The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Sgt. Alvin C. York - Mar 1st, 2004

www.alvincyork.org ^ | Dr. Michael Birdwell

[Samwise]

Both before and after, I think. After for sure. Grandpa never mentioned it to me. My aunt told me after I was "all growed up." I asked Mom about it, and she shrugged me off like "Oh, yeah, that."

But according to my aunt, Grandpa would drag the kids over to visit him. And he would come over to visit grandpa. They lived across the Tennesee/Kentucky border from each other.

[snippy_about_it]

Tell us more, what do you know and when did you know it. :-)

[snippy_about_it]

oops, I posted before I saw your post to Sam.

[SAMWolf]

I saw it a looooooong time ago. Just remember parts of it. Should rent it just to see it again.

[Valin]

Don't get me started!

[SAMWolf]

I asked Mom about it, and she shrugged me off like "Oh, yeah, that."

Sounds like Mom wasn't impressed. ;-)

[Johnny Gage]

Air Power
Fokker Dr. I Dreidecker

The Fokker DR.I triplane was built after the Sopwith Triplane. While not as fast as contemporary biplanes, the Dreidecker could easily outclimb any opponent. Small, lightweight and highly maneuverable, it offered good upward visibility and lacked the traditional bracing wires that could be shot away during combat. This combination of features made it an outstanding plane in a dogfight. When the DR.I first entered service, antagonists scoffed until pilots like Werner Voss showed what it could do in a fight. Flying a prototype, Voss shot down 10 British aircraft in 6 days of aerial combat during September 1917. Unfortunately, the DR.I was not without problems. By the end of October 1917, it was temporarily withdrawn from service when several pilots, including Heinrich Gontermann, were killed as a result of wing failures. Despite structural improvements, the Fokker triplane's reputation among German airmen never recovered.

"It climbed like a monkey and maneuvered like the devil." - Manfred von Richthofen

Specifications:
Country of Origin: Germany (German Empire)
Primary Function: Single-Seat Fighter/Scout
Manufacturer: Fokker Flugzeug Werke G.m.b.H.
Crew: One
Powerplant:One Oberursel U.II 9-cylinder rotary piston engine with 110-hp

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 23 feet 7.5 inches
Length: 18 feet 11.25 inches
Height: 9 feet 8.25 inches
Wing Area: 201.29 square feet

Weights:
Empty Weight: 895-lbs
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 1,290-lbs

Performance:
Maximum Speed: 103-mph at 13,125 feet
Climb to 3,280-feet: 2 minutes 54 seconds
Service Ceiling: 20,000-feet
Endurance: 1 hour 30 minutes

Armament:
Two fixed forward-firing 7.92-mm (0.31-in) LMG 08/15 machine-guns

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All photos Copyright of: The Virtual Aviation Museum

[Samwise]

York's two kids married the two kids of the man who lived in my grandpa's attic. I'm not sure, but I think it was York's daughters.

I just asked my mom to clarify, and she told me to ask my uncle. He and his kids were good friends. "He can tell you all kinds of stories about York."

York's kitchen table is at a museum in Tennesee. I sat down at that table once and wondered if it was one my grandpa had eaten around. I bet it was.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Johnny

[SAMWolf]

York's kitchen table is at a museum in Tennesee. I sat down at that table once and wondered if it was one my grandpa had eaten around. I bet it was.

:-)

[Professional Engineer]

The Sopwith Triplane was used in combat by the Royal Naval Air Service. The stack of three wings reduced wingspan and increased wing area making it handle and climb better than biplanes. Visibility from the cockpit was outstanding but the "Tripe" was slower and less heavily armed than it's German opponents. The Germans were impressed with its performance and a captured Triplane inspired the development of the Fokker DR.I. The Triplane was eventually withdrawn from service and replaced with the Sopwith Camel.

www.theaerodrome.com

The triplane layout was adopted in order to give the pilot the widest possible field of vision, and to ensure maneuverability. Shown here is the prototype Triplane N.500 at Chingford.

www.aviation-history.com

[Samwise]

I found it in my notes. York's son and daughter married the son and daughter of the man who lived in grandpa's attic. I can't imagine living in that attic...shudder

[snippy_about_it]

Depends. Was it the old cabin attic or the new house they built for him when he got home?

[snippy_about_it]

This photograph, provided by the Andrew York family, shows the types of firearms used in the early 1920's and `30's. The fifth person from the right, in this photograph, is Alvin York.


The identities of the men in the picture is,front row Clay Conatser,Dr. J.P.Sloan,Toe Potter, and Hendricks Cravens. 2nd Row,Jr. Sodders,Albert Taylor,Webb Hatfield,Ike Hatfield,William Hatfield, Sgt. Alvin C. York,Albert York,and Gus Delk. The small boy is Ernest Criswell.**Also in the picture but unable to scan were John Sodders,Oliver Delk,and John Conatser**

[SAMWolf]

Thanks Snippy. Way different America back then wasn't it?

[Samwise]

I think my aunt was dragged to the new house. She's too young to have visited the old York house.

But the attic is my grandpa's. I've tried to sleep in it--I can't imagine renting it. Some man rented it. This man's kids married York's kids.

Now, you know everything I do, at least about York anyway. LOL

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for sharing all you know about Sgt. York. it adds to the story we posted today. :-)

[WhiskeyPapa]

Great story of Sergeant York.

Walt

[Darksheare]

I'm in for now.

[SAMWolf]

Morning WhiskeyPapa.