. Stevenson
Major Raymond E. Alloway
Lt. Hurd T. Valrance
Lt. Owen F. Uridge
Lt. Harrison C. Beebe
Lt. Alexander C. Underhill


Capt. Otto Odjard
Capt. Charles D. Lewis
Lt. Harry Meade
Lt. Hugh D. McPhail
Lt. Edward J. Saari
Capt. Robert P. Boyd
Lt. John Cudahy
Lt. C. H. Christine
Lt. Dresher
Lt. Albert M. Smith
Lt. Harry M. Dennis
Capt. J. R. Fitzsimmons
Capt. Milligan
Lt. Lloyd L. Fay
Lt. Harry S. Steele
Capt. Walter H. Coleman
Lt. Smith
Lt. Henry Dresser
Lt. McWallace
Lt. Ray Durham


Company "A"
Capt. David L. Newlands
Lt. Edward Rode
Lt. Walter J. Cartwright
Lt. Phillip E. Marion
Lt. Frederick A. Cowley
Company "B"
Capt. Palmer W. Everts
Lt. Francis L. Johnston
Lt. Russell W. Curtis
Lt. Laurence H. Waldrip
Lt. John C. Evans
Company "C"
Capt. Oliver Kemp
Lt. Allen C. Ludington
Lt. Herbert G. Selby
Lt. Garfield A. Nichols
Lt. Curtis S. Wash
Company "D"
Capt. Albert G. Goetz
Lt. John R. Valois
Lt. Russel H. Palmer
Lt. William L. Conway
Lt. Bruce G. Booth


Major J. Brooke Nichols


Second Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters
Company
Lt. Col. Gerald E. Cronin
Major Walter H. Butler
Lt. Loren C. Estes
Lt. Earl C. Doyle
Lt. Dwight 0. Becker
Lt. Ernest C. Wunsch


Capt. Bernard Heil
Lt. John Baker
Lt. James F. O'Brien
Lt. Verne W. McClung
Lt. Edwin L. Broer
Lt. Jeffers
Capt. Ralph E. Ramsey
Lt. James T. Streng
Lt. Dresher
Lt. Phil. P. Sheridan
Lt. Wallace Templeton


Company "E"
Capt. Raymond E. Alloway
Lt. Howard S. Fox
Lt. Adolph Anselmi
Lt. Frederick P. Nash
Lt. Lyman W. Oehring
Company "F"
Capt. Don R. Sessions
Lt. Charles F. Korneffel
Lt. Hans B. Keydel
Lt. John J. Hamel, Jr.
Lt. James H. Holden




THE POLAR BEAR CUB                        77


Capt. John J. Conway
Lt. Arthur Wickham
Lt. Higgins
Lt. Birkett
Lt. Beach
Lt. Darnall
Capt. Carl M. Gevers
Capt. R. W. Ballensinger
Lt. Clifford F. Phillips
Lt. Homer Collings
Lt. Howard H. Pellagrom
Lt. Arthur B. Carlson
Lt. H. T. Ketcham
Major Charles G. Young
Capt. Horatio G. Winslow
Lt. Albert May
Lt. Gordon Reese
Lt. Gerald R. Danley
Lt. Dwight Fistler
Lt. Forest McKee
Capt. Michael J. Donohue
Lt. Charles F. Chappel
Lt. Gilbert T. Shilson
Lt. Lewis E. Jahns
Lt. Charles B. Ryan
Lt. John A. Commons
Lt. C. J. Gardner
Capt. U. S. Grant Cherry
Capt. Samuel L. Woodward
Lt. Charles H. Lennon
Lt. Williams
Lt. Neal Hallock
Lt. Bradley Taylor
Lt. Worland McMurry
Capt. Joel R. Moore
Lt. James R. Donovan
Lt. George W. Stoner
Lt. C. J. Primm
Lt. Wesley K. Wright
Lt. Robert K. Wieezorek


Company "G"
Capt. Harry C. Hanly
Lt. Raymond W. Labbitt
Lt. Owen C. Ruley
Lt. Milton M. Clayman
Lt. Vola C. Swearingen
Company "H"
Capt. Curtis L. Roop
Lt. Ray K. Kelly
Lt. Arthur Dinsmore
Lt. Edward H. Wyatt
Lt. William J. Felt
Third Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters
Company
Lt. Col. Haldeman Finnie
Major Richard A. Booth
Lt. Bruce N. Tappan
Lt. Karl S. Betts
Lt. William L. Graham
Lt. Jennings B. Hudson
Lt. William J. Merz
Company "I"
Capt. Harold M. Heigho
Lt. George Anderson
Lt. Stanton Fitzgerald
Lt. Willis B. Goodenow
Lt. James W. Bradley
Company "K"
Capt. Edward A. Burns
Lt. Charles S. Scoville
Lt. Frederick A. Cartmell
Lt. Frederick H. Schacht
Lt. Albert C. Doyle
Company "L"
Capt. Richard C. Daniels
Lt. John J. Considine
Lt. Charles F. Leneweaver
Lt. George L. Brewbaker
Lt. Louis H. Guenther
Company "M"
Capt. Ernest J. Rush
Lt. John P. Buell
Lt. Harold Glassford
Lt. Clark E. Pease
Lt. Charles F. Bahr




