British Intervention in Northern Russia

The British Intervention in Northern Russia was a British led effort to invade Northern Russia. This included a American contingent, an Italian Expedition and the local White Government.

Murmansk Phase
The Intervention begun in March 1918 under Frederick Poole. The newly independent Finland was proceeding in so called Kinship Wars or Heimsodat to liberate their 'brothers'. The Finns were allied with Germany which had sent troops to assist them and that worried the British. So in March 1918 the British invaded the Kola Peninsula and occupied Murmansk with 180 soldiers on March 6th from the HMS Glory. Notably they were allied to local reds and assisted them against the Finns. Notably red troops were ferried to Petsamo on May 3rd by the HMS Cochrane to forestall a Finnish attack. The British navy in conjunction with minor British Forces, allied Reds and the Murmansk Legion managed to fight the Finns. It was hardly an occupation and similar too a British alliance against the Finns. As the Finnish offensive died down in the north the British influence wavered.

British efforts were renewed on June 20th when the city of Murmansk was further occupied. Over the coming months British forces advanced to Kem and occupied the surrounding areas. This was succeeded by the formation of the British allied Karelian Regiment and the seizure of Karelia.

Prelude to Arkhangelsk Phase
The port of Arkhangelsk (And Murmansk for that matter) had received shipments of British war materials and they were stockpiled in the city. After the October Revolution the British got worried that the Reds would seize the stockpiles. This along with the Revolt of the Czechoslovak Legion brought the British into considering a larger intervention in Russia. Under the guise of freeing the Czechoslovak Legion, securing their war materials and reopening the Eastern Front the British began the next phase of their Russian Intervention.

Entente
Royal Navy: HMS Nairana, HMS Pegasus, HMS Glory, HMS Fox, HMS M23, HMS M25, HMS Humber (1913), HMS M27, HMS M31, HMS M33, HMS Erebus and HMS Cochrane

British Empire: 236th Brigade, Dundee Fortress Royal Engineers, Slavo-British Allied Reigment, 52nd Battalion of the Manchester Regiment, parts of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 10th (Cyclist) Battalion, Royal Scots and Durham Light Infantry

United States: 339th Infantry Regiment and USS Olympia

France: 21st Colonial Battalion and North Russian Battalion

Italy: 4th Battalion of the 67th Infantry Regiment, 389th machine-gun company and 165th Royal Carabinieri

Northern Army (Whites): 1,000 Serbian and Polish Infantry; Up to 54,000 Russian soldiers

Red Army
Sixth and Seventh Armies

Arkhangelsk Phase
On August 1st the British occupied the island of Modyugski in prelude to the Battle of Arkhangelsk. A Large British navy in unison with a white coup d'etat gave control of the city to the whites who handed it over to British soon after. With the capture of Arkhangelsk on August 2nd a massive offensive began with the cooperation of the Royal Airforce. On August 17th Entente troops had reached the shores of Onega Bay. British attacks on Koikori on August 28th and September 4th (Also an attack on Ussuna on the 4th September) ended in disastrous defeats. Due to plans for another attack on the 5th the troops mutinied. They were sentenced to punishment, but that was revoked in December of next year. On the Northern Divina River a Scottish Offensive was halted and culminated in the Battle of Tulgas on armistice day.

A successful Italian offensive in Karelia occurred on May 21st. On May 26th 1919 4,000 British troops arrived to relieve the withdrawing Americans. In Summer 1919 the Northern Army launched an unsuccessful offensive along the Northern Divina Front. In September 1919 the Northern Army launched a more successfully offensive in the modern Komi Republic. In September local reds were sabotaging the railway to Murmansk. The British attempted to land troops to repulse them, but failed.