U. S. OFFICIAL PHOTO
General Ironside Inspecting Doughboys.
U. S. OFFICIAL PHOTO (159488)
Burial of Lieut. Clifford Phillips.
XXXVII
CAPTIVE DOUGHBOYS IN BOLSHEVIKDOM
Doughboy Captives Still Coming Out Of Red Russia—Red Cross Starts Prisoner Exchange In Archangel Area—White Flag Incidents In No Man’s Land—Remarkable Picture Taken—Men Who Were Liberated—Sergeant Leitzell’s Gripping Story Of Their Captivity.
In August, 1920, came out of Bolshevik Russia, as startlingly as though from the grave, Corp. Prince of “B” Company, who had been wounded and captured at Toulgas, March 1, 1919. This leads to our story of the captives in Bolshevikdom. One of the interesting incidents of the spring defensive was the exchange of prisoners. It was brought about quite largely through the efforts of the American Red Cross, which was very anxious to try to get help to the Americans still in interior Russia, especially the prisoners of war. When the Bolsheviki captured the Allied men at Bolsheozerki in March they took a British chaplain, who pleaded that he was a non-combatant and belonged to a fraternal order whose principles were similar to the Soviet principles. Thinking they had a convert, the Soviet Commissar gave Father Roach his freedom and sent him through the lines at the railroad front in April.
News was brought back by Father Roach that many American and British and French prisoners were at Moscow or on their way to Moscow.
Accordingly, the American Red Cross was instrumental in prevailing upon the military authorities to open white flag conversations at the front line in regard to a possible exchange of prisoners. A remarkable photograph is included in this volume of that first meeting. One or two other meetings were not quite so formal. At one time the excited Bolos forgot their own men and the enemy who were parleying in the middle of No Man’s Land, and started a lively artillery duel with the French artillery. At another time the Americans’ Russian Archangel Allies got excited and fired upon the Bolshevik soldiers who were sitting under a white flag on the railroad track watching the American captain come towards them. Happy to say, there were no casualties by this mistake. But it sure was a ticklish undertaking for the Americans themselves later in the day to walk out under a flag of truce to explain the mistake and inquire about the progress of the prisoners exchange conversations going on. At Vologda, American, British and French officers were guests of the Bolshevik authorities. Their return was expected and came during the first week of May.