“Nuts”: The 101st at Bastogne

In 1944, the Germans sent an ultimatum to this surrounded American division.

Their one-word reply went down in history. The 101st Airborne—6,000 paratroopers—were dropped miles from

their targets, scattered, alone, and outnumbered. So they tore off

their silk chutes, strapped TNT to toy planes, and charged German tanks with bayonets.

By sunrise they’d linked Utah Beach to the mainland—then Cole’s battalion took “Purple Heart

Lane,” losing men every yard but never the road. Radios? Lost.

Orders? Gone. They fought in pockets, using cricket clickers to tell friend from

foe at midnight. When the Germans demanded surrender at Bastogne, the 101st sent back