78


THE POLAR BEAR CUB


HISTORY OF THE 339TH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY
1917-1926
(Continued from page 66.)
vicinity of Ust Padenga and Shenkursk, nearly sixty
miles away. The 3rd Battalion was more or less
complete on the railroad between Obozerskaya and
Emsta, with a gap of a hundred miles to the troops
on their left, and forty miles to those on their right.
Company "H" was scattered along the river for
thirty miles southeast of Onega. Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Company, the Supply
Company, the Machine Gun Company, and the 2nd
Battalion, less Company "H" and two platoons of
Company "G" were concentrated in Archangel, and
the towns immediately surrounding it. With these
perilous and disquieting dispositions the American
doughboys awaited the onset of the Arctic winter, and
the hazardous experiences which it was to bring.
Armistice Day, 1918, brought no rejoicing to the
Archangel front. While American troops in France
were celebrating the final overthrow of the Prussian
eagle, the men of the 339th Infantry in North Russia,
and their Allies, were either actually hotly engaged
with hordes of Bolsheviks, or desperately striving to
erect fortifications to stave off annihilating attacks.
The only news from home during the long succeeding months were reports of the triumphal arrival at
American ports of Pershing's victorious legions, and
the demobilization of the millions of the War army,
back home with a hard task well done. There was
no applause and less interest for the meager handful
of doughboys at the Arctic Circle, facing a forlorn
hope, their backs to the wall, their transports frozen
fast in the harbor of Archangel, and with no line of
retreat open in case of disastrous defeat.
Company "F" was now guarding the lines of communication in the vicinity of Yemetskoe, on the
Dvina a hundred miles south of Archangel. Under
Captain Ralph Ramsay, the company was split into
numerous small detachments from Kholmogori to
Morjegorskaya, a hundred miles along the banks of
the river, and took over the all important task of
watching the trails and river lines leading to the remaining units of the regiment. Patrols of this Company also were frequently used to conduct columns
of prisoners of war to the base at Archangel. Company "M" after an active fall offensive, in which it
had borne the brunt of the fighting near Obozerskaya,
was sent back to Archangel for a few weeks of well
earned rest.
General Ironsides, the British commander who now
assumed charge of the expedition, early in November
decided on a change of policy. The expedition had
thus far been operating offensively. The prospect
of reinforcements had, up until the time of the Armistice, made such a plan seem logical and correct. It
had effectually kept the Russians guessing on the
real purpose of the expedition, and had steadily
forced them back on all fronts. With the attention


of the home governments, however, centered on demobilization, and the problems of after the war readjustment, it was soon evident that no reinforcement would be received, and it became a question
of holding to the ground gained, with the forces already in place, until such time as the Allied Commanders saw fit to abandon the entire undertaking.
We have seen that Company "B" was in position
at Toulgas. In addition to the American unit, the
town was held by a Company of Royal Scots and
several units of Canadian artillery. Toulgas was a
typical north Russian village of log huts, scattered
promiscuously over a large area. One portion of the
town, known as Upper Toulgas, was separated from
the rest by a narrow stream. About a mile in the
rear a collection of buildings served as a temporary
hospital.
Early on the morning of November 11, while the
troops were at breakfast, the Russians suddenly
launched a severe attack from the vicinity of Upper
Toulgas. Trenches were hastily manned and the
artillery prepared to go into action. Hardly had the
fire been opened on the frontal attack, when an even
larger and more powerful assault was launched on
the rear of the Allied positions, where little preparation had been made for defense.
The hospital fell into the hands of the advancing
Reds, and it seemed inevitable that they would capture the field pieces before they could be turned to
the rear. Six Canadian artillerymen and eight Americans, armed with Lewis guns, alone faced hundreds
of advancing Russians for some minutes. So valiant
was their defense, however, that the onslaught was
temporarily halted. In the precious moments thus
gained, the artillery pieces were reversed, and firing
shrapnel at point blank range into the dense masses
of advancing Bolsheviks, decimated their ranks, and
drove them back into the forest. The feint from
the direction of the upper village had also been repulsed, the Russians losing in all a total of over five
hundred killed and wounded, including several of
their most able and successful leaders. An American counter attack about 4:00 p. m. followed by an
artillery barrage and an advance of the Scots, cleared
out the rear village and recaptured the hospital. The
wounded and sick in the hospital were only saved
from massacre by the daring of a friendly Russian
woman, who guarded them personally while the
building was in the hands of the Reds.
At daybreak the following day the Russians moved
a fleet of gunboats up the river and began a bombardment of the American defenses. Outranged by
the more powerful Russian metal, the 3-inch pieces of
the Canadians were helpless to reply, and the troops
retired to the scanty shelter of the trenches and log
block houses. The bombardment continued for three
days, and caused great damage in the village, and
more numerous casulties than had been suffered in the
severe fighting of the 11th. Sleep was impossible,
and the garrison was rapidly becoming exhausted.
On the 14th a forlorn hope in the shape of a counter




