On December 22, 1944, German officers under a flag of truce approached the American lines demanding Bastogne’s surrender. After reading the demand, Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, the American commander in Bastogne, remarked, “Aw, nuts!”
Further discussion failed to improve on his first reaction, and “NUTS!” became his famous one-word response. When the Germans failed to understand, an American officer explained, “in plain English it is the same as 'Go to hell!’” General McAuliffe’s December 24 “Christmas Message” to the men of the 101st recounts the German surrender demand, McAuliffe’s reply, and informs them of an American counterattack.
And help was on the way. On December 26, after moving over 100 miles in five days, the 4th Armored Division’s 37th Tank Battalion relieved Bastogne.
By mid-January 1945, Allied troops eliminated the “bulge,” but at a high cost. The U.S. Army had suffered over 75,000 casualties.
