As soon as the machine guns opened fire on me, I began to exchange shots with them. In order to sight me or to swing their machine guns on me, the Germans had to show their heads above the trench, and every time I saw a head I just touched it off. All the time I kept yelling at them to come down.
But it was they or I. And I was giving them the best I had. On the way back to the Allied lines, York and his squad took more prisoners, for a total of Though Alvin York consistently played down his accomplishments of that day, he was given credit for killing more than 20 German soldiers.
Promoted to the rank of sergeant, he remained on the front lines until November 1, 10 days before the armistice. York Institute , in rural Tennessee. In , his heroism became the basis for a movie, Sergeant York , starring Gary Cooper. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Ho ho. My buddies were some boys from the East. I think he was a vaudeville actor.
And there were a lot of other Eastern boys who were in my platoon. I sure did miss the mountain boys from Tennessee and Kentucky. But I got to like those other boys in my platoon.
I was the largest in the platoon. We got our first gas masks in Le Havre. I was still a private. The man in charge of my platoon was Lieutenant Stewart from Georgia. The company commander was Captain Danforth of Augusta, Georgia. Early was busted for being A.
After that he was acting corporal. He was a good soldier. Parsons was never busted. He was a good soldier, too. I was made a corporal just before we went into the St. Mihiel drive. The machine-gun fire also killed several Germans. The situation for York and the other Americans was not promising.
Those who had survived the machine-gun fire were scattered across the meadow floor, lying on or near their German prisoners, who were also sprawled on the ground trying not to get shot.
The German machine gun above them fired at anything that moved. Being the only noncommissioned officer not dead or wounded, and with the burden of command now upon him, York determined to stop the killing. After a quick analysis of the situation, he seized the initiative. To eliminate the machine gun causing so much death, York charged partway up Humserberg, crossed a German supply road about yards above the meadow and took a prone shooting position just above the road.
What York saw about 50 yards to the west were groups of German soldiers occupying two sunken roads that ran above and parallel to the supply road he had just crossed. He opened fire, killing the machinegun crew and its supporting riflemen, a total of 19 Germans.
He had fired nearly all of the rifle bullets from his front belt pouches in this engagement, some 46 rounds. He frequently yelled to the Germans to surrender so he would not kill more than he had to. His squad mates could hear him, but the Germans were oblivious to his presence. As York contemplated what to do next, Leutnant Lipp was arriving from farther uphill with more riflemen. Taking advantage of the lull, York wheeled about to make his way back to the meadow to his men and the prisoners.
As York came down the hill, he passed behind a trench occupied by Leutnant Fritz Endriss and part of his platoon. The German officer saw York and ordered his men to prepare for a bayonet attack. Endriss then charged out of the trench toward York, and 12 soldiers followed dutifully.
Seeing this, York slid on his side, dropped his rifle and pulled out his M Colt pistol. Using a hunting skill he had learned when faced with a flock of turkeys, he picked off the advancing foes from back to front.
The logic behind this was that if the lead Germans fell, the trailing soldiers would seek cover and be all the more difficult to kill. As Germans fell, several of the attackers broke off and headed back to the trench. By then half of the charging soldiers were dead. Right next to York, and unbeknown to him, Beardsley was also firing into the German throng.
During the fracas a nearby German threw a hand grenade at York and Beardsley, but it exploded behind them in the meadow, wounding several of the German prisoners. With the men of his platoon either dead or back in the trench, Endriss was now charging alone.
When the German was only a few feet away, York fired. The impact of the. This occurred in clear view of Leutnant Vollmer, still lying on the meadow as a prisoner. There were now 25 dead Germans across the side of the hill. His request to enlist was denied, but he was commissioned as a major in the Army Signal Corps, touring training camps and taking part in bond drives to raise funds for the war effort. A humble man without pretense, who fought to save himself and his men against incredible odds.
He oversees daily editorial operations, edits articles, and supports reporters so they can continue to write the impactful stories that matter to our audience. In terms of writing, James provides a mix of pop culture commentary and in-depth analysis of issues facing the military and veterans community.
Contact the author here. The stories that emerged from that battle are the kind that legends are built on. They're larger than life and in some cases seem unbelievable.
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