Keep+Fighting!

= Keep Fighting! =

Read the information below to find out what __really__ happened at the Battle of the Bulge.

__**Keep Fighting**__ After hearing the German demands, McAuliffe is reported to have said, “Us surrender?! Nuts !” He recognized that he had to give the Germans a reply, but he wasn’t exactly sure what to say. One of his officers, Colonel Kinnard, claims that he suggested McAuliffe write back exactly what he said: “Nuts!” That seemed like a good idea to the other officers, so he officially wrote,

“To the German Commander, Nuts! A.C. McAuliffe, Commanding.”

When the response was given to the German soldiers waiting for his reply, Kinnard reports, “they were trying to translate nuts. And they said, "’Nuets, Nuets, Nuts... Vas Is Das?’ They didn't get it at all. And Colonel Harper said, ‘If you don't understand it, it means go to hell!’" (Kinnard).

__**Patton Saves the Day**__ McAuliffe graduated from West Point in 1918 and quickly came to understand the strength of the American Army. During the interwar years, he specialized in field artillery, and once World War II began, he even oversaw the development of the bazooka and jeep (Fredericksen). The bottom line is that McAuliffe understood the strength of his nation and the men who fought under his leadership. Though they were frostbitten, outmanned, starving, and desperately in need of supplies, he believed in Eisenhower. If Eisenhower wanted him to hold his ground, then he was going to do so… or die trying. Although German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt warned that an armored assault, dependent on large fuel reserves, was doomed to fail, Hitler allowed his pride to guide his response. Angered by McAuliffe’s insulting reply, he ordered that the town be taken immediately, regardless how heavy the German losses might be (Tally 263).

The situation looked bleak for McAuliffe and his men; however, General Patton led his “Third Army with 133,000 tanks, trucks, and pieces of machinery over seventy-five miles of ice and snow covered roads in just two days” (Tally 263) to reach the German line on Christmas Day.

Furthermore, the next day the weather cleared enough to allow two thousand American bombers and 800 fighter planes to attack the Germans. Meanwhile, 241 troop-carrier aircraft dropped much needed food, ammunition, and medical supplies to American troops. On that same day, Patton’s Fourth Armored Division broke through the German line that surrounded Bastogne. Although 40,000 Americans were wounded and another 20,000 killed in the battle (Tally 265), McAullife’s stubborn refusal to surrender helped stop Nazi-Germany’s push toward Antwerp.

__**Significance of Decision to Keep Fighting**__ Hitler aimed to demoralize the Allies with his assault through the Ardennes; however, his failure to listen to his advisors quickly unraveled Nazi Germany’s last bit of strength. Unable to split the British & American forces, the Allied Army fought on with renewed resolve. Confident of an ultimate Allied victory over Germany, the Big Three – Churchill, Stalin , & Roosevlet – met in Yalta to discuss post war Europe and the creation of the United Nations. On April 25th, American forces met at the Elbe River to shake hands with Soviet troops that had been attacking the Germans from the East. Once this happened Nazi Germany had officially been split in half. A couple weeks later, on VE Day, May 8th, 1945, Nazi Germany gave their unconditional surrender. Fascism had been banished from Europe. Furthermore, as a result of their victory over Germany, the United States was able to focus its full attention on using the developments of the Manhattan Project to win the War in the Pacific.

Back