Coming soon - the Sergeant York Project DVD
Alvin C. York was arguably one of the most famous American military heroes of the 20th century. During the First World War he was part of the American Meuse-Argonne Offensive that broke the German resistance and occupation along the Western Front in October 1918 around the small French town of Châtel Chéhéry.
According to official reports, York, a corporal in the 82nd Division’s Company G of the 328th Infantry, was recognized for almost single-handedly killing 21 Germans, and capturing 132 more while crossing behind enemy lines to search out and destroy enemy machine-guns that were blocking the American advance. Soon after the action he was awarded the Medal of Honor and the French Croix de Guerre.
Since 1918, however, both the events and exact location of York’s exploits have been the subject of controversy. American and German accounts of the action differ, including York’s own report. Maps compiled for the official history of the 82nd Division do not agree with terrain features. Even the stories of two of York’s biographers’ conflict, and their maps have gross spatial errors.
This documentary followed a team of geographers and historians using Geographic Information Science (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology, primary source interviews with those involved, and surface archaeology as they attempt to retrace York’s footsteps in the Argonne and resolve some of the historical controversy surrounding October 8, 1918.
The expedition was led by Tom Nolan, Director of the Center for Spatial Technology at Middle Tennessee State University and an expert in GPS mapping. Also on the team were Dr. Michael Birdwell, Professor of History and Director of the York Papers at Tennessee Tech, Fred Castier, a French liason officer with the 1st Division, and Michael Kelly, a British World War One historian.
Intermixed in the documentary will be the life of Alvin York, an overview of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the American drive to liberate Eastern France, a look at how Châtel Chéhéry has changed (or not) since the end of the war, Nolan’s research and how the science of GIS can aid the historical record, and the myths and realities surrounding York’s experience in the Argonne.
We hope to launch the DVD documentary soon. Why not subscribe to our mailing list and we will keep you posted with the latest news.
Sergeant York Project EBook
© 2007 Worldwide Copyright Reserved Tom Nolan, M. Kelly
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