Polar Bears - Grouping of Pvt. Eugene Gitz, 4th Platoon of Co. M, 339th Infantry

[JDR]

Greetings!

 

Several weeks ago I obtained a grouping IDed to a "Polar Bear" of the 339th Infantry Regiment and wanted to share it here! I will start with a run down of Eugene's service based on his journal, then move onto his uniform, items, and photos from his time with the ANREF.

 

Eugene Herman Gitz

1893-1976

 

The uniform and items belonged to Private Eugene Herman Gitz of 4th Platoon, Company M of the 339th Infantry Regiment, 85th Division AEF. Born in Wauwatosa Wisconsin on May 10th 1893, Eugene was one of eight children who were first-generation Americans; both his parents immigrated from Europe in the late 19th century. At the age of seven, Eugene would unfortunately lose his father after he fell off roof scaffolding while working in Milwaukee. Prior to and following the war, Eugene worked as a shoemaker and passed away June 7th 1976.

 

A summary of the diary of Eugene Gitz:

 

 

At the age of 25, Eugene enlisted in the U.S. Army and was officially inducted on April 18th, 1918 with Headquarters Company, 340th Infantry Regiment of the 85th Division. Private Eugene would ship to Europe in July 1918, and after arrival in England later that month would cross the English channel for Le Havre France in August. The farthest into the Western Front Private Eugene ever got was the French town of "Pooyay" (that is how he spelt it in his diary, however I cannot find it on a map) after hiking there by foot from Le Havre; he described the nine-mile journey in his dairy as "awful" and that his clothes were "wringing wet with sweat." It was during Eugene's stay in "Pooyay" that he received orders to return back to Le Havre, him and 500 other enlisted men from the 85th Division were to be transferred to the 339th Infantry Regiment in Archangel Russia. These men were to replace some of the losses the 339th sustained due to Spanish flu, injury and ect.

 

After departing Le Havre in late July, Pvt. Eugene would arrive in Camp Borden England where he received cold weather training and new winter gear in preparation for the campaign then ongoing in Northern Russia. On September 2nd 1918, Eugene left Camp Borden for Dundee Scotland where he boarded a ship for Archangel; the journey from Scotland took nearly twelve days by ship. Immediately following his arrival in Archangel on October 1st 1918, Pvt. Eugene plus 40 other enlisted men from the 85th Division transfers, reported to 4th platoon of Company M in the 339th Infantry Regiment. At the time of Eugene's transfer to 4th Platoon on October 8th, Company M was located along the "railroad" front to the south-west of Archangel. Eugene's first assignment involved standing guard duty at Versts 466 and 458 while under the command of Lieutenant Wright; it was here that Eugene would have heard of the November 11th Armistice in Europe.

 

On November 23rd 1918, Eugene recalled in his diary that medals were awarded during a ceremony held at Verst 466 for men in Company M, including DSC recipient Sergeant Matthew Grahek.  Following the ceremony, Pvt. Eugene continued to stand sentry duties at Versts 448 and 455 into early December 1918; his diary mentions several engagements with Bolshevik Russians during this period and an accident involving an allied plane dropping a bomb on Company M which killed one man and wounded another. On December 11th, Company M was ordered off the railroad front and back to Archangel; they were to replace men of Company G then stationed north of Archangel along the Pinega River. In a journey that would take Pvt. Eugene nine days staring December 18th, him and 4th platoon took 65 pony-led sleds north through snow-banks and bitter Russian winter weather which dropped as low as 40 below zero. Following a period of rest, Pvt. Eugene was assigned to sentry duty, building defenses and assisted the telegraph station located in the village of Pinega: his work in communications consisted of encrypting telegrams on 24 hour shifts. 

