Tenn. museum gets gun it says WWI hero seized [Sgt. York]

Victoria Advocate ^ | 2-4-10 | unattributed

[smokingfrog]

The Museum of Appalachia has acquired a machine gun believed to have been seized by World War I hero Sgt. Alvin C. York, the backwoods soldier who killed more than manufacturer), a serial number of 3364, a date of 1918 — which museum officials cite as evidence the gun is the one York captured.

Other library documents recount a parade in Massachusetts during which the weapon was displayed after World War I ended. There also is a July 1919 account from the Daily Evening newspaper detailing Lewis' donation of the weapon to the library.

[concentric circles]

From the Knoxville News Sentinel at the time of a benefit to help fund the acquisition.

[smokingfrog]

That’s some gun!

[ozzymandus]

Interestingly, “08/15” is German army slang with the same meaning as “SNAFU” in the US. The gun itself was always noted for lots of problems, as well as weighing a ton and still being called a “light” machine gun. Still, it was used into the early part of WW2 due to shortages of later guns. There are quite a few in the US, in museums and private collections.