THE POLAR BEAR CUB


79


attack was decided upon, in hope of driving off the
supporting Russian Infantry, and thereby causing
the withdrawal of the gunboats.
Company "B," under Lieut. John Cudahy, with
one platoon of Company "D," under Lieut. Derham,
was designated for the effort. At dawn the attackers
stealthily advanced toward the Russian main position
and took the besiegers completely by surprise. Their
observation posts and ammunition dumps were destroyed, and the Russians driven out of supporting
position, their river boats, which were forced to
withdraw out of range of the town. Upper Toulgas
was burned to prevent an unwise dispersion of the
Allied forces.  The rout of the attackers was so
severe that no further attacks were made for some
weeks and Toulgas remained safely in American
hands.
About Christmas time Company "D" relieved "B"
at Toulgas for about a month, Company "B" returning to its old position late in January. The intervening time had been spent in strengthening the
fortifications, detachments from the 310th Engineers
giving valuable assistance in this work. Contact with
the enemy was maintained by means of combat patrols. A night attack on January 29th was repulsed
without difficulty, as was a similar effort early in
February.  On March 1 an American patrol was
ambushed, and a platoon of the company was sent to
recover the wounded. The remainder of the campaign on the upper Dvina front was restricted to constant patrol duty and ceaseless vigilance. The Russians, although more successful at other points, made
no further attacks on the town of Toulgas, and the
spring months passed with the village still under
Allied control.
Early in February Company "K" relieved Company "F" at Yemetskoe, the latter being pushed
farther up the river. Late in March a detachment
of French and loyal Russians at Bolsheczerki on the
line held by Company "H" from Onega to Obozerskaya, were overwhelmed by the Reds, who wedged
in a strong force at this point, seriously threatening
the American column on the railroad.
On December 18 it was found necessary to reinforce the two platoons of Company "G" holding
Pinega. Company "M" at Archangel was detailed
to make the perilous march of a hundred and fifty
miles in the dead of winter. The first and fourth
platoons of the company, guarding a sledge train,
completed the trip in nine days, followed by the
remaining two platoons of the company, who made
the trip even more rapidly in the face of a temperature of forty degrees below zero. The order directing the march is so illustrative of the spirit of the
entire expedition that extracts are quoted verbatim.
"We march tomorrow on Pinega. We shall quarter
at night in villages, some friendly, some hostile. We
may meet enemy troops. We march one platoon
ahead, one behind the 60 sleigh convoy. Ours is a
two-fold mission: First to reinforce a half of another company which is now outnumbered ten to one;
second to raise a regiment of loyal Russian troops in


the great Pinega Valley where half the people are
loyal and half are Bolo sympathizers. We hold the
balance of power. Hold up your chins and push out
your chests and bear your arms proudly when passing among the Russian people. You represent the
nation which was slow in wrath but irresistible in
might when its soldiers hit the Hindenberg lineremember not only to bear yourselves as soldiers of
a powerful people, but bear yourselves as men of a
courteous, generous, sympathetic, chivalrous people.
We have no medical men. Prepare carefully and
cheerfully."
Early in December Companies "K" and "L," with
the Stokes mortar sections of Headquarters Company,
went into reserve at Seletskoe, leaving Company "E"
holding the line along the Emtsa River. On December 28th Company "L" was sent up to take over the
advance positions, Companies "E" and "K," supported by a platoon from the Machine Gun Company, a section of trench mortars from Headquarters
Company, and one platoon of Canadian Artillery,
being detailed for the recapture of Kodish.  The
attacking forces numbered 450 effectives, the Russian
defenders having approximately 2,700 Infantry and
four pieces of artillery. At 6:00 a. m. on New Year's
Day, 1919, the attack was launched. Demoralized
by the unusual fire from the trench mortars, and
hammered in the rear by the Canadian field pieces,
the Russians soon broke, and by 1 p. m. the American attack was entirely successful, and Kodish once
more under Allied control.
An advance to Kochmas was immediately ordered.
The road of fifteen miles was vigorously defended
over the entire distance. Nightfall found the combatants locked in a desperate fight. Two platoons of
Companies "E" and "K," supported by two guns
from the 1st platoon of the Machine Gun Company,
held the advanced positions. The fight of a hundred
men against two thousand was one of the most
brilliant in the annals of the North Russian Expedition. Half of their number were killed or wounded.
At midnight the fighting lulled, with the Americans
clinging desperately to their hard-earned ground.
Although strategically untenable, orders were received
to hold Kodish at all costs. The men dug in, although suffering intensely from cold and fatigue.
The trench mortars clogged repeatedly by snow and
ice, were kept in action, and silenced the enemy guns.
For seven days the doughboys fought cold, hunger,
and determined enemy attacks. Finally relieved by
a company of British Infantry, they were withdrawn
to reserve at Seletskoe. Kodish was shortly afterward evacuated, and Company "E" in the middle of
January was drawn back to Archangel for rest. The
machine gunners and Stokes mortar men remained in
Kodish in British support. Following the evacuation
of Kodish, Company "K" was withdrawn to the lines
of communication at Kholmogori and Yemetskoe, and
the gunners to the railroad front, ending American
participation on the Kodish front.
The first two weeks of January, 1919, passed quietly for the members of Company "A" in and around




80


THE POLAR BEfAR CUB


8E     A A


the town of Ust Padenga. In addition to the Infantry company, a platoon of the 310th Engineers, a
platoon of Canadian artillery, a detachment of
British signal troops, and several units of loyal Russian Infantry and Artillery comprised the garrison
of the village. The position was in the form of a
capital "V," the fourth platoon of Company "A,"
Lieut. Mead and 46 men, holding the right flank
of the position at Nijni Gora, Russian troops occupying the left flank at Ust Padenga, and company headquarters with the remaining three platoons and
artillery at the base of the "V," Netsvetiafskaya. The
thermometer stood at forty-five degrees below zero,
and the snow was three feet deep on the level plain
between the three positions.
Enemy activity rapidly increased. Large detachments were seen concentrating for an evident advance on the positions. The long nights were illuminated with frequent flashes of rockets and signal
flares. Everything pointed to a vigorous renewal
of the Russian push. At dawn on January 19th the
Red artillery opened on the American position at Nijni
Gora with great intensity. The platoon in defense
there was split into sections of about equal strength,
twenty-two men with one officer occupying the advance sector, with the remainder of the platoon in
support. After an hour's artillery preparation, the
Russians surged forward in an Infantry attack with
900 men in the assaulting columns. Well directed
machine gun fire momentarily held up the advance,
but in danger of being surrounded, the forward section withdrew to the support line, fighting from
house to house throughout the streets of the town. The
loyal Russian artillerymen who had been counted
upon to combat the attack of the Reds deserted their
guns and the enemy swarmed through the village.
The remaining survivors of the united platoon now
began a precarious withdrawal to the main company
position. Floundering in waist deep snow across a
plain 800 yards in width and destitute of all cover,
forty men of the original strength of forty-seven
fell dead or wounded. Exposed to the deathly cold,
the plight of the latter was fatal, and few ever rejoined the American ranks. During the night of the
19th, the loyal Russians at Ust Padenga withdrew
to the main position.
On the 21st the Reds believing that Ust Padenga
was still occupied, launched a heavy attack on that
village. Coming under enfilade fire from the American rifle, machine gun, and artillery fire, they suffered
severe casualties, and gained but a hollow victory.
The hostile artillery fire on the Allied position at
Netsvetiaskaya was now redoubled. A shell passed
completely through and destroyed the temporary hospital. Much damage was done to the other buildings
in the village, and the condition of the handful of
defenders was desperate. At 10:00 p. m. on the
22nd orders were received to withdraw to Shenskursk, about twelve miles to the rear, where larger
forces of Allied troops were stationed. The village
was set on fire by incendiary shells as the movement
started, but the retreat was at first unopposed, and


Shelosha was reached the following morning. A
day's halt was ordered here to give the exhausted
troops an opportunity to recuperate, but at dark
British headquarters directed another night march
over the frozen trails of the black forest to Spasskoe,
four miles from Shenkursk. Although already cut
off by the advancing Reds, a successful ruse resulted
in the arrival of the little column at their objective
early in the morning of January 23rd. One piece
of the Canadian artillery platoon had been abandoned
in the retreat from the original position, and the
remaining gun was destroyed by the direct hit by a
shell during a heavy all day bombardment on the
newly occupied positions, and soon telephone communication to the rear was severed.  During the
afternoon the retreat was resumed to Shenkursk,
which was reached late in the evening.
Shenkursk was garrisoned by the men of Company
"C," 339th Infantry, several companies of supposedly
loyal Russian volunteers, and some units of Canadian
artillery. There had been collected at this point
sufficient supplies and munitions for a period of
sixty days. It immediately became apparent, however, that the town could not be held. Further, there
was the grave danger that all lines of communication
in the direction of Beresnik, over a hundred miles
distant, guarded by but three platoons of Russian
Infantry, would be cut and the force at Shenkursk
annihilated without hope of rescue, thus exposing
the rear of Company "B" at Toulgas.
It was therefore decided, late in the afternoon of
January 23rd, to abandon the town, and fall back
on the stronger defenses on the river. Orders were
received from the British base at Beresnik to retreat
just before the wires were cut by raiding Reds, and
all communication interrupted. In order to conceal
the movement until the last possible moment, the
stores and supplies were left intact, the troops being
ordered to carry on their persons the necessary food
for the long trip.  Hasty Cossack reconnaissance
disclosed a difficult and winding trail still free of
the enemy. Before midnight the exhausted men of
Company "A" were aroused and directed to prepare
for the journey. The artillery, preceded by mounted
Cossacks, led the retreat, and by 1 a. m. the infantry
was under way, Companies "A" and "C" forming
the rear guard. The trail was cut into countless holes
and pitfalls by the wheels of the guns, and the doughboys floundered along as best they might in the intense darkness and bitter cold. They were hampered
in their efforts by the fact that they were equipped
with the Shackleton boot, entirely impracticable for
use on the march. Many of these were thrown away,
the men proceeding in their stocking feet. All that
night and all the next day the march continued, with
a halt for an hour in the morning for a meager
breakfast at Yemska Gora. At five o'clock in the
afternoon the weary column wound into Shegovari,
garrisoned by Company "D," which had itself withstood a severe attack on the preceding day.
Sundown on January 24th, 1919, found Companies "A," "C," and "D," 339th Infantry, assem