 

During the night of January 4th 1919, Pvt. Eugene was standing guard duty around 03:15AM when one of the barracks buildings located in Pinega caught fire; the blaze was noticed early enough for it to be safely contained by Eugene and several other men from 4th Platoon. On the 28th of January, Eugene accompanied several officers of Company M, including Company Commander Captain Joel Moore, who were assigned to act as rear guard during an attack on Bolshevik positions at Ust Pocha. While riding in a sleigh bound for the front, Eugene's ride hit a rut in the road which flung him into the snow, causing him to loose his rifle bayonet during the fall. The Russian driver of his sled had not noticed that his passenger was missing and continued to ride through the snow. Eugene was then left to find another sled, which he described as "tough" because the "snow was dry and slippery and hard to walk on." In addition to this, Pvt. Eugene recalled that "you had to get a (running) start to raise yourself to get on another sleigh" because they "passed you by without not even stopping to give you help." During this entire trip, Eugene was sick and had to deal with a headache that he described being "awful."

 

While Eugene was recovering from his illness, the attack on Ust Pocha was unsuccessful; the Bolsheviks outnumbered the allied troops 2:1. On Febuary 4th 1919, Eugene rejoined his platoon and continued to serve with Company M on the Pinega front until early March when 4th Platoon made their way back to Archangel. Following a rest period, Pvt. Eugene and M Company were ordered to the Russian town of Oberzerkaya and the Onega road, relieving Company E on 28th March 1919. In the next two days, Eugene recalled that "the enemy opened up on us at 0900AM" and that "the Bolos had us surrounded for three days." The Bolsheviks "came up to us in skirmish lines," Eugene wrote, "but they were repulsed." Between April 1st and 5th, Private Eugene would continue to recall several similar skirmishes with the Russians which ended April 6th 1919.

 

After fighting at Oberzerkaya, Pvt. Eugene was tasked to Versts 455, 466 and 470 for the remainder of April 1919. On April 19th, Eugene wrote of another accident involving Company M's Corporal Russell who was killed with an allied hand grenade; two more men were wounded from the same grenade. During a period of several days, Eugene also wrote in his diary about several Bolshevik planes that dropped bombs near his position at Verst 455 between May 4th and 8th 1919. 

 

Following Eugene's entry about the Russian aircraft, no other entries of combat were recorded by Pvt. Eugene. Towards the end of May 1919, Company M won a baseball championship winning 5 to 2 against HQ Company, and by June 1st Company M left Archangel for mainland Europe aboard the H.M.S.S. Czar. The Czar arrived in France later that same month, and Pvt. Eugene would take the U.S.S. Von Steuben back to the United States between June 22nd and 27th 1919.  He was then moved to Camp Grant where Pvt. Eugene was honorably discharged on July 9th, 1919.

 

50th wedding anniversary of Eugene and his wife Eleanor Gitz

Photo courtesy of Eugene Gitz' family

 

Thank you for reading through this lengthy introductory post, I will add several comments to this thread detailing the items relating to Pvt. Eugene!

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

 

[JDR]

Part II of Private Eugene Gitz's Items

 

The grouping associated with Pvt. Eugene includes his wool coat with post war "walking polar bear" patch, March 1918 Boston-patented jerkin, pistol belt (including 1917 dated holster, mag pouch and medical kit,) a very worn out single puttee, gloves, a knit wool cold weather face covering and a privately-made muskrat fur cap with a "USNA" officer's device attached to the front.

 

Although the wool coat is the only item named with Eugene's initials, the size of the rest of the kit seems to correlate with Eugene's 5'3" and 100lb size. Everything is incredibly small:

 

Wide shot of Pvt. Eugene's uniform

 

The initials "EHG" and "Co M" found on the inner liner of the coat

 

Closeup of the shoulders and jerkin

Inner label of the jerkin reads "J. Pearson & Co. Contract No. March 21 1918, Boston Depot"

 

The "USNA" device found on the muskrat cap

Also of note, the inner liner of this cap is lined in red, something more commonly seen on examples of caps used by officers

 

Reverse of the uniform and jerkin

 

