Who said Aw Nuts?
Anthony McAuliffe
Anthony McAuliffe (2 July 1898 – 11 August 1975) was the United States Army general who was the acting division commander of the 101st Airborne Division troops defending Bastogne, Belgium, during World War II’s Battle of the Bulge, famous for his single-word reply of “Nuts!” in response to a German surrender ultimatum.
Who said nuts to Germans?
General McAuliffe
On December 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: “To the German Commander: N U T S !
What did Nuts mean in ww2?
Two German officers did not quite understand the message and Harper told him, “If you don’t understand what ‘Nuts’ means, in plain English it is the same as ‘Go to hell. ‘ A German major and captain saluted very stiffly.
What happened to the American soldiers surrounded at Bastogne?
Eleven of its soldiers were cut off from the rest of the unit and attempted to escape German capture, but were massacred on sight by the Waffen SS. The remnants of the battalion retreated to Bastogne where they linked up with the 101st. The vestiges of the 333rd were attached to its sister unit the 969th Battalion.
How cold was the Battle of the Bulge?
One conflict that stood out was the six-week Battle of the Bulge, which took place in Europe and began 76 years ago this month, in December 1944. It was waged in harsh, wintry conditions — about 8 inches of snow on the ground and an average temperature of 20 degrees Fahrenheit (about minus 7 C.)
Who said they have us surrounded those poor bastards?
“They’ve got us surrounded again, the poor bastards!” –COL Creighton Abrams, Commander, 37th Tank Bn during the relief of Bastogne in the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 1944. Abrams would later command U.S. Forces in Vietnam from 1968-72 and serve as Army Chief of Staff from 1972-74.
What happened at Christmas 1915?
Legend has it that on Christmas Day 1915, soldiers from both sides of the trenches in World War One met up in No-Man’s-Land for a game of football. Nothing official was kept of this brief meeting on Christmas Day between the enemy, so our knowledge of what took place has always been somewhat patchy.
How long was the 101st surrounded?
five days
Outnumbered and surrounded for five days, a U.S. Army combined arms force of airborne infantry, armor, engineers, tank destroyers, and artillery conducted a successful defense of the Belgian crossroads town of Bastogne in late December 1944.