Scholars put Sgt. York's WWI heroics on the map; GPS leads to site in France where Tennessean fought

Tennesean.com ^ | 03/22/06 | LEON ALLIGOOD

[holymoly]

Sgt. Alvin York

[battlegearboat]

Gary Cooper did a fairly good job portraying Sgt. York.

[JamesP81]

My job is primarily GIS and programming. Cool story.

[FReepaholic]

...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. ...

They should try using a metal detector.

[ClearCase_guy]

"We recovered 12 of 15 rounds that we believe he fired."

Amazing.

[holymoly]

Gary Cooper did a fairly good job portraying Sgt. York.

Yes, he did.

[Vaquero]

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.

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

Great Movie.
I visited Verdun several years ago. The ossiary have the bones from a million French and German soldiers. You can still see the remnants of the trenches. They tell stories that when farmers cut down trees in the area that the sawdust contains mustard gas that can still cause a problem for people. Whole cities and villages in Northern France don't exist since WWI. This is the last time the French showed any spine.

[jim_trent]

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.

[Vaquero]

see post 7

[Doohickey]

I notice that there were no spent French shell casings found.

[Samwise]

He was my grandpa's friend.

[Samwise]

As I heard it, York did not want Cooper to play him because Cooper smoked cigarettes and drank. Cooper had to charm York into consenting to his casting.

[oyez]

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.

[Vaquero]

I notice that there were no spent French shell casings found

no but plenty of dropped rifles I bet

[jim_trent]

I did after I posted. #7 was not there when I was writing it.

[holymoly]

[meandog]

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.

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.

[Fiji Hill]

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.

[68skylark]

American Enfield rifles use the same .30-'06 cartridge as the 1903 Springfield -- any other arrangement would have caused tremendous confusion during re-supply efforts. The .308 round wasn't developed until many years later.