Overview

Details the military aspects of the American Expeditionary Force's (AEF) deployment to Siberia following World War I to protect the Trans-Siberian Railroad. In the final months of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson and many US allies decided to intervene in Siberia in order to protect Allied wartime and business interests, among them the Trans-Siberian Railroad, from the turmoil surrounding the Russian Revolution. American troops would remain until April 1920 with some of our allies keeping troops in Siberia even longer. Few American citizens have any idea that the United States ever deployed soldiers to Siberia and that those soldiers eventually played a role in the Russian revolution while protecting the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Wolfhounds and Polar Bears relies on the detailed reports of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) as well as on personal stories to bring this rarely discussed expedition to life. Initial chapters recount the period in World War I when conditions in Russia pointed to the need for intervention as well as the varied reasons for that decision. A description of the military forces and the geographic difficulties faced by those forces operating in Siberia provide the baseline necessary to understand the AEF’s actions in Siberia. A short discussion of the Russian Railway Service Corps explains their essential and sometimes overlooked role in this story, and subsequent chapters provide a description of actual operations by the AEF. Wolfhounds and Polar Bears: The American Expeditionary Force in Siberia, 1918–1920 may well be the most detailed study of the military aspects of the American intervention in Siberia ever undertaken, offering a multitude of details not available in any other book-length history.

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9780817359492

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Reviews

John House displays a breadth of knowledge about the United States involvement in Siberia that is nothing short of phenomenal. Hugely researched and extremely well written. He has a crisp, clear style that allows him to lay out details that bring the larger themes to life. An understanding of common history between the two nations is important to the road ahead and House helps us understand that and put it in context. --Lieutenant General Ronald L. Burgess, former director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency John House brings to life a virtually unknown US military operation--one that sheds historical light on operations in Siberia during World War I. House's clear understanding and detailed written explanation of events make history spring to life and allow the reader to better understand the important themes in the book. What a lesson, one not to be forgotten as expeditionary force operations continue for America's armed forces. --Major General Walter Wojdakowski, US Army (ret.), former commanding general of the US Army Infantry Center and School Extensively researched, this is a fantastic account of history that should be in every library. You feel you are there in the firefights while you read flowing accounts of small unit operations and heroic actions of individual soldiers. The description of the BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) in action brought back memories of its use in my platoon and company in the Korean War. --Lieutenant General Sam Wetzel, US Army (ret.), former chief of infantry and honorary colonel of the 31st Infantry Regiment House has produced the most authoritative study of the Siberian expedition. His analysis of the impediments encountered by an expeditionary force deployed on the Asian mainland is not only informative, but it serves as a timely reminder for future leaders who act haphazardly without defining the parameters of victory. --Army magazine I highly recommend this well-researched book on a US military operation that has been forgotten by most Americans. Our government ordered ten thousand men, which included two US infantry regiments to land at the Port of Vladivostok, Russia. Their mission was to protect US military supplies and property and to assist the Czech Legion to evacuate Russia. This is one history lesson that will amaze you as you learn the fate of the American Expeditionary Force Siberia during its nineteen months in an unforgiving land. --Z. Frank Hanner, director of the National Infantry Museum, Columbus, Georgia

House has produced the most authoritative study of the Siberian expedition. His analysis of the impediments encountered by an expeditionary force deployed on the Asian mainland is not only informative, but it serves as a timely reminder for future leaders who act haphazardly without defining the parameters of victory. --Army magazine I highly recommend this well-researched book on a US military operation that has been forgotten by most Americans. Our government ordered ten thousand men, which included two US infantry regiments to land at the Port of Vladivostok, Russia. Their mission was to protect US military supplies and property and to assist the Czech Legion to evacuate Russia. This is one history lesson that will amaze you as you learn the fate of the American Expeditionary Force Siberia during its nineteen months in an unforgiving land. --Z. Frank Hanner, director of the National Infantry Museum, Columbus, Georgia John House displays a breadth of knowledge about the United States involvement in Siberia that is nothing short of phenomenal. Hugely researched and extremely well written. He has a crisp, clear style that allows him to lay out details that bring the larger themes to life. An understanding of common history between the two nations is important to the road ahead and House helps us understand that and put it in context. --Lieutenant General Ronald L. Burgess, former director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency John House brings to life a virtually unknown US military operation--one that sheds historical light on operations in Siberia during World War I. House's clear understanding and detailed written explanation of events make history spring to life and allow the reader to better understand the important themes in the book. What a lesson, one not to be forgotten as expeditionary force operations continue for America's armed forces. --Major General Walter Wojdakowski, US Army (ret.), former commanding general of the US Army Infantry Center and School Extensively researched, this is a fantastic account of history that should be in every library. You feel you are there in the firefights while you read flowing accounts of small unit operations and heroic actions of individual soldiers. The description of the BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) in action brought back memories of its use in my platoon and company in the Korean War. --Lieutenant General Sam Wetzel, US Army (ret.), former chief of infantry and honorary colonel of the 31st Infantry Regiment

John House displays a breadth of knowledge about the United States involvement in Siberia that is nothing short of phenomenal. Hugely researched and extremely well written. He has a crisp, clear style that allows him to lay out details that bring the larger themes to life. An understanding of common history between the two nations is important to the road ahead and House helps us understand that and put it in context. --Lieutenant General Ronald L. Burgess, former director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency John House brings to life a virtually unknown US military operation--one that sheds historical light on operations in Siberia during World War I. House's clear understanding and detailed written explanation of events make history spring to life and allow the reader to better understand the important themes in the book. What a lesson, one not to be forgotten as expeditionary force operations continue for America's armed forces. --Major General Walter Wojdakowski, US Army (ret.), former commanding general of the US Army Infantry Center and School Extensively researched, this is a fantastic account of history that should be in every library. You feel you are there in the firefights while you read flowing accounts of small unit operations and heroic actions of individual soldiers. The description of the BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) in action brought back memories of its use in my platoon and company in the Korean War. --Lieutenant General Sam Wetzel, US Army (ret.), former chief of infantry and honorary colonel of the 31st Infantry Regiment House has produced the most authoritative study of the Siberian expedition. His analysis of the impediments encountered by an expeditionary force deployed on the Asian mainland is not only informative, but it serves as a timely reminder for future leaders who act haphazardly without defining the parameters of victory. --Army I highly recommend this well-researched book on a US military operation that has been forgotten by most Americans. Our government ordered ten thousand men, which included two US infantry regiments to land at the Port of Vladivostok, Russia. Their mission was to protect US military supplies and property and to assist the Czech Legion to evacuate Russia. This is one history lesson that will amaze you as you learn the fate of the American Expeditionary Force Siberia during its nineteen months in an unforgiving land. --Z. Frank Hanner, director of the National Infantry Museum, Columbus, Georgia

Author Information

John M. House served in command and staff positions in the United States, Germany, South Korea, and Southwest Asia (Desert Shield and Desert Storm). House retired from the Army as a colonel in 2001 after twenty-six years in uniform. After retirement from the Army, he worked as a consultant and Army civilian employee and is now the president of John House, LLC. House is also a part time faculty member at Walden University, Columbus State University, and Northcentral University, and the author of Why War? Why an Army?

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