American Expeditionary Force Siberia

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American troops at a parade in Vladivostok, in front of a building occupied by the Czechoslovak legions.

The American Expeditionary Force Siberia (AEF Siberia) was a contingent of soldiers sent from the United States to Vladivostok in Russia towards the end of the First World War , which there between 1918 and 1920 alongside the White Army in the Russian army that fled after the October Revolution of 1917 Civil war intervened.

background

President Woodrow Wilson pursued military and diplomatic goals in sending troops to Siberia . One of the main reasons was the evacuation of the 40,000-50,000-strong Czechoslovak legions who were stopped by the Bolsheviks on their way along the Trans-Siberian Railway . It was hoped that the Czechoslovak legions could then be transferred to the Western Front to support the Allies . Another important reason was the securing of large quantities of military equipment and rail vehicles, which had originally been supplied by the United States to support Russia in its fight against the Central Powers on the European Eastern Front . President Wilson also stressed the need to support Russia in maintaining its autonomy and self-defense, provided that the Russians were willing to use this aid. At that time, the Bolshevik armed forces were only controlling smaller areas in Siberia and Wilson wanted to ensure that neither plundering Cossacks nor Japan took advantage of the unstable location along the strategically important railway line in the resource-rich Siberian regions.

At the same time and for similar reasons, 5,000 American soldiers were sent to Arkhangelsk as part of President Wilson's independent Polar Bear expedition .

American Expeditionary Force Siberia

General William Sidney Graves
William S. Graves with his staff in Vladivostok, November 1918

The American Expeditionary Force Siberia, eventually consisting of 7,950 soldiers, was commanded by Major General William S. Graves . It consisted of the 27th Infantry Regiment and 31st Infantry Regiment as well as a large number of volunteers from the 13th Infantry Regiment and 62nd Infantry Regiment, as well as a small number of men from the 12th Infantry Regiment.

They were armed with the M1903 Springfield rifle, M1918 Browning automatic rifles and M1911 pistols , depending on the mission .

Although General Graves did not arrive in Siberia until September 4, 1918, the first 3,000 soldiers landed in Vladivostok on August 15 and 21, 1918. They were soon instructed to guard the railway section between Vladivostok and Nikolsk-Ussuriysky in the north.

In contrast to the other Allied commanders in Russia, General Graves believed that the mission in Siberia was only intended to secure delivered US property and evacuate the Czechoslovak legions from Russia - but not to fight the Bolsheviks. Because of his constant calls for restraint, he often clashed with the commanders of the British , French and Japanese armed forces, who also had troops in the region and asked him to participate more actively in the military intervention in Siberia.

Logistic problems and victims

The US soldiers had very bad experiences in Siberia. Supply problems with fuel, ammunition and food were widespread. The horses, which are used to moderate temperatures, could not be used at temperatures well below freezing point. Water-cooled machine guns froze and became useless.

The last Americans left Siberia on April 1, 1920. 189 soldiers of the American Expeditionary Force Siberia died from various causes during the 19-month deployment in Siberia. For comparison: during the smaller Polar Bear expedition , a total of 235 soldiers were killed during the only 9 month fighting near Arkhangelsk.

See also

literature

  • William Graves: America's Siberian Adventure, 1918-1920. Arno Press, New York 1931, 1940. ISBN 0-405-03083-5
  • Dennis Gordon: Quartered in Hell. The Story of the American North Russia Expeditionary Force 1918-1919. Doughboy Histor. Soc., Missoula MtT 1982. ISBN 0-942258-00-2
  • Robert James Maddox: The Unknown War with Russia. Wilson's Siberian intervention. Presidio Press, San Rafael Ca 1977. ISBN 0-89141-013-9
  • Betty Miller Unterberger: America's Siberian Expedition 1918–1920. A Study of National Policy. Greenwood Press, New York 1969 (repr.). ISBN 0-8371-0726-1

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Robert L. Willett: "Russian Sideshow." Brassey's Inc., Washington DC 2003, p. 166. ISBN 1-574-88429-8
  2. ^ Robert L. Willett: "Russian Sideshow." Brassey's Inc., Washington DC 2003, pp. 166-167, 170. ISBN 1-574-88429-8
  3. ^ Robert L. Willett: "Russian Sideshow." Brassey's Inc., Washington DC 2003, p. 267. ISBN 1-574-88429-8