THEE POLAR BEAR CUB


81


THE POLAR BEAR CUB                           81


bled in the town of Shegovari, the first two organizations having just completed a twenty-hour forced
march, and the last having recently defeated a
spirited Russian attack.  Outposts were at once
established, and the artillery gotten into position to
hold the town. The night passed with no renewal
of the attack, but rockets and signal flares during
the hours of darkness bore evidence of the intention
of subsequent hostilities.
The town was surrounded on all sides by a dense
forest, and extremely difficult to defend. A single
trail, kept open only by constant patrolling, led
northward toward the base at Beresnik.  At 5:00
p. m. on the 25th Shegovari was abandoned to the
enemy, a small body of mounted Cossacks being left
behind to burn the stores, while the doughboys
marched in the direction of Kitsa, twenty miles
away.   At midnight the weary column halted at
Vistavka and   prepared  to  defend  the position.
Barbed wire was put out in front of the lines, but
the frozen soil defied all efforts to construct field
works, and log shelters and snow   trenches were
made to serve.
Companies "C" and "D," with detachments of
Royal Scots, Kings Liverpools, and other British
units, held the town of Vistavka during the remaining days of January, all of the month of February,
and for the first few days of March. Company "A,"
reinforced by Company "F" was in position across
the Vaga at Maximovskaya, while a third unit of
the defenses was garrisoned by loyal Russians at
Yeveevskaya.   Constant shelling  during  the six
weeks of the occupation of these positions leveled the
town to ruins, and a hot meal for the troops shivering
in the exposed lines was a rarity.  Frozen corned
beef and hardtack furnished the bulk of the diet.
Losses by death and disease reduced the effective
strength of the defenders to little over four hundred
men.
On March 3rd the Allies were driven from
Yeveevskaya, and on the following day the enemy
began a renewed two-day bombardment of the
American positions with six and nine inch guns. On
the afternoon of the 5th the barrage lifted to the
line of artillery a half mile in the rear, and a heavy
infantry attack was launched. Although repulsed in
their frontal drive, the Russians succeeded in completely surrounding the positions, and cut all wire
communication with headquarters at Kitsa. It was
forty-eight hours before a runner managed to get
through with the information of the desperate plight
of the defenders. A British relief column was immediately started to open communication with the beleaguered garrison, but were forced back by superior
enemy resistance. A mixed column of loyal Russian
infantry and mounted Cossacks, started later the
same day, was more successful. Accidentally stumbling onto a new trail, they took a battalion of the
Reds in the rear, dispersed them, and opened the


route for the arrival of sorely needed ammunition
and rations.
Two more days of heavy shelling followed, and
on March 20 a second heavy infantry attack, participated in by four or five thousand enemy troops,
was repulsed. During the night Vistavka was abandoned, and a new position taken up about two miles
south of Kitsa. Company "A" was sent across the
river to hold Ignatovskaya. The fighting lulled and
the remaining weeks of March and the first part of
April passed uneventfully, while plans were being
matured for the final evacuation of this portion of
the front.
From late in December until the middle of March
Company "M" and a half of Company "G" held
Pinega against threatening odds.  Their primary
mission there was to bolster the waning enthusiasm
of the White Russians in their losing fight against
the Reds, and to raise and train military units among
the loyal inhabitants.  The situation was handled
with such tact and skill that complete confidence in
their own ability was not only restored but a complete, fully equipped, and well-trained infantry regiment was raised from   among the White Guards.
This organization not only held the outlying positions, suffering all the casualties during this period,
but gave a good account of themselves after the
American troops were withdrawn.    Minor actions
were fought in the vicinity of the town on January
8th, 24th, 29th, and 30th, but no ground was gained
or lost. Early in March, upon arrival of the news
of Russian successes on the Kodish and Vaga River
fronts, the danger of a large attack, and possible
annihilation of the Allied forces at Pinega seemed
imminent, but no offensive developed and the American doughboys were withdrawn to other fronts just
before the arrival of the spring thaws.
Meanwhile on the other end of the 500-mile crescent of defense, Company "H" was holding the Onega
Valley. December and January were spent in almost
constant  combat   patrol  activities.  Individual
platoons, operating as detached units, fought minor
engagements up and down the river, here capturing
a village, there retiring from the savage Russian
attacks. On December 22, Kleshevo was occupied,
and held for the remainder of the campaign.  On
the 29th two platoons started in an attempt to outflank the enemy positions at Turchesova. After two
days of indecisive action, the column retired to
Kleshovo.  Company Headquarters were moved to
Chekuevo in March, it being necessary now to daily
patrol the trail from this town to Obozerskaya on
the railroad, over which mail, supplies, and reinforcements were received. Until the middle of March this
patrolling was without incident, but the scouts who
left Chekuevo on March 16 unexpectedly ran into a
great force of the enemy at Bolsheozerki and were
captured.  This was the force that had just annihilated a Franco-Russian detachment holding the
town, and was the first intimation which the Allied