Closeup of the jerkin

 

Eugene's 339th Infantry collar disc for Company M

 

Pvt. Eugene's "USNA" monogram disc on the opposing collar

 

Pvt. Eugene's "walking polar bear" patch

 

The red discharge stripe found on the left sleeve

 

Overseas stripes, each representing six months of overseas service

 

Cold weather shooting gloves, also in an incredibly small size

 

The uniform's pistol belt and magazine pouch

 

Side view of the 1917 dated 1911 holster

 

The single, very heavily worn puttee with traces of mud 

 

 

Top view of the puttee

 

Please enjoy the photos! I will add the scans of the paper items that accompanied the uniform in my next comment.

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

 

[militbuff]

What a beautiful grouping.  And what a terrible experience that must have been for him.  A number of our soldiers, when captured by the “bolos” (never heard that term before!), disappeared into concentration camps never to be seen again.

[JDR]

57 minutes ago, militbuff said:

What a beautiful grouping.  And what a terrible experience that must have been for him.  A number of our soldiers, when captured by the “bolos” (never heard that term before!), disappeared into concentration camps never to be seen again.

 

Militbluff,

 

Appreciate it! The men in the ANREF went through quite a bit while fighting the "Bolos," if you ever get a chance to read The Polar Bear Expedition: The Heroes of America's Forgotten Invasion of Russia 1918-1919 by James Carl Nelson I'd highly recommend it. I am still in the process of reading several other works covering the campaign as well.

 

Something I also forgot to mention, Pvt. Eugene did write about three American comrades who were captured in his diary. On March 31st during the fighting in Oberzerkaya, he wrote:

 

"Enemy opened up at 0900AM with M and G Co., in rear of our outposts. Bolos had us surrounded for 3 days. Heavy barrage on front and enemy came up in skirmish lines but were repulsed. Corp. Pratt wounded and Sgt. Leitzell and Private Hogan and Mech. Lawson taken prisoner."

 

I will have to look through James Nelson's book again regarding the prisoners, but from what I recall all the prisoners of the 339th Infantry who were taken by the Russians (except for one who disappeared) either were eventually released from custody or accounted for in some fashion. Regardless of that I personally would not want to be at the mercy of any Bolshevik troops during this period given their reputation!

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

[militbuff]

JD,

Glad to hear that their captured were returned.  I just read the abridged version (unabridged was nearly 2000 pages!) of The Gulag Archipelago and it briefly mentioned that some Russian prisoners had run into American POWs in the 1920s while in the gulag.  That got me interested in reading more about the AEF in Siberia.  I’ll definitely have to read Nelson’s book.  Truly a fascinating period of history.

 

Again, congratulations on a gorgeous and touching grouping.

 

Best,

Dan

[JDR]

12 hours ago, UnteroffizierFSAR9 said:

 

Militbluff,

 

Appreciate it! The men in the ANREF went through quite a bit while fighting the "Bolos," if you ever get a chance to read The Polar Bear Expedition: The Heroes of America's Forgotten Invasion of Russia 1918-1919 by James Carl Nelson I'd highly recommend it. I am still in the process of reading several other works covering the campaign as well.

 

Something I also forgot to mention, Pvt. Eugene did write about three American comrades who were captured in his diary. On March 31st during the fighting in Oberzerkaya, he wrote:

 

"Enemy opened up at 0900AM with M and G Co., in rear of our outposts. Bolos had us surrounded for 3 days. Heavy barrage on front and enemy came up in skirmish lines but were repulsed. Corp. Pratt wounded and Sgt. Leitzell and Private Hogan and Mech. Lawson taken prisoner."

 

I will have to look through James Nelson's book again regarding the prisoners, but from what I recall all the prisoners of the 339th Infantry who were taken by the Russians (except for one who disappeared) either were eventually released from custody or accounted for in some fashion. Regardless of that I personally would not want to be at the mercy of any Bolshevik troops during this period given their reputation!

