Sgt. Alvin York
Posted on 03/22/2006 6:30:15 AM PST by holymoly
A strange occurrence took place recently deep in the Argonne forest of France. Two Midstate university scholars, Michael Birdwell and Tom Nolan, whooped and hollered like Predators fans reacting to a score.
"We were screaming and shouting," Birdwell said.
In fact, they had "scored."
Combining their expertise — Birdwell in history and Nolan in high-tech mapmaking — the pair pinpointed with satellite accuracy the site where Sgt. Alvin C. York silenced a nest of German machine gunners and captured 132 prisoners during World War I.
For his heroics in October 1918, the man from Pall Mall, Tenn., was awarded the Medal of Honor.
While his deed has not been forgotten, the specific site of the action was never officially marked. Through the decades, memories faded and the landscape changed.
In recent years, York's battlefield position has been debated. Birdwell and Nolan believe their work may settle the argument.
The pair spent the first week of this month — spring break at their respective universities — in the snow-covered hills of the Argonne.
They dug for artifacts (spent shell casings, mostly) in the frozen ground with a mattock. But unlike other researchers who had tried to pinpoint the location, the Tennesseans were outfitted with maps compiled using materials from the National Archive in Washington, from York's personal journal and dozens of other pieces of data.
Nolan, who is working on his doctoral degree and will use his York exploration as his thesis subject, is an expert in geographic information systems.
"Basically, what GIS allows you to do is to combine information from a variety of sources into one database so you can view it all in the same scale. Essentially, it allows you to overlay things,'' said Nolan, who is director of the R.O. Fullerton Laboratory for Spatial Technology at Middle Tennessee State University.
Nolan used data such as maps of French defensive trenches and of German battlefield locations to create a basic map of the area. He then added information from a 1927 re-enactment of York's famous deed and from York's personal wartime journal.
"We were able to superimpose all these things on a modern topographic map which was downloaded to a handheld GPS data recorder,'' Nolan said. Global positioning system devices pinpoint latitude and longitude locations using satellites orbiting above the earth.
When they were in the field, the men were able to check their position against the historical landmarks that had been added to the GPS map.
"That's why we knew where to dig,'' said Birdwell, associate professor of history at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville.
Of course, there were still problems once they arrived on site. Logging had altered the course of a stream flowing through the area, so they had to make adjustments to their map. Instead of digging on the west side of the stream, the pair moved across the water to the east side.
On March 7, they made their first significant finds: 159 shell casings and three live rounds from a German machine-gun position, 51 live rounds of ammo for a light French machine gun and several French grenades.
The best was yet to come, however.
"It was getting close to dusky dark, very late in the day, when we found .30-06 casings which we believe York fired from his Lee-Enfield Model 17 rifle,'' Birdwell said.
"We found seven that day and an empty clip. The next day, we found more."
Birdwell, curator of the Medal of Honor winner's papers, said York fired three magazines of five rounds each on that day in 1918.
"We recovered 12 of 15 rounds that we believe he fired. They were buried 6-9 inches below the surface. We're 80% certain that we have found the right location. If we had found any spent .45 (-caliber) rounds, that would have clinched it because, after firing his rifle, he then shot the patrol that charged him with his pistol, shooting lefthanded,'' Birdwell said.
Alas, no .45-caliber casings were found. The two men suspect the .45 casings may have deteriorated in the boggy ground.
"We would have to use a screen to sift through and find pieces. I'm sure they are there, but we just weren't prepared for that kind of digging,'' Birdwell said.
The men, who paid for the trip out of their own salaries, hope to return to France for a more extensive search of the site. "We're hoping that it will generate some interest and support so we can go back and finish up and settle the dispute once and for all, without a doubt,'' Birdwell said.
News of the two men's discovery spread quickly. French authorities who had given permission for the dig wanted to see the spent casings, which they allowed to be returned to the United States. The French are in discussions to create a memorial on the site.
In Tennessee, state historian Walter Durham of Gallatin was impressed by the find.
"This is a great example of what GPS can do. It's comparable to what DNA testing is doing in medicine and law.''
He said knowing the precise location for a historical event is important.
"Just as when you go to The Hermitage, you know that Andrew Jackson had been in that space at one time, it gives you a locus to orient yourself.
"You can say, 'This is the very spot where something happened.' That's important for future generations to know." •
Gary Cooper did a fairly good job portraying Sgt. York.
My job is primarily GIS and programming. Cool story.
They should try using a metal detector.
Amazing.
Yes, he did.
Alvin York was issued a 1917 Enfield, but told his son he ditched it as soon as possible for a 1903 Springfield which he felt was a more accurate and reliable gun.
In the movie he used a 1903 Springfield for his rifle and a P08 captured Luger. In reality he did use the 1903 Springfield and a 1911 Colt in .45ACP. the movie people replaced the colt with the Luger when they could not get it to cycle with blanks. the Springfield/Enfield controversy goes on to this day. Many scholars assume he used the Enfield because it was issued to him, but his son, in a recent NRA American Rifleman issue, states planely that he recovered the more desireable Springfield from a fallen.
comrad.
I have owned both type rifles and love them both.
According to an article I read recently, his son said that his father was using a Springfield rather than a P17 Enfield. Evidently his outfit was equipped with the P17's, but he managed to trade or pick up a Springfield because it liked the open sights better.
see post 7
I notice that there were no spent French shell casings found.
He was my grandpa's friend.
Marshal Petan distinguished himself at Verdun. Twenty years later he lead the French into shame. There was an episode on Verdon on the Military channel just last nigh.The British learned for the French how to lay they artillery fire with out impeding the infantry attack. Probably their last lessons before they started perfecting retreat.
no but plenty of dropped rifles I bet
I did after I posted. #7 was not there when I was writing it.
The 1903 Springfield fires a .30-06 round and the Enfield a .308 does it not? ...therefore, if they were finding .30-06 spent rounds, then York HAD to be using the American Springfield.
In 1966, I visited Fort de Vaux at Verdun. In the parking lot, a man had a pile of what looked like 75mm shells that he had apparently unearthed. My mother made certain that we didn't smuggle any of them into the car as souvenirs.
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