82


THE POLAR BEAR CUB


commander received that his communications and
flank were seriously threatened.
Lt. Collins with 30 men and a Lewis gun was
immediately dispatched to investigate the situation.
At noon on the 18th, when within three miles of
Bolsheozerki, the detachment met a sudden burst of
fire from concealed machine guns, and retired to
Chinova, where defensive positions were prepared to
dispute the threatened advance on Chekuevo. Word
having been sent back of the presence of the enemy
in force, an additional detachment of forty Americans
under Lieut. Phillips, and three companies of British
infantry, were sent as reinforcements to develop the
Red positions. It was still believed that this force
in the town was only an unusually strong raiding
party, which could easily be driven out. In reality
the Russians had in the neighborhood of four thousand troops in position to threaten not only the Allied
troops at Onega, but also the stronger forces along
the railroad.
The advance started at 2:00 a. m., and seven hours
later the fight began. Two companies of British and
the entire force of the Americans formed the assault
wave, with one company in support. When within
100 yards of the Russian position, heavy losses and
the impossibility of further advance through the deep
snow caused the abandonment of the assault, and
the attackers withdrew in good order. During the
succeeding weeks both forces strengthened their
positions, the Russians adding to their defences with
wire and artillery. On April 2nd the Reds launched
a vicious drive toward the east, in an effort to overpower the Allied troops on the railroad, and immediate steps were taken by Company "H" and their
British allies to counter attack from the rear, and
relieve the pressure.
Two platoons of the company joined in the initial
attack on April 2nd at daybreak. A company of
British infantry, advancing on the Allied left, soon
found itself in difficulties, and Phillip's platoon of
Americans was sent in to support it.  Soon after
the doughboys found themselves bearing the brunt
of the enemy resistance. By 9:00 a. m. the British
troops had been driven from the field and a second
platoon of Company "H" was sent in to stem a
heavy Russian counter attack. Phillips fell mortally
wounded. A British support company was rushed to
the assistance of the hard pressed Americans, and
checked the advance. A detachment of Polish machine guns assisted in the defense for a time, but
was soon driven from the fight. The thin line of
Allies held to the ground won all the remainder of
the afternoon, but at dusk the line was withdrawn
to the more sheltered positions in rear. The attack,
although it failed to gain ground, yet accomplished
its purpose in checking the Red push in the direction
of the railroad, and causing the Russian commander
to move with great caution. During the later spring
months Company "H" retired to Chekuevo and later
to Onega, being finally withdrawn to Archangel on


June 5th, ending American participation on the
Onega front.
January and February, 1919, found a strong
American force holding the railroad front south of
Obozerskaya.   Under  the  command   of  Major
Nichols, the troops at this point included Companies
"I," "L," two platoons of Company "E" and a
similar detachment from Company "G." Under the
able direction of the American commander, strong
emplacements and blockhouses were erected by Companies "A" and "B," 310th Engineers, and the
Pioneer Platoon of the 339th Infantry. Compared to
the lively times on other fronts, the first two months
of the new year passed uneventfully. Early in March
a French battalion relieved the doughboys for a few
weeks, but before the first of April, Major Nichols
was sent back with Companies "E" and "L," when
the threat of a Russian advance from Bolsheozerki
began to materialize.
General Ironsides took personal command of the
situation on March 18th. The Allied forces in North
Russia were threatened by probably the most critical
situation in the history of the entire expedition.
Company "I," 339th Infantry, was hurried out from
Archangel, and arrived on the front in the face of
a spirited machine gun and rifle fire. Company "M"
of the same regiment was hastily withdrawn from
Pinega to aid in the defense. Three companies of
British, a company of Poles, and a Russian company
of loyal volunteers were rushed into the breach.
Company "C," 310th Engineers, were detailed to
throw up hasty intrenchments. All available artillery
was hurried forward. Preparations for the inevitable
Red push became a race between the Russians on one
hand and the Allies on the other. The winner of the
grim event would determine to a great extent who
would hold on longest to the advanced positions. The
noise of almost daily battle on the west of Bolsheozerki, where Company "H" was striving to deflect
the Russian advance, was clearly heard on the railroad, and acted as a spur to the efforts of the
Americans there.
On the last day of March the Russians began the
expected drive on the railroad positions. Beginning
the attack from the rear, they cut the wire communications, ambushed two working parties, and
threatened to capture two pieces of 75's. The active
support of a platoon of Company "M," reinforced
by two machine guns and a Iewis gun, permitted the
artillery pieces to be reversed, and the attack was
stopped at this point. A stronger frontal assault met
with similar failure, and nightfall found the Allied
troops successful at all points.
At 3:00 a. m. on April 1 the Reds again attacked
with 7000 infantry. Again the Allies repulsed the
drive with rifles, machine guns, Lewis guns, French
Chauchats, Russian and French 75's, rifle grenades,
and a motley collection of European arms collected
for the occasion. The Americans slept on their arms
that night and repulsed a third, but weaker attack
on the following day, the same date on which Com



