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The Commemorative Plaque offered in this sale shows the GermanGeneral presenting an ultimatum of surrender and the American General replyingNUTS. Bastogne, the town below them was defended by the US 101stAirborneDivision as indicated by the eagle insignia above NUTS and the parachute below.This plaque was brought back from WWII in 1945 by PFC John T. Ritsko and hasnot been cleaned or polished since. It has a beautiful olive-brown patina. Asshown by the photos of the back, it was made in Couvin, Belgium with the manufacturer’slogo shield STG and PATENT.
The plaque is solid Brass, 5.75 inches in diameter, and weighs 1 lb. 5oz.
The Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945) was thelast major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. Thesurprise attack through the Ardennes Forest caught the Allied forces completelyoff guard. General Anthony McAuliffe commanded the US 101st Airborne Division.In the early days of the offensive the 101st was surrounded at Bastogne by afar larger force of Germans under the command of General Heinrich von Lüttwitz.On December 22, 1944, von Lüttwitz sent this ultimatum:
“To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne: The fortune of war is changing. Thereis only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. troops from totalannihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town.”
General McAuliffe sent the following reply: “To the German Commander, NUTS!”
The German major who had presented the ultimatum appeared confused andasked what the message meant. He was told, \"In plain English? Go to hell.”
Then an infantry battle began and the German Luftwaffe attacked thetown, bombing it nightly. The 101st Airborne Division held off the Germansuntil the 4th Armored Division arrived on December 26 to provide reinforcement.This fragmented the German advance and provided a turning point in the Battleof the Bulge.
The overall German offensive involved 450,000 men, 1,500 tanks, tankdestroyers, and assault guns, and over 4,000 artillery pieces. Between 67,200and 125,000 German soldiers were killed, missing, or wounded in action. For the Americans, out of 610,000 troopsinvolved in the battle, 89,000 were casualties of which 8,600 died. It was thelargest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II.
