Posted on 12/26/2021 12:47:19 PM PST by DFG
Surrounded and greatly outnumbered, the men of the 101st Airborne Division were not expecting a merry Christmas in Bastogne, Belgium, in 1944.
Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe sent back just one word — NUTS! — to the German commander. When the German messengers appeared puzzled by the term, one of McAuliffe’s attaches told them that, loosely translated, they could “go to hell.”
McAuliffe then penned a letter to his own troops, in recognition of the imminent holiday, informing them of the events that had transpired.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/patton-relieves-bastogne
What’s Merry about all this, you ask? We’re fighting — it’s cold, we aren’t home. All true but what has the proud Eagle Division accomplished with its worthy comrades the 10th Armored Division, the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion and all the rest? Just this: We have stopped cold everything that has been thrown at us from the North, East, South and West. We have identifications from four German Panzer Divisions, two German Infantry Divisions and one German Parachute Division. These units, spearheading the last desperate German lunge, were headed straight west for key points when the Eagle Division was hurriedly ordered to stem the advance. How effectively this was done will be written in history; not alone in our Division’s glorious history but in World history. The Germans actually did surround us, their radios blared our doom. Their Commander demanded our surrender in the following impudent arrogance:
****
To the U. S. A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.
The fortune of war is changing. This time the U. S. A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Ourthe near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompres-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands.
There is only one possibility to save the encircled U. S. A. Troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note.
If this proposal should be rejected the German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U. S. A. Troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hour’s term.
*****
All the serious civilian losses caused by this Artillery fire would not correspond with the well known American humanity.
The German Commander
McAuliffe also included his own reply to the Germans’ demands.
The German Commander received the following reply:
22 December 1944
“To the German Commander:
N U T S !
The American Commander”
******
Allied Troops are counterattacking in force. We continue to hold Bastogne. By holding Bastogne we assure the success of the Allied Armies. We know that our Division Commander, General Taylor, will say: “Well Done!”
We are giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present and being privileged to take part in this gallant feat of arms are truly making for ourselves a Merry Christmas.
My dad was in the 101st in WWII. He had a framed copy of this letter by our front door.
Creighton Abrams, better known now for Vietnam, was Patton’s main aggressive commander, including at Bastogne.
Ah, back when our generals had genitals.
Now, under the (mis)leadership of Marhmallow Milley, they just fart in the ‘general’ direction of the enemy.
“My dad was in the 101st in WWII. He had a framed copy of this letter by our front door.”
Awesome, my dad was with Patton’s Third and he and I visited Bastogne on a WWII memory trip. There are two American tanks in the main town square, and fresh flowers were put on them every morning. There’s also a bust of Colonel McAuliffe. There’s a fantastic museum there full of WWII German equipment.
Why General McAuliffe Could Say “Nuts”
Seventy-eight years ago, on December 16, the Germans launched the Ardennes Offensive, which proved the bloodiest American battle of WW II with 89,000 casualties including 19,000 dead. At the center of the offensive beleaguered Bastogne featured the 101st Airborne withstanding a German siege.
However, these 10,000 paratroopers did not alone forge the severe impediment presented to 500,000 Germans troops attacking with tanks. Contributions from the 9th and 10th Armored Divisions, and the 28th Division’s 109th and 687th Field Artillery Battalions provided needed firepower. Remnants of the 9th Armored CCR including the 73rd Armored Field Artillery retreated into the town. The CCB of the 10th Armored was detached and ordered to occupy Bastogne ahead of the Nazi’s. It took heavy casualties along the way but arrived with 30 tanks and the 420th Armored Field Artillery Battalion. The 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion was ordered forward and arrived with 36 powerful 76mm long cannon.
Overall General Anthony McAuliffe, acting division commander and division artillery commander, directed eleven artillery battalions and tanks from two armored divisions as well as his paratroopers. He developed a plan allowing many of the artillery units 360-degree coverage for points of attack. The paratroopers alone would probably have been annihilated and not withstood the siege. The tanks and artillery alone could not have prevailed against the combined arms of the German assault without this airborne infantry support.
No wonder at the Battle of the Bulge McAuliffe could say “nuts” when the Germans demanded his surrender.
Partial Bibliography:
A Time for Trumpets by Charles B. MacDonald
Death Traps: The Survival of an American Armored Division in WW II by Belton Y. Cooper WWII Armored Division http://xbradtc.com/2008/10/24/wwii-armored-division/
10th Armored Division (United States)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._10th_Armored_Division http://www.combatreels.com/10th_Armored_Division.cfm
9th Armored Division (United States)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._9th_Armored_Division
Battle of the Bulge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge
Siege of Bastogne
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Bastogne
705th Tank Destroyer Battalion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/705th_Tank_Destroyer_Battalion
My screen gets blurry thinking about these men, among them an uncle.
Brig. Gen. McAuliffe made best use of the opportunity to become a legend because he wasn’t the commander of the Screaming Eagles, he was ‘just’ the Assistant CG. The actual CG was Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor, who was elsewhere tending to essential matters and was prevented from rejoining his command before the siege began by the winter storm and the Nazi’s operational tempo.
But it would be hard to argue anyone could have done produced a better outcome under such awful circumstances. Patton himself awarded McAuliffe a DSC for the defense of Bastogne, but that pales in comparison to putting himself and the 101st Airborne Division, the Battling Bastards of Bastogne, into the history books.
“My screen gets blurry thinking about these men, among them an uncle.”
My eyes do the same thing...and damp.
From https://www.army.mil/article/92856, Gen. McAulliffe on being awakened and informed of the German demands:
The Division Operations Officer, Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard recalled that McAulliffe initially asked, “They want to surrender?” Moore told him, “No sir, they want us to surrender.” McAulliffe arose and erupted in anger, which shocked those looking on. He took the paper, looked at it, said “Us surrender, aw nuts!” and dropped it on the floor. Maj. Jones was dismissed. McAulliffe then left the Headquarters to go congratulate a unit on the Western perimeter that had successfully taken out a German road block earlier that morning.
Wasn’t written by Gen. Milley Vanilly!
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