THE POLAR BEAR CUB


83


pany "H" was having a more bitter struggle on the
west. The Russian losses, admitted by them to have
been in the neighborhood of 2,000, evidently discouraged them from further attempts. It was the
high water mark of the Russian advance. No more
attacks were made against the railroad. On April
4th the French took over the American positions.
With the beginning of the spring thaws, grave
fears were felt for the safety of the American defensive positions.  It was known that the ice on
the rivers to the south would melt sooner than that
near the mouth of the streams, permitting the advance
of the Russian gunboats before the Allied ships
could steam southward to meet them. Once within
range, it would be an easy matter for the heavy Red
guns to blow up at leisure the American defenses,
and cut off their retreat. It was feared that for a
few days at least the Allied positions would be at the
mercy of the enemy. Fortunately the Russians did
not take advantage of this circumstance, and the
withdrawals from all fronts were carried on with a
minimium loss. On April 19th Company "F" was
withdrawn safely across the ice of the Vaga, already
heaving and cracking with the pressure of the melting snow. On the same night Kitsa and Maximovskaya were destroyed by fire and explosion, and the
retreat northward begun under cover of ingenious
and carefully prepared snares and ruses. The lower
Dvina was cleared of ice unusually early, and on
May   17th the first British gunboat, the "Glow
Worm" proceeded up the river, and put to rest the
fears of the Allied commanders.
Early in April Companies "B" and "C" were relieved from Toulgas and Kurgomin, and the positions
turned over to loyal Russian troops, in the ratio of
about five to one. A mutiny among the latter on the
night of April 25th resulted in tile evacuation of the
town, and its occupation by the Reds. On the 26th
the town was recaptured with the aid of the fire from
a battery of six-inch guns on the opposite side of
the river. Replacements of British volunteers gradually took over the positions, and on June 5th Company "F," the last to get into action during the
preceding fall, had the distinction of being the last
American unit to be withdrawn to Archangel. Company "K" steamed out of Kholmogori in the latter
part of May. and Companies "G," "L," "M," "I,"
and "E," in the order named, were relieved from the
railroad front at about the same time.
A temporary embarkation camp was established at
Economia, where the troops of the far flung battle
fronts were assembled, deloused, stripped of Russian
equipment, and prepared for the happy trip home.
Beginning on the 3rd of June, the regiment sailed
in several detachments.  The first arrived in New
York on June 30th, took part in a parade in Belle
Isle, Detroit, on the 4th of July, and was demobilized at Camp Custer on July 7, 1919. Later detachments were mustered out during the month of
July, and by midsummer the war history of the 339th
Infantry was at an end.


CASUALTIES
Of
Killed  in  action............
Died from other causes.......
Died  of wounds.............
Missing  in  action...........
Prisoners  of war............
Died  of  disease.............
T otal....................


Enlisted
fficers  Men
4     78
0      9
2     22
0     29
0     12
2     67
8    217


Military Decorations
A merican
Distinguished Service Cross...
French


3


11


Iegion of Honor............   2
Croix de Guerre............ 17


0
32


British
Distinguished Service Order.. 4
Military Cross.............. 17
Distinguished Conduct Medal. 0
Military Medal.............  0


0
0
11
33


Russian
St. Vladimir with Swords and
Ribbons.................    2      0
St. Anne with Swords........ 15        0
St.  Stanislaus...............  12   0
Cross of St. George.......... 0      23
St. Anne Silver Medal....... 0        1
St. Stanislaus Silver Medal.... 0      5
Totals................... 72     116
The 339th Infantry was reconstituted as a unit
of the Organized Reserves under the provisions of
the National Defense Act, passed by Congress in
1920. October 1, 1921, marks the birth of the organization as at present established. The regiment
was rapidly filled with officers of the Reserve Corps,
and by the summer of 1923 was up to strength in
official personnel. At this time a stand of colors was
issued to the regiment by the War Department,
which received their official baptism when they were
carried by members of the regiment in the Armistice
Day parade in Detroit on November 11, 1923. In
June, 1923, an officer of the Regular Army was
assigned as executive, in conformity with regulations.
The first meeting of the present regimental officers
was held at Ft. Wayne on November 20th, 1923,
which was followed by five other meetings throughout the winter. On December 6th a regimental pistol
team captured first place among Reserve regiments
in a match at Fort Wayne.
Early in 1924 an official coat of arms was adopted
and approved for the regiment by the War Department. It is officially described as follows:




