Nuts

[Helmut]

Servus,
I have long wondered about the famous retort of BG McAuliffe at Bastogne to the German commander, "NUTS."
is that what he really said or was it something more colorful. In one account I read that the German commander was perplexed by the response and in other accounts it says he was greatly incenced by it. Either way, the one word response doesn't make a lot of sense even in American slang .

Any thoughts.


Thanks for any insight.

Regards,

Helmut

[Carl Schwamberger]

I've seen in several books photographs of a typed letter with this message. Dont know if it is a genuine copy of the famous message or a post battle news stunt.

Text of the German and US messages

http://everything2.com/title/%2520McAul ... 520Message

Like a lot of folks in those days McAuliffe avoided the use of profanity and expressions like "nuts" were a substitute. There are several ways to translate this bit of vernacular. One might be the common equvalence of "nut" or "nuts" and ;insane'. As in, 'The idea of surrender is insane'. Susposedly the German officers who recieved the message did not catch the American idiom and speculated that was a refrence to a autum harvest festival popular in the region.

[Helmut]

Carl,
Thank you for your reply. I guess in this day and age, I just found it hard to believe that McAuliffe didn't resort to obsenity. Hooray for him and shame on me.

Regards,

Helmut

[IvanSR]

The German messenger was confused and when colonel Harper, the commander of 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, explained the meaning of this word, well that's when he got angry.