The party was taken to a nearby platoon command post. While the enlisted men were detained the officers were blind folded and taken to the command post of the th where they presented their surrender ultimatum.
The ultimatum in essence said the st's position was hopeless and that if we elected not to surrender a lot of bad things would happen. They brought the message to me, the G-3 and Paul Danahy, the G My first reaction was that this was a German ruse, designed to get our men out of their fox holes.
But be that as it might, we agreed that we needed to take the message up the line. We took it first to the acting Chief of Staff of the Division, Lt.
Ned Moore. Moore told General McAuliffe that we had a German surrender ultimatum. The General's first reaction was that the Germans wanted to surrender to us.
Moore quickly disabused him of that notion and explained that the German's demanded our surrender. When McAuliffe heard that he laughed and said: "Us surrender? Aw, nuts! Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne. The fortune of war is changing. This time the U. More German armored units have crossed the river Our near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet.
Libramont is in German hands. There is only one possibility to save the encircled U. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note. If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U. Twenty-nine of the forty-four men who have served as our nation's commander-in-chief have military backgrounds themselves Get the latest on pay updates, benefit changes and award-winning military content.
Right in your inbox. View more newsletters on our Subscriptions page. It's a first at Globe Life Field this weekend. The Air Force and Army football teams play in the The U. Special Forces units are dominating in unconventional warfare and living up to their motto: "De Oppresso Liber -- To Free the The 75th Ranger Regiment is trained to be the most rapidly deployable unit in the Army capable, of conducting operations in I tightened the strap holding my eyeglasses.
Somebody next to me punched my arm. Anthony McAuliffe. Related Topics: Army Military History. All rights reserved. He realized he had to reply back within the two hours or the Germans would continue their attack. Harry W. Kinnard, the st's operations officer, said to McAuliffe, "The first remark of yours would be hard to beat. The American Commander. The response from McAuliffe's staff was laughter, and then Col.
Joseph Harper, a regimental commander in the st, carried the message back to the Germans. 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. The captain said, "We will kill many Americans.
This is war. They were joined with other American soldiers and received a mimeographed copy of the surrender story. They got a good laugh from it. The fighting continued through Christmas. They heard rumors about Gen. George S. Patton's men coming to lift the siege. The encirclement of Bastogne was lifted on Dec. My father was guard duty at night when Patton was approaching the American lines, and he met the general. When the movie Patton was released in , my father took me and one of my brothers, Dan, to see it.
He said the movie was very close to the real Patton. After the siege was lifted my father and his battalion became part of the XII Corps of Patton's 3rd Army which advanced into the liberation of Germany. It also represents courage and sacrifice. Along the Northern entrance walkway, there is a bas relief panel exemplifying this famous battle, honoring 19, Americans who died.
My father came home in Oct.
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