Anthony McAuliffe

Template:Infobox military person General Anthony Clement "Nuts" McAuliffe (2 July 1898 – 10 August 1975) was a senior United States Army officer who earned fame as the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division defending Bastogne, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. He is celebrated for his one-word reply to a German surrender ultimatum: "Nuts!"

After the battle, McAuliffe was promoted and given command of the 103rd Infantry Division, which he led from January 1945 to July 1945. In the post-war era, he was commander of United States Army Europe.

Early life and military career

File:Anthony Clement McAuliffe (1898–1975) in the 1921 West Point yearbook.png

As a West Point cadet

McAuliffe was born in Washington, D.C., on 2 July 1898, to a family of Irish heritage.<ref name=Cullum>Template:Cite book</ref> He attended West Virginia University from 1916 to 1917. He was a member of the West Virginia Beta chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity during his time at West Virginia University. He enrolled at West Point in 1917. McAuliffe was part of an accelerated program and graduated shortly after the end of World War I, in November 1918.<ref name=Cullum/>

During this time, he visited Europe for a short time and toured several battlefields. Assigned to field artillery, he graduated from the Artillery School in 1920. For the next 16 years, McAuliffe carried out typical peacetime assignments. By 1935, he had been promoted to the rank of captain. Later, he was chosen to attend the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. In June 1940, McAuliffe graduated from the United States Army War College. Just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he was promoted again, temporarily becoming a lieutenant colonel with the Supply Division of the War Department General Staff. While in this position, McAuliffe supervised the development of such new technology as the bazooka and the jeep.<ref name="AML"/>

World War II

File:Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe, artillery commander of the 101st Airborne Division, gives glider pilots last-minute instructions in England for Operation Market-Garden on September 18, 1944 on D plus 1 of operations.jpg

Brigadier General Anthony C. McAuliffe, artillery commander of the 101st Airborne Division, gives glider pilots last-minute instructions in England for Operation Market-Garden on 18 September 1944, before the take-off on D plus 1 of the operation.

Brigadier General McAuliffe commanded the division artillery of the 101st Airborne Division when he parachuted into Normandy on D-Day. He also landed by glider in the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden.<ref>Article from Traces of War site Accessed on 29 March 2022</ref>

In December 1944, the German army launched the surprise attack that became the Battle of the Bulge. Major General Maxwell D. Taylor, commander of the 101st Airborne Division, was attending a staff conference in the United States at the time. During Taylor's absence, McAuliffe commanded the 101st and its attached troops. At Bastogne, the 101st was besieged by a far larger force of Germans under the command of General Heinrich Freiherr von Lüttwitz.<ref name="The story of NUTS! reply">Template:Cite web</ref>

"NUTS!"

On 22 December 1944, von Lüttwitz dispatched a party, consisting of a major, a lieutenant, and two enlisted men under a flag of truce to deliver an ultimatum. Entering the American lines southeast of Bastogne (occupied by Company F, 2nd Battalion, 327th Glider Infantry), the German party delivered the following to Gen. McAuliffe:<ref name="The story of NUTS! reply"/>

File:Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe and his staff gathered inside Bastogne's Heintz Barracks for Christmas dinner Dec. 25th, 1944.jpg

Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe and his staff gathered inside Bastogne's Heintz Barracks for Christmas dinner 25 December 1944. This military barracks served as the Division Main Command Post during the siege.

According to those present when McAuliffe received the German message, he read it, crumpled it into a ball, threw it in a wastepaper basket, and muttered, "Aw, nuts". The officers in McAuliffe's command post were trying to find suitable language for an official reply when Lieutenant Colonel Harry Kinnard suggested that McAuliffe's first response summed up the situation well, and the others agreed. The official reply was typed and delivered by Colonel Joseph Harper, commanding the 327th Glider Infantry, to the German delegation. It was as follows:

The German major appeared confused and asked Harper what the message meant. Harper said, "In plain English? Go to hell."<ref>S.L.A. Marshall, Bastogne: The First Eight Days Template:Webarchive, Chapter 14, describing the incident in detail and sourcing it.</ref> The choice of "Nuts!" rather than something earthier was typical for McAuliffe. Captain Vincent Vicari, his personal aide at the time, recalled that "General Mac was the only general I ever knew who did not use profane language. 'Nuts' was part of his normal vocabulary."<ref>Pyle, Richard, report for the Associated Press (12 December 2004).</ref>

The artillery fire did not materialize, although several infantry and tank assaults were directed at the positions of the 327th Glider Infantry. In addition, the German Luftwaffe attacked the town, bombing it nightly. The 101st held off the Germans until the 4th Armored Division arrived on 26 December to provide reinforcement.

Post-Bastogne

File:Anthony McAuliffe and George Patton.jpg

Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe is decorated by Patton with the Distinguished Service Cross for the defense of Bastogne

For his actions at Bastogne, McAuliffe was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by Lieutenant General George S. Patton, commanding the Third Army, on 30 December 1944<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with official orders processed on 14 January 1945.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He later received the Army Distinguished Service Medal twice, the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Immediately after Bastogne, McAuliffe was promoted to major general and given command of the 103rd Infantry Division on 15 January 1945, his first divisional command assignment, which he retained until July 1945. Under McAuliffe, the 103rd reached the Rhine Valley, 23 March, and engaged in mopping-up operations in the plain west of the Rhine River. In April 1945, the division was assigned to occupational duties until 20 April, when it resumed the offensive, pursuing a fleeing enemy through Stuttgart and taking Münsingen on 24 April. On 27 April, elements of the division entered Landsberg, where Kaufering concentration camp, a subcamp of Dachau, was liberated. The 103rd crossed the Danube River near Ulm on 26 April. On 3 May 1945, the 103rd captured Innsbruck, Austria, with little to no fighting. It then seized the Brenner Pass and met the 88th Infantry Division of the U.S. Fifth Army at Vipiteno, Italy, thereby joining the Italian and Western European fronts.<ref name=Alps>"Fifth Army History • Race to the Alps", Chapter VI : Conclusion "4 May; the Reconnaissance Troop, 349th Infantry [88th Division], met troops from [103rd Infantry Division] VI Corps of Seventh Army at 1051 at Vipiteno, 9 miles south of Brenner."</ref>

Post-war

File:Monument to General McAuliffe, Bastogne.jpg

Monument to General McAuliffe, Bastogne

Following the war, McAuliffe held many positions, including Chief Chemical Officer 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 Europe in 1955.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He was promoted to four-star general in 1955.<ref name="AML" /><ref name="HH">Template:Cite book</ref>

While still in the service, McAuliffe attended the premiere of Battleground in Washington D.C. on 9 November 1949.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film did not depict McAuliffe directly, but did show a scene of the Germans presenting their surrender demands and their confusion on receiving McAuliffe's reply.

Retirement

In 1956, McAuliffe retired from the army. He worked for American Cyanamid Corporation from 1956 to 1963 as vice president for personnel. He began a program to teach employees to maintain contact with local politicians. The company subsequently required all branch managers to at least introduce themselves to local politicians.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> McAuliffe also served as chairman of the New York State Civil Defense Commission from 1960 to 1963.Template:Citation needed

File:General Anthony McAuliffe gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery.jpg

General Anthony McAuliffe gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery

After his retirement from American Cyanamid in 1963, McAuliffe resided in Chevy Chase, Maryland, until his death from leukemia<ref> Krebs, Albin. "Gen. McAuliffe, 77, Dead; Replied ‘Nuts!’ to Germans." New York Times, August 14, 1975.</ref> on 10 August 1975, age 77. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.<ref>International Encyclopedia of Military History</ref><ref>Burial Detail: McAuliffe, Anthony C – ANC Explorer </ref>