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

 

An update on the American POWs I mentioned in the pinned comment,

 

Mr. Mike Grobbel, the current President of the Polar Bear Memorial Association located in Michigan, forwarded me some information regarding the three men that Pvt. Eugene wrote about; all three safely returned back to the U.S. in June 1919:

 

Pvt. Patrick Freeman Hogan, M Co., 339th Inf. Reg. POW, Released in April 1919, Returned to U.S. with Brest Special Co. 1747 For Discharge, Departing Brest on 20 June 1919 aboard the SS Troy, arrived Hoboken, NJ on 30 June 1919, Died Feb. 1945,

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105194195/patrick-freeman-hogan

 

Sgt. Glenn W. Leitzell, Co. M, 339th Inf. Reg., POW, Released in April 1919, Returned to U.S. with Brest Special Casual Co. 1747 (New York Special Co. 8), departing 20 June 1919 from Brest, France aboard the SS Troy, Arrived Hoboken, NJ on 30 June 1919, Died April 1933.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35005528/glenn-wesley-leitzell

 

Mech. Jens C. Laursen (not "Lawson"), Co. M, 339th Inf. Reg., POW, Released in April 1919, Returned to U.S. with Brest Special Casual Co. 1747 (New York Special Co. 8), departing 20 June 1919 from Brest, France aboard the SS Troy, Arrived Hoboken, NJ on 30 June 1919, Died Feb. 1955.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/195273482/jens-c-laursen

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

[JDR]

Part III of Private Eugene Gitz's Items

 

In this comment, I will attach the photos which came with the grouping. In total, there are about 30 different images including several postcards from Vladivostok Siberia; I will mention the non-ANREF items in a later comment.

 

Something to note as well, it is the opinion of myself and the family of Pvt. Eugene that the men pictured in these shots are in fact NOT of Eugene Gitz. According to relatives who knew Eugene before he passed away there was a small model Kodak Brownie camera that Eugene carried with him in Russia; unfortunately the whereabouts of the camera are unknown. Therefore, I theorize that the photos here were taken by Eugene, accompanied the uniform and were mis-identified later as Eugene by a previous owner of the grouping.

 

Regardless of the prior mistake regarding the identity of the men in the photos, there are still some interesting shots taken in Russia and of ANREF troops:

 

A doughboy of the 339th Infantry in front of ANREF HQ

Note the "CD" patch of the 85th Division on his left sleeve

 

Close-up comparison of the previous photo

The left sign reads "HEADQUARTERS AMERICAN NORTHERN RUSSIA EXPEDITIONARY FORCES"

The right sign is in Russian

 

A Russian man with several reindeer

Note the doughboy in the overseas cap behind the deer

 

Another photo of the reindeer with a doughboy sitting on a sled

 

Another photo of the reindeer

 

A doughboy posing on a bridge

Note: this photo is improperly labeled as being Pvt. Eugene Gitz, presumably by a previous owner of the grouping

 

Another photo on the bridge, this time with two French soldiers

 

Blockhouse on the Kodish Front

Subtitle Reads:

"Log Blockhouse - Kodish Front

(Under Construction)

Folio 2 - Neg No.23"

 

Three doughboys in a motorbike

 

Another shot of the doughboy from the bridge

 

The same doughboy from the bridge and the previous photo

Note: this is the only photo in the grouping which has any kind of writing on the reverse

 

The reverse of the previous photo

The inscription reads:

"This was taken when I

Was taking life easy and only

weighed 170lbs. Now dont show these to (Birdie?) but show them to ma"

Pvt. Eugene Gitz only weighed 100lbs, so this man was more than likely not Eugene

 

A group photo of doughboys

 

Another photo of some doughboys

 

A single photo of another doughboy

 

A shot of what appears to be an officer's mess

 

What appears to be the same mess hall as the previous photo

 

An un-identified Russian street with pedestrians

 

A large Russian building next to what appears to be a lumber yard

 

The Troitski Cathedral in Archangel

 

Horse drawn carts

 

Hope these photos are interesting! Again, I believe some of these were more than likely taken by Eugene at some point but none are in fact of him. Thanks to his family the errors regarding the identity of the doughboy highlighted in these photos has been fixed.

