Seventy-years ago today: December 22, 1944. The German counter-offensive has driven the American lines back in a huge bulge (hence the popular name for the battle). The American 101st Airborne (as it was called then) was in the Belgian town of Bastogne, where all seven roads to Antwerp--which the Germans desperately needed to seize quickly--converged. The commander of the 101st, Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor, was away in the United States attending staff meetings, and the division was under the acting command of Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe. The 101st had taken a major role in the invasion of Normandy earlier in the year, and was resting and refitting behind the lines. When the German attack burst over unprepared American lines, the 28th Infantry Division, defending the Bastogne area, was overrun and torn apart by the evening of 19 December. The 101st came up to stiffen up the line, and by the evening of 21 December, found itself cut off, surrounded, and under siege. Short of supplies and ammunition, without its regular commander, the 101st was outnumbered 5 to 1. The German commander sent a delegation to request the surrender of the division, noting their apparently untenable position. Gen. McAuliffe, who was a practicing Catholic and did not swear, replied, Nuts! when he received the request. This reply, his staff deemed, was adequate, and they typed it up and handed it to the German major in charge of the truce delegation. Needless to say, the poor man was bewildered. What does it mean? he asked. In plain English? one of McAuliffes staff officers replied. Go to hell! Nuts! passed into history. And the 101st held out. The siege was broken on the 27th, and Gen. Taylor resumed command (McAuliffe was given command of his own division, the 103rd Infantry, in January 1945). Heres a great version of the story, corroborated by McAuliffes nephew: army.mil/article/92856
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 22:38:12 +0000
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