'NUTS!' US Gen. McAuliffe Refused To Surrender to Germans - Bastogne, The Bulge, Dec. 22, 1944 [View all]

- Telling the German commander to go to hell. (5 mins). On Dec. 22, 1944, 6 days after the last major German offensive, the small town of Bastogne is completely surrounded. The German commander sends the Americans an ultimatum for their surrender. What American Gen. Anthony McAuliffe sent as a reply went down in history.

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- Nuts! The general who refused to surrender. (6 mins).
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- Wiki. General Anthony Clement "Nuts" McAuliffe (July 2, 1898 – Aug. 10, 1975) was a senior United States Army officer who earned fame as the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division defending Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. He is celebrated for his one-word reply to a German surrender ultimatum: "Nuts!" After the battle, McAuliffe was promoted and given command of the 103rd Infantry Division, which he led from January 1945 to July 1945. In the post-war era, he was commander of United States Army Europe...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_McAuliffe
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Surrender? “Nuts!” Gen. Anthony McAuliffe’s 1944 Christmas Message to his Troops, NARA

In mid-December 1944, Allied forces were surprised by a massive German offensive through the Ardennes Forrest that created a “bulge” in the Allied lines. Caught in what would become known as the “Battle of the Bulge,” the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Armed Forces was holed up in Bastogne while German armored divisions encircled the town.

Outnumbered, outgunned, and running out of food, ammunition, and medical supplies, the embattled assistant division commander, Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, faced bleak prospects. On Dec. 22, the American troops were sent an ultimatum from the German forces outside of the town, demanding “the honorable surrender” of the town within two hours. General McAuliffe reply was brief and succinct:
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“To the German Commander:

N U T S !

The American Commander”
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Having made their position clear, the Americans dug in and waited for the attack. Contrary to German expectations, the 101st held out and reinforcements arrived in the form of the US Army’s 4th Armored Division. The Battle of the Bulge continued for several more weeks, with thousands of casualties on both sides, but by the end of Jan. 1945, the Allies had retaken all the territory lost to the Germans and were headed toward Berlin...
https://www.archivesfoundation.org/documents/surrender-nuts-gen-anthony-mcauliffes-1944-christmas-message-troops/
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