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

 

[atb]

 

Looks like he is wearing the 85th Division "CD" SSI while in Russia. The 85th's SSI was approved in late-December 1918. The North Russia Expeditionary Force SSI was approved in June 1919.

[JDR]

2 hours ago, atb said:

 

Looks like he is wearing the 85th Division "CD" SSI while in Russia. The 85th's SSI was approved in late-December 1918. The North Russia Expeditionary Force SSI was approved in June 1919.

Atb,

 

Thank you for that info! I was having a hard time trying to pinpoint when the 85th’s “CD” patch was adopted but knew it would have most likely occurred after the November 11th armistice. Out of all the photos that came with the grouping I think that specific one in front of Headquarters is my favorite!

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

[atb]

The WW1 85th Division has an interesting history regarding the activities of its subordinate units. I've managed to collect two uniforms for the 85th. One is from a soldier of Company E, 310th Engineers of the 2nd Battalion, which didn't go to Russia. It has a V Corps SSI. The other is from a guy in the 310th Trench Mortar Battery and has a VI Corps SSI.

[Lind007]

Very nice grouping thank you for sharing! 

[JDR]

@atb,

 

Nice! I know Corps SSI can be tricky to find, those sound like some good pieces.

 

@Lind007,

 

Thank you! I still got a couple more comments to make, there was quite a bit of material with this uniform!

[JDR]

Part IV of Private Eugene Gitz's Items

 

With this comment I will cover the other miscellaneous items relating to the ANREF that accompanied Pvt. Eugene's uniform. These include several copies of orders addressed to Company M, two examples of Russian currency and a ANREF reunion decal depicting the Polar Bear Memorial at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy Michigan.

 

Orders sent from Verst 455 for Companies I, M, MG and Medical Detachment

Dated 03 December 1918

First Lieutenant N.C. Hallock

 

HQ Railroad Front orders from Verst 455

Dated 04 April 1919

Major J. Brooks Nichols

 

HQ Railroad Front orders from Verst 455

Dated 14 April 1919

Major J. Brooks Nichols

 

HQ Railroad Front orders

Dated 28 April 1919

 

HQ Third Battalion orders Verst 455

Dated 31 October 1918

First Lieutenant Lewis E. Jahns

Note the "Co. M" written on top-left of paper

 

Russian currency #1

Note the bottom center label which reads:

"AMERICAN BANK NOTE COMPANY"

 

Russian currency #2

 

ANREF reunion decal

These were handed out during reunions held in Michigan of the 339th Infantry before WWII, therefore I suspect

Pvt. Eugene attended at least one of these gatherings with his comrades

 

Reverse of the reunion decal

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

 

 

 

 

[JDR]

Part V of Eugene Gitz's Items

 

In this final comment will be the other non-ANREF items which came with the grouping. These items pertain to the Siberian AEF campaign; how these ended up accompanying a Northern Russia uniform is a mystery I may never solve.

 

Postcard of Vladivostok Siberia

 

Japanese-printed postcard depicting allied troops in Siberia

 

Lumber yards located in Solombola

"57 Fo.4" on bottom right corner of image

 

Hand saw mill in Archangel

(I forgot to add this image to one of my previous comments covering Archangel items)

Bottom caption reads "Folio-1-Neg. No. 10."

 

One of four different copies of Siberian AEF newspapers that came with the grouping 

Here and There With the 31st - Wherever We Happen to Be

September 19th, 1919

 

The American Sentinel dated May 10th 1919

The inscription on this copy may be the only clue as to why these items accompanied the ANREF uniform; the address

"1186 Island Avenue" was once a location in Milwaukee WI, the same city Pvt. Eugene lived following the war.

