Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Map created by a soldier in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1919, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

The collection contains a map (not drawn to scale) drawn by Henkelman showing Toulgas, Archangel District, Russia with notes describing the battle of Nov. 11-14, 1918.

Photographs taken during the Polar Bear Expedition to northern Russia, and accumulated by several veterans; include scenes of American soldiers in camp and on patrol, of life in Archangel and in Russian villages, and of battlefields, fortifications, armored trains, ships, airplanes, burial rites, and graves. Also includes a list of photographs and their captions.

About 185 photographs. The photographs include scenes of life in Archangel, armored trains, villages, port facilities, rural life, men in barracks, fortifications, prisoners, group portraits, men on patrol and in camp, the railroad, an airplane, burials, and graves. Also included is a "List of official U.S. photographs illustrative of the activities of the North Russian Expeditionary Force" which contains descriptions, including names and locations, of ca. 575 Signal Corps photos, arranged by photo number.

Walter C. Matuszewski served as a private in Company G, 339th Infantry, during the American intervention at Archangel, Russia, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Group portrait of Company G, 339th U.S. Infantry taken at Brest, France, June 1919.

This collection contains digital records; the original papers and/or photographs are owned by the donor. The digital items in this collection were digitized from originals by the individual donors before being received by the Bentley Historical Library. Preservation copies of these files with their original file names and CD-ROM file structures intact have been submitted to Deep Blue. Access copies of these digital files can be viewed by clicking on the links next to the individual folders in the Content List below.

In this finding aid, the files have been arranged into one series, Photographs. Within each series, files are listed numerically according to the file arrangement they were given by the donor. The files in this collection are in JPG and TIFF format.

Files include digitized panoramic group photographs of Company G, 339th U.S. Infantry taken at Brest, France, June 1919.

Member of the 339th Infantry, Supply Company who took part in the Polar Bear Expedition in Northern Russia. Photo album contains group and individual portraits of the 339th Infantry Supply Company members, street views of Archangel, Russia, photos of barracks and other structures; newspaper clippings depicting return of the recovered bodies of the fallen Polar Bears Expedition soldiers to Detroit; and several portraits of Walter Smith taken later in his life.

Photo album contains group and individual portraits of the 339th Infantry Supply Company members, street views of Archangel, Russia, photos of barracks and other structures; newspaper clippings depicting return of the recovered bodies of the fallen Polar Bears Expedition soldiers to Detroit; and several portraits of Walter Smith taken later in his life.

Soldier from Frankfurt, Mich., member of Co. M, 339th U.S. Infantry who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes diary and reminiscences relating to his trip to Russia in 1929 to recover the bodies of members of the Archangel Expedition killed and buried in the Soviet Union.

The papers contain a diary, July-Oct. 1929, describing the search for bodies, memories of the Russian people about the American soldiers, living conditions, and his memories of the area; and a typescript reminiscence, 1969, describing his mission, problems with the Russian authorities, the return of the bodies, and the reinterment ceremony at White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery.