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
McAuliffe was born in Washington, D.C., on 2 July 1898, to a family of Irish heritage. 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.
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.
World War II
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.Article from Traces of War site Accessed on 29 March 2022
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.
"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 (in German: Parlamentärflagge, the flag of negotiations) 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:
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."S.L.A. Marshall, Bastogne: The First Eight Days , Chapter 14, describing the incident in detail and sourcing it. 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."Pyle, Richard, report for the Associated Press (12 December 2004).
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
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 with official orders processed on 14 January 1945. He later received the Army Distinguished Service Medal twice, the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit.
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 on 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."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."
Post-war
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. He was promoted to four-star general in 1955.
While still in the service, McAuliffe attended the premier of Battleground in Washington D.C. on 9 November 1949. 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. McAuliffe also served as chairman of the New York State Civil Defense Commission from 1960 to 1963.
After his retirement from American Cyanamid in 1963, McAuliffe resided in Chevy Chase, Maryland, until his death from leukemia Krebs, Albin. "Gen. McAuliffe, 77, Dead; Replied ‘Nuts!’ to Germans." New York Times, August 14, 1975. on 10 August 1975, age 77. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.International Encyclopedia of Military HistoryBurial Detail: McAuliffe, Anthony C – ANC Explorer
Dates of rank Insignia Rank Component DateNo insignia Cadet United States Military Academy 14 June 1917 Second lieutenant National Army 1 November 1918 First lieutenant National Army 29 September 1919 Second lieutenant Regular Army 15 December 1922 First lieutenant Regular Army 20 May 1923 Captain Regular Army 1 May 1935 Major Regular Army 1 July 1940 Lieutenant colonel Army of the United States 15 September 1941 effective 18 September Colonel Army of the United States 1 February 1942 Brigadier general Army of the United States 8 August 1942 Lieutenant colonel Regular Army 11 December 1942 Major general Army of the United States 3 January 1945 Brigadier general Regular Army 24 January 1948 Major general Regular Army 27 September 1949 Lieutenant general Army of the United States 1 August 1951 General Army of the United States 1 March 1955 General Regular Army, Retired 31 May 1956 Official Army and Air Force Register, 1948. p. 1174. Official Army Register, 1949. p. 347. Official Army Register, 1953. p. 483. Official Army Register, 1956. p. 549. Official Army Register, 1957. p. 1043.
Awards and decorations McAuliffe's decorations include the following:
Badges Basic Parachutist Badge with three combat jumps Airborne Glider Badge
Decorations Distinguished Service CrossArmy Distinguished Service Medal with bronze oak leaf clusterSilver StarLegion of MeritBronze Star Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster
Unit award Army Presidential Unit Citation
Service medals World War I Victory MedalAmerican Defense Service MedalAmerican Campaign MedalEuropean-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Arrowhead device and three bronze campaign starsWorld War II Victory MedalArmy of Occupation MedalNational Defense Service Medal
Foreign awards Legion of Honour (Commandeur)French Croix de guerre with PalmBelgian Croix de guerre with PalmNetherlands Bronze Lion Medal
Distinguished Service Order with claspBelgian Order of Leopold (Commandeur)Order of the Oak Crown (Commandeur)
Memorials
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.Memorial information at Landmarkscout.com Accessed on 29 March 2022
A southern extension of Route 33 in eastern Northampton County, Pennsylvania, completed in 2002, was named the Gen. Anthony Clement McAuliffe 101st Airborne Memorial Highway.
The new headquarters building for the 101st Airborne Division, which opened in 2009 at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, is named McAuliffe Hall.
A room at the Thayer Hotel at West Point has been dedicated to General McAuliffe.
Bibliography
References
External links
"NUTS!" Revisited Generals of World War II