Cornay Explained

Cornay
Commune Status:Commune
Image Coat Of Arms:Blason ville fr Cornay 08.svg
Arrondissement:Vouziers
Canton:Attigny
Insee:08131
Postal Code:08250
Mayor:Jean de Pouilly[1]
Term:2020 - 2026
Intercommunality:Argonne Ardennaise
Coordinates:49.3025°N 4.95°W
Elevation M:190
Elevation Min M:122
Elevation Max M:246
Area Km2:10.94

Cornay (in French pronounced as /kɔʁnɛ/) is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France.

World War I

On 8 October 1918, in the Argonne Forest (49.2856°N 4.9524°W), Cornay was the scene of particularly heavy fighting. The 82nd US Infantry Division launched a series of attacks in the area, with 1st Battalion, 328 Infantry regiment (82nd Division) attacking to liberate Cornay and 2nd Battalion, 328th Infantry Regiment attacking into the Argonne Forest through Chatel Chehery (south of Cornay). Around 10:30 am, the German 125th Landwehr Wuerttemberg Regiment and 212th Prussian Reserve Regiment launched a determined counterattack against the American forces, which inflicted heavy casualties on the Americans, with more than 100 being captured. The 82nd Division was forced to retreat from Cornay. The town was retaken by the Americans the next day.[2] Three kilometers to the south, Cpl Alvin C. York from Company G, 328th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Infantry Division, with the aid of 7 other soldiers, captured 132 German soldiers.[3] For his actions York was awarded the US Medal of Honor.[4]

Population

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Répertoire national des élus: les maires. data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 9 August 2021. fr.
  2. Book: Mastriano, Douglas V.. Alvin York: A New Biography of the Hero of the Argonne. University of Kentucky Press. 2014. 978-0813145198. Lexington, KY. 93–99.
  3. Book: Mastriano, Douglas V.. Alvin York: A New Biography of the Hero of the Argonne. University of Kentucky Press. 2014. 978-0813145198. Lexington, KY. 112.
  4. Web site: Photo of Sgt York on hill where raid took place near Cornay, France. US National Archives. January 1, 2014.