What did the general at Bastogne say that made him famous?

What did the general at Bastogne say that made him famous?

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.

What did the reply nuts mean?

“NUTS,” an official military response to a German commander. The response was to a German letter threatening to annihilate over 100,000 US troops in what was to be known as The Battle of the Bulge. The plan was to split, surround and capture—or kill the—US troops.

What general in ww2 said nuts?

Gen. Anthony McAuliffe’s
“Nuts!” Gen. Anthony McAuliffe’s 1944 Christmas Message to his Troops. 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.

How long did the battle of Bastogne last?

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.

What did Nuts mean at Bastogne?

Anthony McAuliffe of the 101st Airborne to answer the German call for surrender at Bastogne with the one-word interjection, “Nuts!” (Asked by the puzzled German emissaries what it meant, an aide to McAuliffe reportedly replied, “It means, ‘Go to hell.

What did General McAuliffe really say at Bastogne?

General Kinnard, a lieutenant colonel at the time and the division’s operations officer, would recall that General McAuliffe “laughed and said: ‘Us surrender? Aw, nuts. ‘”

Who was in charge at Bastogne?

Gen. Anthony McAuliffe
The Fifth Panzer Army bypassed Bastogne (which was held throughout the offensive by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division under the tenacious leadership of Gen. Anthony McAuliffe) and by December 24 had advanced to within 4 miles (6 km) of the Meuse River.