84_                              THE POLAR BEAR CUB


Shield-Azure a polar bear statant on an ice cake
argent; on a canton or a fess sable between
three martlets of the like two and one.
Crest-That for the regiment of the Organized Reserves.  On a wreath of the colors (argent
and azure) the Lexington Minute Man proper.
The statue of the Minute Man, Captain John
Parker, faces the Common in Lexington,
Massachusetts.
Motto (In Russian)-The bayonet decides.
A reproduction of the shield and motto appears
on the front cover of this edition of the Polar Bear
Cub. The polar bear on its azure background (the
color of the infantry) is copied from the unofficial
soldier patch of the North Russian Expeditionary
Force, and denotes the war service of the regiment.
The canton bears a part of the coat of arms of
Cadillac, the founder of Detroit, and is symbolic of
the origin of the regiment, and its present allocation.
This coat of arms is embroidered on the regimental
color. A copy was presented to the Chief of Infantry, the first Reserve regimental crest so presented.
The coat of arms forms the basis of the approved
regimental insignia, a metal pin, enameled in colors,
about one inch square, the representation of the
shield and motto.  This insignia is worn on the
shoulder loop of the uniform by officers and on the
collar of the uniform by enlisted men.  It is also
worn on the front of the campaign hat by all regimental personnel.
In August, 1924, the regiment was ordered to
Camp Custer as a unit and served for two weeks
under its own officers, assisting in the training of
over 3,000 students of the Citizens' Military Training Camps. For this duty the regiment was selected
from among twelve Reserve Infantry regiments in
the Sixth Corps Area, based upon its strength, training, and esprit.
Regimental meetings continued at frequent intervals through 1924-25, with the esprit constantly on
the increase. Two successful regimental dances were
held. The regimental pistol team again defeated all
Reserve teams in a match at Selfridge Field in June,
1925.
In September, 1925, the regiment was again honored by being selected to attend its own camp at
Selfridge Field. There it functioned for two weeks
as if actually mobilized to meet a major emergency.
Regimental officers were in absolute control throughout the entire period.
The post-war history of the 339th Infantry is
short and not so stirring as that of the dark days of
1918-19. It marks, however, the establishment of the
regiment as an integral cog of the indispensable defense plan of the United States; it has been a story
of progress, and has placed the organization among
the leaders of the regimental Reserve units in the
country to-day.


WHO'S WHO IN THE 339TH
INFANTRY
(Continued from page 74.)
from 1911 to June 1917 as a corporal, sergeant and
first sergeant in the 23rd and 34th Infantry. On
June 10th, 1917 he was commissioned 1st Lieutenant
and served until October 6, 1919, in the 16th Infantry, 1st Division, participating in the AisneMarne and the Montdidier-Noyon sectors, being
wounded in action twice, on May 12th, 1918 and
July 18, 1918. Lieut. Long is now a sergeant of the
Regular Army, instructor with the Michigan National Guard.
SECOND LIEUTENANT JOSEPH W. LOONEY, attached
for training, 1st Battalion headquarters, is an
alumnus of Illinois College. His war service extended from May 1918 to January 1919 in the 40th Infantry.
SECOND LIEUTENANT WALTER E. LUCKENBACHER,
attached to training to Company "I," is an alumnus
of Carnegie Tech. He was appointed 2nd Lieutenant
of Infantry after his graduation from a training
camp in September 1918 and assigned to the 161st
Depot Brigade. He was discharged September 1919.
FIRST LIEUTENANT ALLEN G. LUDINGTON. Second
in Command of Company "C," is a graduate of the
University of Michigan. He served as an enlisted
man in the National Army from September 1917 to
May 1918, graduating from a training camp on May
27, 1918, as a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry. He was
assigned to the 166th Depot Brigade, and served
with that unit until his discharge in April, 1919, being promoted to 1st Lieutenant in November, 1918.
Lieut. Ludington served on active duty with the 339th
Infantry in 1924 and 1925.
SECOND LIEUTENANT JOSEPII B. MCCRACKEN, attached for training to Company "M," served from
May 1918 to September 1918, as an enlisted man.
He was discharged from the service while a student
in a machine gun officers' training camp.
SECOND LIEUTENANT MILTON M. MADDIN, attached
for training to the Service Company, is a graduate of
the University of Michigan, receiving his training in
the R. 0. T. C. at that institution.
CAPTAIN CLARENCE J. MANNEBACH, Regimental
Plans and Training Officer, is an alumnus of the
Detroit Technical Institute.  Graduating from the
first training camp in 1917 as a 2nd Lieutenant of
Infantry, he was assigned to the 304th Infantry,
serving in that regiment and in the 163rd Infantry
until his promotion to 1st Lieutenant. Subsequent
service took him to the 104th Infantry.  He participated in the Aisne Marne, St. Mihiel and MeuseArgonne offensives with the 26th Division.  Capt.
Mannebach was on active duty in 1922, and attended
camp with the 339th Infantry in 1924.




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