Dates of rank

Insignia	Rank	Component	Date
No insignia	Cadet	United States Military Academy	14 June 1917
File:US-O1 insignia.svg	Second lieutenant	National Army	1 November 1918
File:US-O2 insignia.svg	First lieutenant	National Army	29 September 1919
File:US-O1 insignia.svg	Second lieutenant	Regular Army	15 December 1922
File:US-O2 insignia.svg	First lieutenant	Regular Army	20 May 1923
File:US-O3 insignia.svg	Captain	Regular Army	1 May 1935
File:US-O4 insignia.svg	Major	Regular Army	1 July 1940
File:US-O5 insignia.svg	Lieutenant colonel	Army of the United States	15 September 1941 effective 18 September
File:US-O6 insignia.svg	Colonel	Army of the United States	1 February 1942
File:US-O7 insignia.svg	Brigadier general	Army of the United States	8 August 1942
File:US-O5 insignia.svg	Lieutenant colonel	Regular Army	11 December 1942
File:US-O8 insignia.svg	Major general	Army of the United States	3 January 1945
File:US-O7 insignia.svg	Brigadier general	Regular Army	24 January 1948
File:US-O8 insignia.svg	Major general	Regular Army	27 September 1949
File:US-O9 insignia.svg	Lieutenant general	Army of the United States	1 August 1951
File:US-O10 insignia.svg	General	Army of the United States	1 March 1955
File:US-O10 insignia.svg	General	Regular Army, Retired	31 May 1956

<ref>Official Army and Air Force Register, 1948. p. 1174.</ref> <ref>Official Army Register, 1949. p. 347.</ref> <ref>Official Army Register, 1953. p. 483.</ref> <ref>Official Army Register, 1956. p. 549.</ref> <ref>Official Army Register, 1957. p. 1043.</ref> <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards and decorations

McAuliffe's decorations include the following:

Badges

File:Cbtabn-3.jpg Basic Parachutist Badge with three combat jumps

File:USAAF - Glider Pilot 4.png Airborne Glider Badge

Decorations

Template:Ribbon devices	Distinguished Service Cross
Template:Ribbon devices	Army Distinguished Service Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
Template:Ribbon devices	Silver Star
Template:Ribbon devices	Legion of Merit
Template:Ribbon devices	Bronze Star Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster

Unit award

Template:Ribbon devices

Army Presidential Unit Citation

Service medals

Template:Ribbon devices	World War I Victory Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	American Defense Service Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	American Campaign Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Arrowhead device and three bronze campaign stars
Template:Ribbon devices	World War II Victory Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	Army of Occupation Medal
Template:Ribbon devices	National Defense Service Medal

Foreign awards

Template:Ribbon devices	Legion of Honour (Commandeur)
Template:Ribbon devices	French Croix de guerre with Palm
Template:Ribbon devices	Belgian Croix de guerre with Palm
Template:Ribbon devices	Netherlands Bronze Lion Medal

Template:Ribbon devices	Distinguished Service Order with clasp
Template:Ribbon devices	Belgian Order of Leopold (Commandeur)
Template:Ribbon devices	Order of the Oak Crown (Commandeur)

Memorials

File:Bastogne, Shermantank op Place General McAuliffe met buste foto2 2014-06-13 13.26.jpg

Bust of Gen. McAuliffe with Sherman tank, Bastogne, Belgium

The central square of Bastogne, Belgium, is named Place Général McAuliffe. A Sherman tank, pierced by a German 88 mm shell, stands in one corner.<ref>Memorial information at Landmarkscout.com Accessed on 29 March 2022</ref>

A southern extension of Route 33 in eastern Northampton County, Pennsylvania, completed in 2002,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was named the Gen. Anthony Clement McAuliffe 101st Airborne Memorial Highway.<ref name="legis.state.pa.us">Template:Cite web</ref>

The new headquarters building for the 101st Airborne Division, which opened in 2009 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is named McAuliffe Hall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A room at the Thayer Hotel at West Point has been dedicated to General McAuliffe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Clear

Bibliography

• Template:Cite book

External links

• Template:Commons category-inline
• "NUTS!" Revisited
• Generals of World War II

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