Posted on 10/13/2008 4:49:43 PM PDT by sig226
He has very clearly stated otherwise. While it is true that his 82nd Division was equipped with the M1917, he clearly stated on several occasions that he had obtained an M1903, and that it was what he had used during the action of 08 October 1918 near Chatel-Chehery, France, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive:
While records indicate that the 82nd Division was wholly issued with the M1917, York disliked that rifle. A couple of years ago his sons Andrew and George, then in their eighties, were interviewed at their home in Pall Mall, Tennessee, for an article in the American Rifleman magazine. Both men emphatically and repeatedly stated that York somehow managed to swap his Enfield for a Springfield.
Andrew: “Daddy knew the difference and didn’t like the sights on the Enfield.”
The M1917 had a peep sight, with which York had difficulty leading his target. He far preferred the open rear sight of the Springfield.
-more-
York continued his training, and established himself as the company's best shot with his issue .30-'06 Model 1903 Springfield. Later commenting that the rifle was not as good as his hog gun out to 100 yds., he did admit that it was probably better at greater ranges. After the nasty job of cleaning the cosmoline out of his rifle he wrote in his diary, "Well, they give me a gun and oh my that old gun was jes full of Greece [sic] and I had to clean that old gun for inspection. So I had a hard time to get that gun clean."
Following training, York's unit was moved to Camp Upton, NY, in preparation to be sent overseas. After several days of drilling, the men were put aboard a freighter bound for Le Havre, France, after a stop in England.
Upon arriving at Le Havre, the 82nd was issued 30-'06 Sprg. U.S. Model of 1917 Enfield rifles. According to York's son Andrew, his father didn't much cotton on to the M1917 as it had a peep sight with which York had difficulty leading a target. Somehow he finagled to swap his issue rifle out for a Model 1903 Springfield - a gun he had found much more comfortable.
After more training, his unit was finally ordered to the front lines. York kept his Bible close at hand, just to assure himself that he was doing the right thing. All during his overseas duty, he kept up a continual correspondence with his sweetheart, Gracie, filling her in on the exotic sights and scenes of Europe, as well as with details of his training and subsequent action.
Promoted to corporal, York saw his first fighting in the Montsec region where he was in charge of a squad armed with French Chauchat machine guns. His comment seems to echo those of many other Americans to whom the things were issued, "They were big and clumsy. They were too heavy. They were not accurate or silent. You could never be sure what you fired at no matter how good a shot you were. All you could do with them was make a lot of noise."
Eventually his outfit was sent to the Argonne Forest. Large areas had been continuously pounded by German guns and the area was a quagmire of mud, dead horses and battlefield litter. York described the area as a scene of Abomination and Desolation.
Following spirited action, the soldiers were eventually assigned to Hill 223 which was to be the staging area for an attack on the Decauville Railroad, about three kilometers away.
For his exploit, York was awarded, among other decorations, the Medal of Honor, the Tennessee Medal of Valor, the Croix de Guerre (France) and the Croce de Guerra (Italy.)
After making the rounds of Allied bases in Europe, York was sent back home where, upon his arrival in New York, he was given a lavish ticker tape parade and was put up in a suite at the Waldorf Astoria. Besieged with offers to go on lecture tours and appear in movies, he declined them all, summing up his objections by noting, "Wouldn't I look funny in tights?" Unfortunately his 1903 Springfield and .45 ACP M1911 were lost or stolen enroute to the United States and remain missing to this day. ... .
Probably the gun he used more than even his percussion long rifle - which is on display in Nashville - was his Remington Model 11 semi-automatic 12-ga. shotgun. York's son Andrew remembers going duck hunting with Daddy and watching his father pick the ducks off from rear to front, in the same manner he shot Germans in the Argonne. York also owned a 10-ga. Winchester Model 1901 lever-action shotgun, but it was presumably retired when he got his Model 11.
Andrew tells of how his father was able to shoot doves on the wing using a Winchester Model 74 .22 auto loading rifle - another of his favorite guns. During my visit with the York family, I also was able to view a Winchester Model 92 in .25-20 Win., as well as a .32 ACP CZ Model 24 semi-automatic pistol. The former was presumably used for larger game such as deer and hogs, while the latter, according to Andrew, was carried by York occasionally for self-protection. He has no idea where the CZ came from.
- Garry James
The rifle he used that day was a M1917 Enfield. That rifle is at MTSU. You can call and talk to the university if you like (Professor Tom Nolan)... They went back to the battle location to find brass from York's rifle and pistol...They did find brass, believed to be from Alvin York's rifle...They didn't find the brass from the M1911 45 and plan to go back and search again...
I do concur that he disliked the sights of the 1917 Enfield and that he did obtain a M1903. But on the day in question, it was indeed a 1917 Enfield.
Regards,
Raven6
No, I don't think the flamethrower was even developed until sometime into the war. He left Germany a couple of days before WWI started. He does talk about the possibility of Zeppelins "throwing down explosives" and "Aeroplanes".
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