ENWWIO0000094-A
Facsimile
Transcription
Last Name: O'Brien
First Name: Anthony
Middle Name: None Listed
Army Serial Number: 1,989,976
Race: Caucasian
Branch: Army or Marines
Town or City of Residence: Whiting
County of Residence: Lake
Place of Birth: Everson, Pennsylvania
Date of Birth: 08/xx/1888
Age: 29 7/12
Is this card a reverse side? (Indicated by "-B"): no
Notes and Questions
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Mr. O'Brien was one of the unlucky few thousand men who were sent to Archangelsk in mid-1918 as part of an Allied effort to eliminate the Bolshevik government and get Russia back into the war against Germany. The 339th Infantry Regiment fought as part of a combined Anglo-French-American force. Company A of the 339th, in which Mr. O'Brien served, fought a pitched battle against the Red Army's 18th Rifle Division near the town of Shenkursk on the night of 18-19 January 1919--more than two months after the war had ended in Europe. The Americans defeated the Red Army attack, but at the cost of 40 killed (out of 47 men engaged). The 339th is the only US Army unit whose motto is in Russian ("The Bayonet Decides") rather than English or Latin.
Thank you for this fascinating information, Tom! -CH
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