Anthony McAuliffe
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General Anthony C. McAuliffe (July 2, 1898 - August 11, 1975) was the United States Army general who commanded the force defending Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. He was famous for his single-word reply to a German surrender ultimatum.
Born in Washington, DC on July 2, 1898, McAuliffe was a student at West Virginia University from 1916-17, and graduated from West Point in November of 1918. He advanced up through the grades of Second Lieutenant in 1918 to General in 1955.
McAuliffe was serving as Commander of Division Artillery of the 101st Airborne Division when he parachuted into Normandy on D-Day. In December of 1944, due to the absence of General Maxwell D. Taylor, McAuliffe was forced to serve as acting Commander of the 101st Airborne Division and its attached troops during the Siege of Bastogne. It was when they became surrounded and the Germans demanded their surrender that he sent back his now-famous reply to the German commander, General Heinrich von Luettwitz of the XLVIIth Armored Corps: "NUTS!". His forces were able to hold off the German siege until the 4th Armored Division was able to arrive to provide reinforcement. For his actions, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
At the sixtieth anniversary of the battle, a veteran (Ross Whitehead of New Jersey) told the press that McAuliffe never uttered that exact word but said something alltogether different... According to that veteran, who stood beside McAuliffe when he said it, McAuliffe yelled "fuck you" at the Germans inviting his surrender. However the newspapers found those words a bit too strong and replaced it with the milder "nuts" in their dispatches home...
Following the war, McAuliffe held many positions, including the Head of the Army Chemical Corps, and G-1, Head of Army Personnel. He returned to Europe as Commander of the Seventh Army in 1953, and Commander-in-Chief of the United States Army in Europe in 1955.
In 1956 he retired from the Army, and worked for Cyanamid Corporation from 1956-63. He served as chairman of the New York State Civil Defense Commission during 1960-63. He resided in Chevy Chase, Maryland until his death on August 11, 1975, and is buried along with his wife, son and daughter in Arlington National Cemetery.nl:Anthony McAuliffe