Perhaps the name "Bartlett," written multiple times on this copy, was someone who served in Siberia and knew Eugene

enough for these to make their way into his possession.  That is as far as my investigating has gotten me!

 

Thank you for reading through my comments on this grouping! If anything else surfaces in my research regarding Pvt. Eugene I will ensure this thread gets an update.

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

[Shenkursk]

8 hours ago, UnteroffizierFSAR9 said:

Part V of Eugene Gitz's Items

 

In this final comment will be the other non-ANREF items which came with the grouping. These items pertain to the Siberian AEF campaign; how these ended up accompanying a Northern Russia uniform is a mystery I may never solve.

 
 

In my experience, the presence of items from Siberia mixed with items from North Russia is usually one of two things:

1) someone who does not know the difference has attempted to 'improve' or construct a group by adding what they think (incorrectly) are related items

or

2) a collector who had both North Russia and Siberia items in his or her collection has passed, and someone handling the sale of the collection did their best to identify and keep groups together, but did not understand that North Russia and Siberia are two entirely different things.  

From the look of your Co. M group, the bones of it are correct (and awesome!!) but it also appears to be enhanced a bit for display with a few subtle collector-added bits such as the US jerkin.  They did wear jerkins in North Russia, but they were British issue, which are similar but distinctly different from the US variety.  Don't misunderstand - there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it might shed some light on why there is a mix of ANREF and S-AEF items.

[JDR]

2 hours ago, Shenkursk said:

 
 

In my experience, the presence of items from Siberia mixed with items from North Russia is usually one of two things:

1) someone who does not know the difference has attempted to 'improve' or construct a group by adding what they think (incorrectly) are related items

or

2) a collector who had both North Russia and Siberia items in his or her collection has passed, and someone handling the sale of the collection did their best to identify and keep groups together, but did not understand that North Russia and Siberia are two entirely different things.  

From the look of your Co. M group, the bones of it are correct (and awesome!!) but it also appears to be enhanced a bit for display with a few subtle collector-added bits such as the US jerkin.  They did wear jerkins in North Russia, but they were British issue, which are similar but distinctly different from the US variety.  Don't misunderstand - there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it might shed some light on why there is a mix of ANREF and S-AEF items.

Shenkursk,

 

Thank you for the input! I was also considering that to be a possibility. Overall it is a nice spread and I was really glad to snag it all up!

 

By the way Shenkursk, would you happen to know where to find more information regarding the usage of muskrat caps in Northern Russia? I have spoken with several people since grabbing this grouping and I’ve heard that a study was done on these but I just can’t find it. 
 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

[Shenkursk]

On 10/21/2023 at 10:24 PM, UnteroffizierFSAR9 said:

Shenkursk,

 

Thank you for the input! I was also considering that to be a possibility. Overall it is a nice spread and I was really glad to snag it all up!

 

By the way Shenkursk, would you happen to know where to find more information regarding the usage of muskrat caps in Northern Russia? I have spoken with several people since grabbing this grouping and I’ve heard that a study was done on these but I just can’t find it. 
 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

They are very much in the minority; going by the available photographs, it appears that the bulk of the enlisted men wore the Shackleton hat, followed by wool knit caps, knit toques, and plain helmets.  There are definitely some muskrat caps and other (indistinct) private purchase headgear visible in the photos, but this is the exception to the rule.

 

In Siberia, the muskrat fur cap was the standard.

 

[JDR]

On 10/22/2023 at 9:44 PM, Shenkursk said:

They are very much in the minority; going by the available photographs, it appears that the bulk of the enlisted men wore the Shackleton hat, followed by wool knit caps, knit toques, and plain helmets.  There are definitely some muskrat caps and other (indistinct) private purchase headgear visible in the photos, but this is the exception to the rule.

