McAuliffe's Christmas Message

Headquarters 101st Airborne Division

Office of the Division Commander

24 December1944

Whats Merry about all this, you ask? Were fighting - its cold - we arent home. All true but what has the proud Eagle Division accomplished with its worthy comrades of the 10th Armored Division, the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion and all the rest? lust this: We have stopped cold everything that has been thrown at us from the North, East, South and West. We have identifications from four German Panzer Divisions, two German Infantry Divisions and one German Parachute Division. These units, spearheading the last desperate German lunge, were headed straight west for key points when the Eagle Division was hurriedly ordered to stem the advance. How effectively this was done will be written in history; not alone in our Divisions glorious history but in World history. The Germans actually did surround us. their radios blared our doom. Their Commander demanded our surrender in the following impudent arrogance.

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 Ourthe near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through HombresSibret-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

The German Commander received the following reply:

22 December 1944

To the German Commander:

NUTS!

The American Commander

Documents

• The thirteenth amendment
• The nineteenth Amendment
• The Bill Of Rights
• The Constitution of the United States
• Theodore Roosevelt Letter on Cuba
• The Declaration of Independence
• Selection of General Eisenhower as supreme commander of Overlord
• The Emancipation Proclamation
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Four Freedoms Address
• Benjamin Franklin's Epitaph
• The German instrument of surrender
• Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
• Martin Luther King's I have a dream speech
• Jefferson's First Inaugural Address
• John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address
• Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address
• The Mayflower Compact
• McAuliffe's Christmas Message
• The Monroe Doctrine
• Jackson's letter describing the Battle of New Orleans
• The Northwest Ordinance Instrument of surrender in the Pacific
• The Treaty of Paris
• Patrick Henry's Instructions to George Rogers Clark
• Robert E. Lee's letter accepting the presidency of Washington College
• The Star Spangled Banner
• Susan B. Anthony
• George Washington's First Inaugural Address
• Washington's farewell
• Woodrow Wilson's First Inaugural Address

• Return to the Freedom Shrine page

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