Description:

McAuliffe Anthony

Single page, 8.5" x 11" with a black and white newsprint photo of General A.C. McAuliffe neatly affixed to the page using corner tabs. Boldly signed along the bottom by McAuliffe as "ACMcAuliffe, Maj Gen, USA". Hand decorated in black ink to create borders, and the large typed later added infamous saying of "NUTS!" placed below the signature. Page toned with center fold and small abrasions on verso.


 

McAuliffe, the ever proper General who did not use profane language, developed his nickname in 1944 when the 101st returned to France for a well-deserved rest, only to be called to action again in the Battle of the Bulge. While defending the critical transportation hub of Bastogne, Belgium, the 101st was surrounded by advancing enemy forces who demanded immediate surrender. 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 Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard suggested that McAuliffe's first response summed up the situation pretty 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:


To the German Commander.


NUTS!


The American Commander
.


The German major appeared confused and asked Harper what the message meant. Harper said, "In plain English? Go to hell." The choice of "Nuts!" rather than something earthier was typical for McAuliffe. 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."

 

The siege was broken on 26 December 1944, but the fighting continued until 18 January 1945.

After moving through Alsace and the Ruhr Valley, the 101st captured Hitler’s mountain retreat at Berchtesgaden. On 30 November 1945, eight months after the German surrender, the Screaming Eagles were inactivated. The end of World War II marked the beginning of an intermittent existence for the 101st – several inactivations occurred during the next two decades. Official reactivation ceremonies were held on 21 September 1956, making the 101st the Army’s first Pentomic division and part of United States Strategic Response Force. For his actions at Bastogne, McAuliffe was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General Patton on December 30, 1944, followed later by the Distinguished Service Medal. Immediately after Bastogne, McAuliffe was promoted to Major General and given command of the 103rd Infantry Division on January 15, 1945

This fantastic piece boasts his large full signature just under his picture.

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