 

In Siberia, the muskrat fur cap was the standard.

 

 

Shenkursk,

 

That is something I have noticed as well. Here is another near identical one to mine at the Michigan Heroes Museum attributed to a Polar Bear:

 

 

 

Pvt. Eugene's descendants also informed me of several other photos in their possession that they plan on sharing with me eventually. Should they give me permission, I will ensure they are shared here as well.

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

 

 

 

 

[Niner Alpha]

The "Here and There With the 31st - Wherever We Happen to Be" newspaper is interesting to me.  I have a couple 31st Regiment newspapers from  few years after the war when they were in the Philippines.  Without going into a long explanation of my interest in the 31st Regiment, there is one narrow interest that the news may or may not answer about a particular person.  My old 1st Sgt. from the 6/31st in Vietnam had a 31st Regiment connection to the Polar Bear expedition in Russia. His dad had been with the 31st Regiment and he had his dad's old 31st expedition patch. Have no idea what his father's rank was at the time.  Any mention of a Coppeler  in that paper by any chance?  I'll attach an image of Top's patch I took at a reunion at Ft. Benning back in 2005. 

[JDR]

7 hours ago, Niner Alpha said:

The "Here and There With the 31st - Wherever We Happen to Be" newspaper is interesting to me.  I have a couple 31st Regiment newspapers from  few years after the war when they were in the Philippines.  Without going into a long explanation of my interest in the 31st Regiment, there is one narrow interest that the news may or may not answer about a particular person.  My old 1st Sgt. from the 6/31st in Vietnam had a 31st Regiment connection to the Polar Bear expedition in Russia. His dad had been with the 31st Regiment and he had his dad's old 31st expedition patch. Have no idea what his father's rank was at the time.  Any mention of a Coppeler  in that paper by any chance?  I'll attach an image of Top's patch I took at a reunion at Ft. Benning back in 2005. 

 

Niner Alpha,

 

I think I have seen your photo around somewhere before. Next chance I get I will take a closer look through the newspapers I have for Coppeler!

 

I also have a wool coat attributed to the Siberian Expedition but it is unidentified and has standard infantry collar discs. It differs slightly from the construction of the one you shared:

 

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

[Big Iron]

It looks like his sleeve actually has E GITZ written in cursive, rather than EHG. The Z makes a downward swoop similar to what a G might look like.

[JDR]

16 hours ago, Big Iron said:

It looks like his sleeve actually has E GITZ written in cursive, rather than EHG. The Z makes a downward swoop similar to what a G might look like.

Big Iron,

 

Good eye, thank you for the correction! I had a similar issue with a 369th Infantry coat that also had a name in cursive. 

 

I am grateful that Eugene's coat is named. This grouping passed through several hands in the last two years, one of the leading causes being some of the added field gear to the grouping, making it less "desirable." As Shenkursk put it, the "bones" of this set are solid so I am a happy camper, and to have extra gear for display is a bonus!

 

Pvt. Eugene's family also recalled the existence of this uniform when I contacted them, seems like it left the family around the time Eugene passed away in 1976.

 

Best Regards,

-J.D.

[manayunkman]

Amazing group and well done on the manikin display.

[katieony]

A really nice and historic group!  Thank you for sharing it!

 

Mike

[danimal03]

very nice post.  This is a very rare grouping.  I have studied the Polar Bear Expedition, and it is a very sad story.  I have an original uniform in my collection as well.  Mine came with the pants.  Interestingly, in the pockets were wheat? seeds.  I did find a name in the tunic but was never able to find anything.

 

I also have an original helmet in my collection.  It is of a less common style.  It was left in the doughboy style camo.  The word 'Russia' is painted on top, and the polar bear is painted on the front.

 

I missed a killer Polar Bear Purple Heart grouping a few years ago.  When I saw it, it was already sold.  Thank you for sharing your fantastic post.