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Sergeant York (1941)
- Thread Starter CountryGent
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Back in the Cold war, we came up with a counterpart to the Soviet ZSU 23-4, which was their radar guided anti aircraft tracked vehicle. We were more concerned that the ZSU guns could be aimed level and used on grounds targets (ie- ME!).
So we came up with the M247, otherwise known as the Sgt York.
Problem is that we only had about 50 of them compared to several thousand of the ZSU's. Plus there were lots of bugs. However, we made up for it elsewhere.
We had some cool stuff back then. I once got my a@@ handed to me when I put in a requisition to my CO for a flame thrower turret for my M113A2. Good times.
So we came up with the M247, otherwise known as the Sgt York.
Problem is that we only had about 50 of them compared to several thousand of the ZSU's. Plus there were lots of bugs. However, we made up for it elsewhere.
We had some cool stuff back then. I once got my a@@ handed to me when I put in a requisition to my CO for a flame thrower turret for my M113A2. Good times.
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Very cool movie.
During the pre-production of the movie , the director got Alvin York to visit Gary Cooper...so they go visit Cooper at his home....once there hardly a word was spoken...and in the words of the director:
"Great I have the two quietest men in America together in the same room..."
But at the suggestion to Cooper to show York his gun collection , all that changed and the conversations started...
Alvin York is on my list of Heroes...his story is worth the time to look up.
Andy
During the pre-production of the movie , the director got Alvin York to visit Gary Cooper...so they go visit Cooper at his home....once there hardly a word was spoken...and in the words of the director:
"Great I have the two quietest men in America together in the same room..."
But at the suggestion to Cooper to show York his gun collection , all that changed and the conversations started...
Alvin York is on my list of Heroes...his story is worth the time to look up.
Andy
Right up there with Audie Murphy.Very cool movie.
During the pre-production of the movie , the director got Alvin York to visit Gary Cooper...so they go visit Cooper at his home....once there hardly a word was spoken...and in the words of the director:
"Great I have the two quietest men in America together in the same room..."
But at the suggestion to Cooper to show York his gun collection , all that changed and the conversations started...
Alvin York is on my list of Heroes...his story is worth the time to look up.
Andy
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I liked it when he would wet the front sight to cut down on glare.
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While I do not claim to shoot as well as Alvin York...I did copy my shooting form from him.
While in the standing position , I'll grip the forearm of the rifle just ahead if the rear sights and cock my rifle elbow level or slightly higher than in the NRA approved form...
This style lends itself to the shooting of Long Rifles and other muzzle loaders...it works so well for me that I use it in all of my rifle shooting both modern and antique.
York used a muzzle loader for most of his shooting life , both for fun shooting and hunting...although in later years he favored a Winchester 92 Carbine in .44-40 for deer...
Andy
While in the standing position , I'll grip the forearm of the rifle just ahead if the rear sights and cock my rifle elbow level or slightly higher than in the NRA approved form...
This style lends itself to the shooting of Long Rifles and other muzzle loaders...it works so well for me that I use it in all of my rifle shooting both modern and antique.
York used a muzzle loader for most of his shooting life , both for fun shooting and hunting...although in later years he favored a Winchester 92 Carbine in .44-40 for deer...
Andy
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1917 or 1903? That is the question?
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The Model 1917 Rifle was the rifle that appears to have been issued to York's Company...that said I wasn't in that unit or the Army at the time...so don't take my word for it....
Andy
Andy
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And I have read his children swear he told them, it was a 1903 he somehow got his hands on?
Who knows?
Who knows?
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I have read that he trained with a 03 ...but was issued a 1917 for duty in France...
But as you said who knows....
I did read of a story where Springfield Rifle Model of 1903 serial number 1 was issued to a soldier in France...only to be returned and traded for a different rifle...Whew!
( This story is in the Book : Springfield Armory Shoulder Weapons 1795-1968 , by Robert Ball )
Andy
But as you said who knows....
I did read of a story where Springfield Rifle Model of 1903 serial number 1 was issued to a soldier in France...only to be returned and traded for a different rifle...Whew!
( This story is in the Book : Springfield Armory Shoulder Weapons 1795-1968 , by Robert Ball )
Andy
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I don't even want to talk about his 1911. 
254648 or 244408?
254648 or 244408?
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I never could figure out why in the movie he used a Luger instead of his 1911 but then found out that the 1911 wouldn't cycle with blanks - hence the wrong pistol in the movie.
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It was issued a 1917 but he swapped and got away with it. His son says he used a 1903 and they used 1903s in the movie on which York was a technical advisor. The one thing in the movie that was wrong was that he used a 1911 not a LugerThe Model 1917 Rifle was the rifle that appears to have been issued to York's Company...that said I wasn't in that unit or the Army at the time...so don't take my word for it....
Andy
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The M247 was an abysmal failure, and definitely did NOT live up to the name Sgt. York.
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Three views of my Royland Southgate Longrifle ....Which I call : Sgt. York
The rifle was handmade Lock , stock and barrel by Southgate in 1950 serial number 86
It was made in Franklin , Tennessee.
Cherry stock
Brass and silver inlays
.38 caliber , load is 40 grains of 2F .15 patch and a .375 round ball...this load shoots "flat" out to 75 yards.
Andy
Quite true. It was a more of a morale booster for our troops.
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Even more than that there was a strategy that if one side built something the other had to as well. Even if it didn't work it forced them to spend resources and time. We got lucky with Sgt York and pulled the plug but the soviets spent time and money they couldn't afford to counter/top it.
In the end, it was the arms race that they could not afford and that we could (mostly) that did them in.
It became a literal guns OR butter argument. And we could do both and they could not. As part of that Sgt York was a success although practically it was an abject failure.
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