York Captures 132 Germans: Argonne's Greatest Hero
Corporal Alvin York was a conscientious objector from the mountains of Tennessee who initially sought exemption from military service on religious grounds. His battalion commander talked him into fighting by citing Biblical passages about just war. On October 8, 1918, during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, York's patrol of 17 men stumbled into a German headquarters unit and captured several soldiers before machine gun fire pinned them down, killing six Americans. York, an expert marksman who had won turkey shoots back home, picked off 28 German soldiers one by one from 300 yards. When six Germans charged him with bayonets, he shot them with his pistol. The surviving Germans surrendered. York and his seven remaining men marched 132 prisoners back to American lines. He received the Medal of Honor and returned home to Tennessee.
October 8, 1918
108 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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