The York Patrol

The Real Story of Alvin York and the Unsung Heroes Who Made Him World War I's Most Famous Soldier

By: James Carl Nelson

Narrated by: Jacques Roy

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

In the vein of Band of Brothers and American Sniper, a riveting history of Alvin York, the World War I legend who killed two dozen Germans and captured more than 100, detailing York's heroics yet also restoring the unsung heroes of his patrol to their rightful place in history - from renowned World War I historian James Carl Nelson.

October 8, 1918 was a banner day for heroes of the American Expeditionary Force. Thirteen men performed heroic deeds that would earn them Medals of Honor. Of this group, one man emerged as the single greatest American hero of the Great War: Alvin Cullum York. A poor young farmer from Tennessee, Sergeant York was said to have single-handedly killed two dozen Germans and captured another 132 of the enemy plus 35 machine guns before noon on that fateful Day of Valor. York would become an American legend, celebrated in magazines, books, and a blockbuster biopic starring Gary Cooper. The film, Sergeant York, told of a hell-raiser from backwoods Tennessee who had a come-to-Jesus moment, then wrestled with his newfound Christian convictions to become one of the greatest heroes the US Army had ever known. It was a great story - but not the whole story.

In this absorbing history, James Carl Nelson unspools, for the first time, the complete story of Alvin York and the events that occurred in the Argonne Forest on that day. Nelson gives voice, in particular, to the 16 “others” who fought beside York. Hailing from big cities and small towns across the US as well as several foreign countries, these soldiers included a patrician Connecticut farmer whose lineage could be traced back to the American Revolution, a poor runaway from Massachusetts who joined the Army under a false name, and a Polish immigrant who enlisted in hopes of expediting his citizenship.

The York Patrol shines a long overdue spotlight on these men and York and pays homage to their bravery and sacrifice. The York Patrol is a rousing tale of courage, tragedy, and heroism.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 James Carl Nelson (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

So many regiments & divisions

I very much enjoyed all the personal info on all the many players in the story of York. However, author lost me totally w probably a total of 8 chapters worth, spread thru out story so it couldn’t b skipped, all the actions from squads to army groups. I’m sure people who understand all that jargon could keep up, but I sure couldn’t. I’m very glad of the in-depth look at York & some of his patrol buddies thru out their lives, but was totally confounded by all the army structure & movements.

Informative, revealing.

Narration is clear.

Story is important in that besides York, other deserving hero’s are given due credit as well.

Excellent

Very interesting, well written and narrated, detailed treatment of a subject I've always been interested in. As most I've read about the results of "Sgt York's" action and seen Hollywood's Cooper movie treatment, but have always been interested in the details of How York pulled off the "single handed" conquest and capture of so many Germans. This fills that void. I believe all members of the "York patrol", if living, would be proud of their treatment for history by this work.

A man who did what he had to

I found this audio very informative. I learned about the man himself the trails and tribulation he went through after the war

Alvin York wasn't a big deal according to this guy.

The purpose of this book is apparently to discount the reputation of Alvin York by telling the reader that there were ten other guys who did better stuff than he did, but that York lucked out and got the publicity.

What it amounts to, as far as I can tell, is that Alvin York realized that if he, and the rest of the remaining members of his patrol, were going to get out of this alive, he was going to have to do something. And he did. The rest of the men did what they could do, but they signed statements confirming that York did what they saw him do. But after the war, when Alvin York was acclaimed and got all the publicity, the rest of the guys began to suffer from Sour Grapes Syndrome, even to the extent of trying to work up a plot to kill York because they were mad at him for being famous.

In short, the author wrote an alternative tale to what Americans believe. But sometimes sour grapes are exactly what they are.