NUTS! with a Hat tip to Russ Vaughn's new poem

This the untranslatable word that General McAuliffe told the Germans who were demanding the surrender of the Americans who were surrounded in Bastogne. The Germans who were unable to understand what the General meant, were told by Col. Joseph Harper "In plain English it is the same as 'Go to Hell', and I will tell you something else; if you continue to attack, we will kill every goddamn German that tries to break into this city"

And so on this day in 1944, what American Historians call 'The Battle of the Bulge' began.

Some statistics.

· The coldest, snowiest weather “in memory” in the Ardennes Forest on the German/Belgium border.
· Over a million men, 500,000 Germans, 600,000 Americans (more than fought at Gettysburg) and 55,000 British.
· 3 German armies, 10 corps, the equivalent of 29 divisions.
· 3 American armies, 6 corps, the equivalent of 31 divisions.
· The equivalent of 3 British divisions as well as contingents of Belgian, Canadian and French troops.
· 100,000 German casualties, killed, wounded or captured.
· 81,000 American casualties, including 23,554 captured and 19,000 killed.
· 1,400 British casualties 200 killed.
· 800 tanks lost on each side, 1,000 German aircraft.
· The Malmedy Massacre, where 86 American soldiers were murdered, was the worst atrocity committed against American troops during the course of the war in Europe.
· In it's entirety, the “Battle of the Bulge,” was the worst battles- in terms of losses - to the American Forces in WWII

Just for a moment reflect on the reaction of the anti-war left if the same amount of American casualities resulted today. Not to mention the screeching of the MSM against Gen. Eisenhower and the military for being so damn dumb as to not anticipate what the "freedom fighters" of Germany had up their sleeves.

On a personal note today is the 9th birthday of my youngest son. His middle name is Wayne, named after my Uncle Wayne who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. My son is well aware of the history of the date of his birthday and why his middle name is Wayne. My oldest son's birthday was the 8th of this month, the day America declared war following Pearl Harbor. He too, is very aware of the signifigence of the date.

And now I leave you with the words of Russ Vaughn, who says it so very well.

“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men
stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” George Orwell

With a nod to the Mudville Gazette for the quote

There’s a character trait that’s decided by fate
Comes “sadly” to many, far too faint, far too late.
They won’t face the aggressor, stand up to his ire
They have not the will to fight his fire with fire.
So they bend over backwards to see all sides as fair,
Till they’re faced with dragon breath fire in their hair.
Like our brethren in France, who’d know better than we,
Yet seem never to learn, seem doomed never to see.

Yes, it seems there are some who’re determined by fate,
To possess not the courage to step up to the plate,
Who shrink from all threat because nothing’s worth war.
But how can they know lest they’ve been there before?
Thank God some have courage, the will, yes, the grace,
To stand for the shirkers, stand strong in their place.
Thank God we have stalwarts who’ll stand for us all,
Who will rise to the challenge at their nation’s call.

The faint-hearted, who fear, whose reaction is flight,
Have no comprehension of those who will fight.
To hide their own trepidation they attempt to demean
The rough men, who defend them, as barbaric, obscene.
Yet these rough men stand ready, hard weapons to hand,
To put placaters behind them, draw a line in the sand,
To preserve for the peaceniks what they won’t defend,
So their own unearned freedom won’t perish, won’t end.

To appeasers, rough men are coarse government tools.
To rough men, appeasers are dumb delusional fools.

Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne DivisionVietnam 65-66