Sgt York
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What type rifle was Sgt Alvin York using 
m1917
¹ Corporal York's Rifle. But what about Sergeant York (or Corporal York, as he was at the time)? The classic 1940 film starring Gary Cooper and directed by Howard Hawks, (himself a World War One U.S. Army flying instructor) depicts York as using a Springfield Model 1903 to pick off the enemy one by one. This is the deed that earned Alvin York of Tennessee the Medal of Honor, America's highest award for valor. The only problem with the scene in the film is that York did not use the Springfield rifle on October 8, 1918 in the Argonne. Rather he used the other rifle, the Model 1917 American Enfield that was issued to the men of his division, the 82nd. York, a noncommissioned officer, is correctly depicted as carrying and firing a sidearm. In the movie, it's a P-08 Luger 9mm German semiautomatic pistol. In the Argonne Campaign, York actually carried a Model 1911 .45 caliber APC semi-automatic pistol, the same one those who served in the U.S. Army, or Marines remember firing in training. The problem was that Hawks could not find any .45 caliber APC blank ammunition when it came time to film the battle scenes for "Sergeant York". So Gary Cooper used the 9mm Luger instead.
Still, despite these minor lapses in authenticity, it's a great movie and a great true story about a genuine American hero -- even if he did carry a British-designed rifle...
http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/dbrifle.htm
¹ Corporal York's Rifle. But what about Sergeant York (or Corporal York, as he was at the time)? The classic 1940 film starring Gary Cooper and directed by Howard Hawks, (himself a World War One U.S. Army flying instructor) depicts York as using a Springfield Model 1903 to pick off the enemy one by one. This is the deed that earned Alvin York of Tennessee the Medal of Honor, America's highest award for valor. The only problem with the scene in the film is that York did not use the Springfield rifle on October 8, 1918 in the Argonne. Rather he used the other rifle, the Model 1917 American Enfield that was issued to the men of his division, the 82nd. York, a noncommissioned officer, is correctly depicted as carrying and firing a sidearm. In the movie, it's a P-08 Luger 9mm German semiautomatic pistol. In the Argonne Campaign, York actually carried a Model 1911 .45 caliber APC semi-automatic pistol, the same one those who served in the U.S. Army, or Marines remember firing in training. The problem was that Hawks could not find any .45 caliber APC blank ammunition when it came time to film the battle scenes for "Sergeant York". So Gary Cooper used the 9mm Luger instead.
Still, despite these minor lapses in authenticity, it's a great movie and a great true story about a genuine American hero -- even if he did carry a British-designed rifle...
http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/dbrifle.htm
Allium
Senior Keyboard Operator
- Feb 10, 2007
- 2,742
enfield?
LOVED the movie, watched it several times even if it was a 1917 and not a 03 Springfield.
shadow116
2nd Class Citizen
There have been several interviews with York's son, and he swears that his dad claimed to have used an '03. Yes he was issued an 1917 but got rid of it and got his hands on an '03, because he hated the sights on the 1917
I do not think anyone will really ever know the true answer.
I do not think anyone will really ever know the true answer.
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