Guide to World War I resources at the Bentley Historical Library

Introduction

Captains of the three student companies in 1861

I want you for U.S. Army / James Montgomery

Flagg. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

The Great War, the World War, World War I, the First World War, the War to End All Wars... It has been known by many names, but World War I was one of the largest and bloodiest conflicts in the world history.

 

While tensions had been mounting for some time, the spark that ignited the conflict was the assassination on June 28, 1914, by a Serbian nationalist, of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary. One month later, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Events spiraled out of control as nations came to the support of other nations through mutual treaty. Eventually, most of Europe and the world's largest powers would become embroiled in the conflict.

 

Officially, The United States maintained a policy of strict neutrality. Many factors from pacifism to war preparedness were at play. With Germany's decision to employ unrestricted submarine warfare, the Untied States finally entered the conflict in 1917.

 

The Polar Bears

In 1918, at the end of World War I, the United States sent two intervention forces to Russia. The 339th Infantry and supporting units were sent to European Russia, the region surrounding the cities of Archangel (Arkhangel’sk) and Murmansk near the Arctic Circle, initially to protect supplies and help reopen the Eastern Front against Germany. The 27th and 31st Infantry were sent to the Vladivostok region of Siberia, to assist Czechoslovak military units trying to make their way out of Russia to the Western Front. These two forces became part of broader efforts by the Allies and others to oppose the Bolshevik revolutionaries who had taken power in Russia. Separated by thousands of miles, the two forces did not interact with each other.

Materials regarding the AEFNR – American Expeditionary Forces North Russia, more commonly known as the "Polar Bear Expedition," can be found at the Polar Bear Expedition Digital Collections website.

This online guide was created in the Fall of 2011, by Matthew Adair, a graduate student at the University of Michigan School of Information.