The key factor we haven’t covered yet is the Russian Revolution of October 1917. This event saw Russia drop out of WWI. However, it also led to American troops being deployed to Siberia in 1918. Their mission? To fight the Russians. Let’s dig deeper into the reasons behind this move and the fallout for both countries. 

Those three fateful days set in motion a war that would rage for four years and claim the lives of around 20 million people. A further 21 million or so sustained injuries, making it one of the most brutal conflicts in human history. In Russia, however, domestic political events were also stirring, leading to a conflict the Allied Powers weren’t expecting to face.

This civil unrest had little to do with the Germans and a lot to do with Tsar Nicholas II, who abdicated the throne in February 1917. This was the guy who befriended Rasputin and whose decisions led to inflation, starvation, and other horrors for the people of Russia. 

With Lenin came communism and a deep desire to end Russia’s participation in the war. Lenin entered into negotiations with the Germans, who agreed to cease their efforts on the Eastern Front. Led by Leon Trotsky, the team responsible for handling the negotiations tried to get the Germans to agree to equitable terms for the truce. 

The new communist leadership agreed to the peace treaty proposed by the Germans, despite the fact that it had hideous consequences for them. This agreement was laid down in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which both parties signed in March 1918. Russia gave up large swathes of land to the Germans, including the regions we know now as Ukraine, Finland, and Poland. 

This civil war in Russia divided the people into “Reds” (communists) and “Whites” (anti-communists). There was no middle ground. As you might expect, the Allied Powers took sides, and surprise-surprise, they favored the anti-communists who were in favor of continuing the war against the Central Powers. 

At first, the US Department of War voted against the move, counseling President Woodrow Wilson to avoid getting involved at all costs. However, Wilson was having none of it. He rejected their advice in favor of deploying American troops to Russia to take part in the conflict. 

There were around 40,000 Czechoslovakian soldiers in total, and they were trying to make it to the port city of Vladivostok, where they hoped to be able to escape from Russia and return to help the Allies on the Western Front of the war. 

Vladivostok is a port city that lies on the far eastern side of Russia, nestled on the western shores of the sea of Japan. The Allies were incentivized to help the Czechoslovakians because, if they escaped, they could sail back to the war and join the effort on the Western Front. 

As a port city, Vladivostok had plenty of valuable supplies, including rations and a huge store of rifles. These military supplies had been delivered to Russia when they were still participating in WWI on the Allied side, but they had never been distributed.

Wilson sent the two American Expeditionary Forces over in August 1918. The soldiers that went to the North of Russia soon renamed their project “the Polar Bear Expedition.” However, before we join these men, let’s see what happened to those who entered Siberia.

This unit comprised around 8,000 soldiers, led by Major General William S. Graves. The Major General was operating under strict orders to avoid engaging in Russian politics. However, he quickly learned that if you side with no one, you’re an enemy to everyone.

In an effort to stick to his orders, Graves focused on defending the Trans-Siberian Railway. However, Russian Admiral Kolchak was relentless in pressuring Graves to help him fight the Reds. More than just a rule-follower, Graves was not impressed by Kolchak, so his refusal of support was also based on his own calculations. Eventually, the Reds captured and executed Kolchak.

However, they were in Siberia – a region famous for its unforgiving climatic conditions. So, they still endured plenty of hardship. Their horses suffered in the freezing Siberian temperatures, and securing a consistent supply of food and fuel was a logistical nightmare. 

Still, they did achieve the main goal of their mission. When the men finally left in 1920, the trapped Czechoslovakians had made it to Vladivostok and escaped. The American Expeditionary Force’s protection of the Trans-Siberian Railway was instrumental in their escape. 

As the name suggests, the Polar Bear Expedition had a vastly different experience in Russia compared to the Siberian Expedition. The first major difference was that they arrived on the opposite side of Russia, at the north-western port city of Archangel. By September 4, 1918, the force of around 5,000 was ready and waiting to follow orders.

While the Siberians never saw actions, the American troops in the north were ordered into battle soon after their arrival. They were told they had to fight the Reds (communists) to support the Czechoslovakian troops.

Understandably, many of the soldiers deployed to the north felt that they had no business being there. Morale quickly began to slip as they realized they were stuck far from home being asked to fight in a war that had no direct bearing on their families at home.

As the battle continued anger and resistance grew among the American people. With pressure mounting, President Wilson gave the order to withdraw the troops in March 1919 – they just had to wait for the frozen White Sea to thaw. 

By February 1920, the Bolsheviks had wrestled the valuable port city of Archangel from the Whites. Despite decades of quiet hostility during the Cold War era, the two American expeditions described above are the only ones ever to be sent to Russia.