339th Infantry
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The 339th Infantry Regiment is an
infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...
regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...
of the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
, raised for service in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, that served in the
North Russia Intervention The North Russia intervention, also known as the Northern Russian expedition, the Archangel campaign, and the Murman deployment, was part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War after the October Revolution. The intervention brought ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.


North Russia intervention

The 339th Regiment was created in June 1918, composed mainly of young draftees, for the purpose of fighting on the Western Front in France. Most of the 4,487 men were from
Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, but some 500 draftees from
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
were included. It was commonly referred to as "Detroit's Own". They were sent to fight the
Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
in Northern Russia.Rhodes, Benjamin D. (1988). ''The Anglo-American Winter War with Russia, 1918-1919'', Greenwood Press, Inc. Connecticut, USA . They were nicknamed the "polar bears" because of their service there. On 30 July 1918,
General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
John J. Pershing, Commander-in-Chief of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) on the Western Front, by order of
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Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
, chose the 339th Infantry Regiment, the 1st Battalion of the 310th Engineers, the 337th Field Hospital, and the 337th Ambulance Company, (all from the 85th Division) to form the Murmansk Expedition. These units are assembled and equipped at Cowshott Camp, Surrey, England. 9 August 1918, with Lt Col George Evans Stewart (later Col) of the 339th Inf as commanding officer of the expedition. 27 Aug 1918, the expedition, 143 officers and 4,344 enlisted men, sails from Newcastle upon Tyne, England, arrives Archangel, North Russia, 4 September, where, with other Allied forces, it becomes part of the command of Maj Gen F. C. Poole, British Army. American Headquarters is established at Archangel. Distribution of American troops begins along a front 450 miles long, extending from Onega in the west to Pinega in the east, and at some points 200 miles distant from the Archangel base. Elements of the 339th Infantry and attached units operate with the Allied forces to cover the main avenues of approach to Archangel from the south as follows: on the Onega River near Chekuevo; on the railway from Archangel to Vologda near Obozerskaya; on the Vaga River at Pinega. These forces were opposed by the Soviet Sixth Army. 30 September 1918, reinforcements, consisting of 17 officers and 486 enlisted men from the 85th Division, join. Between September 1918 and May 1919 many minor operations take place against the Soviet forces resulting in more than 500 American casualties. 26 October 1918, Major General
Edmund Ironside Edmund Ironside (30 November 1016; , ; sometimes also known as Edmund II) was King of the English from 23 April to 30 November 1016. He was the son of King Æthelred the Unready and his first wife, Ælfgifu of York. Edmund's reign was marred by ...
, British Army, succeeds Major General Poole as commander of the Allied force. 9 April 1919, the American contingent is again redesignated, becoming the"American Expeditionary Force, North Russia"; Brig Gen Wilds P. Richardson assumes command of all American troops in North Russia, supreme command however continuing with the British. During May the Archangel contingent is concentrated in the region of that town preparatory to return to the United States. 3 June 1919, the contingent begins moving via Brest to the United States. 27 June 1919, last element, the 1st Battalion of the 310th Engineers, sails for Brest, en route to United States.Order of battle of the United States land forces in the World War.Originally published: Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 1931-1949. Supt. of Docs. no.: D114.2:B32, United States. Army-History-World War, 1914-1918. 1. Center of Military History. D570.073 1987 940.4'12'73 87-600306. In April 1919, the enlisted men Company I mutinied, challenging their officers and refusing orders. Chief of Staff Gen. March attributed the action "Bolshevik Propaganda" at a press conference on 12 April. Company I consisted almost entirely of men from Detroit.Los Angeles Herald, Volume XLIV, Number 139, 13 April 1919, Page 1, "Lay U.S. Mutiny to Bolsheviki" by Raymond Clapper, United Press Only after leaving England, were the men told of their destination.
Spanish Influenza The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...
broke out on two of the three transports, and seventy-two men would eventually succumb to the disease or resultant pneumonia.


World War II

The 339th Infantry Regiment was later reactivated in 1942, during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, to serve in the
European theater The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...
, fighting in the Allied campaign in Italy from 1944 to 1945. The regiment was assigned to the 85th Infantry Division. As a unit of the 85th Infantry or "Custer" Division, the 339th Infantry saw combat service in Italy from March 1944 until the surrender of German forces in May 1945. On the morning of May 4, 1945, G Company of the 339th was sent to
Pragser Wildsee The Pragser Wildsee, or Lake Prags, Lake Braies ( it, Lago di Braies; german: Pragser Wildsee) is a lake in the Prags Dolomites in South Tyrol, Italy. It belongs to the municipality of Prags which is located in the Prags Valley. During World Wa ...
to liberate 139 high-profile prisoners transferred there during the closing days of the war. They were successful and the
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...
soldiers escorting the prisoners surrendered to the Americans.


Distinctive unit insignia

* Description/Blazon http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Catalog/HeraldryMulti.aspx?CategoryId=4161&grp=2&menu=Uniformed%20ServicesDUI for the 339th Infantry Regiment A gold color metal and enamel device 1 5/32 inches (2.94 cm) in height consisting of a shield blazoned: Azure a polar bear
statant In heraldry, the term attitude describes the ''position'' in which a figure (animal or human) is emblazoned as a charge, a supporter, or as a crest. The attitude of an heraldic figure always precedes any reference to the tincture of the figur ...
on an ice cake Argent: on a canton Or a fess Sable between three
martlet A martlet in English heraldry is a mythical bird without feet that never roosts from the moment of its drop-birth until its death fall; martlets are proposed to be continuously on the wing. It is a compelling allegory for continuous effort, expre ...
s of the like two and one. Attached below and to the sides a Gold scroll inscribed "Штыкъ рѣшаетъ" in Blue letters. * Symbolism The polar bear on its blue background is copied from the unofficial shoulder patch of the North Russian Expeditionary Force, of which this Regiment was a part during the years 1918-1919. The Regiment, organized in 1917, was made up to a large extent of men from Detroit, and was known locally as "Detroit's Own". 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 of its 1924 allocation. The motto is pronounced as though spelled in English "shtyk reshayet" (). Literally translated it is "The bayonet settles it", freely translated it may be rendered "We Finish With The Bayonet". * Background The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 339th Infantry Regiment on 9 June 1924. It was redesignated for the 339th Regiment and amended to include the motto on 5 August 1960.


See also

* Battle of Bolshie Ozerki


References


Further reading

*Carey, Donald E, Neil G Carey, and Neil G Carey. ''Fighting the Bolsheviks: The Russian War Memoirs of Private First Class Donald E. Carey, U.S. Army, 1918-1919''. Novato, Calif.: Presidio, 1997. *Gordon, Dennis, and Hayes Otoupalik. ''Quartered in Hell : The Story of the American North Russia Expeditionary Force, 1918-1919''. Missoula, MT: Doughboy Historical Society, 1982. *House, John M. ''Wolfhounds and Polar Bears: The American Expeditionary Force in Siberia, 1918-1920''. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2016. *Nelson, James Carl. ''The Polar Bear Expedition: The Heroes of America's Forgotten Invasion of Russia, 1918-1919''. First ed. New York, NY: William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2019. {{OCLC, 1041763187 Infantry regiments of the United States Army