Gen. Sietz,
I added your details about Italy into the Wikipedia entry, as well
as some additional info from the "Short History". If you can, let me know
if this is accurate. Thanks for your help.
Bob Barrett
Roddy MacDougall
Dear Mr Barret, Mr
Johnson
I have been given your contact
details by a mutual friend Eddy Monfort. Eddy brought to our notice a photograph
on your website of a King Tiger that belonged to Schwere SS Panzer Abtielung 501
and was attached to Kampfgruppe Peiper in the Ardennes. This vehicle was left
out side LaGlieze in Belgium in an area known as Gorrone when KG Peiper was
cut off by U.S. forces and forced to abandon their heavy equipment and break ot
of the encirclement on foot. It later featured in a series of publicity photos
taken by AP and Time where it was set on fire with a grenade to provide some
action for the photographers. There are almost certainly genuine shots that show
it's original capture but these are lost somewhere in the NARA.
I would like to ask if it is possible to
have a high resolution scan of this picture and permission to use it in a
forthcoming book that deals with the encirclement and defeat of Kampfgruppe
Peiper? The photograph will of course be fully credited and a link to your
website provided.
Do any of the veterans that you have
contact with have any recollections of their time in the Ardennes, this could be
very useful as we are trying to piece together exactly what happened, when and
to who before it is too late.
This is a link to our first
volume...
Thank you in advance
Best Regards
Roddy
MacDougall
Wayne Cross
Ben, I saw the article in a recent issue of mail call
about Gen. McAuliffe's comments to the Germans at Bastogne and wanted to
share with you an interview with Lt. General Kinnard who was McAuliffe's, G-3
during Bastogne and who was an eye-witness to this action. What I
find most humorous about the exchange is that Gen. McAulliffe's most
immediate reaction to the German call to surrender was that the German's had to
be surrendering to him! That's sums up in a nutshell (pardon the pun) what
the Airborne spirit is all about. In an aside, my father once
commanded the 501st when Gen. Kinnard was the Asst. Division Commander of the
101st and our house was located next door to Gen Kinnard's house. My first
prolonged exposure to General Kinnard was when he caught his son and me soaping
his windows late one Halloween night. Thank God my father had a good sense
of humor. I can attest to the fact that Gen. Kinnard had a good
command voice and presence.
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"We got into Bastogne late on the
night of 18 December, 1944. We were not well equipped, having just gotten
out of combat in Holland. We were particularly short of winter clothing
and footwear. On the 21st of December we became completely surrounded by
Germans and our field hospital was overrun by a German attack. We had put
the hospital in what would normally have been a safe place, but no place
is safe when you are completely surrounded. At this time, we were not able
to receive air resupply because the weather was absolutely frightful. It
was very, very cold and snowy. Visibility was often measured in yards. Our
lack of winter gear was partially offset by the citizens of Bastogne who
gave us blankets and white linens that we used for camouflage.
While we were still surrounded, on
the morning of December 22, a German surrender party, consisting of two
officers and two NCOs, and carrying a white flag, approached our perimeter
in the area of our Glider Regiment, the 327th. The party was taken to a
nearby platoon command post. While the enlisted men were detained the
officers were blind folded and taken to the command post of the 327th
where they presented their surrender ultimatum. The ultimatum in essence
said the 101st's position was hopeless and that if we elected not to
surrender a lot of bad things would happen.
The message was brought in to the
Division Headquarters by Major Alvin Jones, the S-3, and Colonel Harper,
the Regimental Commander. They brought the message to me, the G-3 and Paul
Danahy, the G-2. My first reaction was that this was a German ruse,
designed to get our men out of their fox holes. But be that as it might,
we agreed that we needed to take the message up the line. We took it first
to the acting Chief of Staff of the Division, Lt. Col. Ned Moore. With
him, we took the message to the acting Division Commander General Tony
McAuliffe. Moore told General McAuliffe that we had a German surrender
ultimatum. The General's first reaction was that the Germans wanted to
surrender to us. Col. Moore quickly disabused him of that notion and
explained that the German's demanded our surrender. When McAuliffe heard
that he laughed and said: "Us surrender? Aw, nuts!" the date was December
22nd, 1944
To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne. The fortune of war is changing. This time the
U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German
armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Our near
Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through
Hompre-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands.
There is only one possibility to save the
encircled U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable
surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two
hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note.
If this proposal should be rejected one German
Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the
U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given
immediately after this two hours' term.
All the serious civilian losses
caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the well known
American humanity.
The German Commander. But then McAuliffe realized that some
sort of reply was in order. He pondered for a few minutes and then told
the staff, "Well I don't know what to tell them." He then asked the staff
what they thought, and I spoke up, saying, "That first remark of yours
would be hard to beat." McAuliffe said, "What do you mean?" I answered,
"Sir, you said 'Nuts'." All members of the staff enthusiastically agreed,
and McAuliffe decided to send that one word, "Nuts!" back to the Germans.
McAuliffe then wrote down: "To the German Commander, "Nuts!" The American
Commander."
McAuliffe then asked Col. Harper to
deliver the message to the Germans. Harper took the typed message back to
the company command post where the two German officers were detained.
Harper then told the Germans that he had the American commanders reply.
The German captain then asked, "Is it written or verbal?" Harper responded
that it was written and added, "I will place it in your hand."
 General Anthony McAuliffe taken on December 27th, 1944 The German major then asked, "Is the
reply negative or affirmative? If it is the latter I will negotiate
further."
At this time the Germans were acting
in an arrogant and patronizing manner and Harper, who was starting to lose
his temper, responded, "The reply is decidedly not affirmative." He then
added that, "If you continue your foolish attack your losses will be
tremendous."
Harper then put the German officers
in a jeep and took them back to where the German enlisted men were
detained. He then said to the German captain, "If you don't know what
'Nuts' means, in plain English it is the same as 'Go to Hell'. And I'll
tell you something else, if you continue to attack we will kill every
goddam German that tries to break into this city."
The German major and captain saluted
very stiffly. The captain said, "We will kill many Americans. This is
war." Harper then responded, "On your way Bud," he then said, "and good
luck to you." Harper later told me he always regretted wishing them good
luck. |
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