'Nuts!' and the 327th Glider's Second Battle of Marvie - The Siege of Bastogne

The Battle of Bastogne is perhaps one of the most famous battle of the Second World War in the West. Nevertheless, it is often overshadowed by the actions of the 506th PIR, or the breaking of the Siege by Patton. In this video, we will take a look at a small unit action which equally highlights the staunch defence put up by the Screaming Eagles and which can equally serve as a way in which the Siege and defence of Bastogne can be explained. In this second part, we will build on the First Action at Marvie, and to see how the 2nd battalion, 327th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division successfully defended the Panzer Lehr Division’s main assault on the village on 23 and 24 December 1944. Capturing Marvie would offer the Germans the first gateway into Bastogne. The Second Battle of Marvie was further characterised by the famous event in which General McAuliffe dispatched his ‘Nuts!’ response to the German general calling for his surrender.

Bibliography:
Cole, H. M. (1965). The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge.
East, S., Marshall, S. L. A., Westover, J. G., & Webber, A. (1946). Bastogne: The story of the first eight days in which the 101st Airborne Division was closed within the ring of German forces. Military affairs, 10(4), 53. https://doi.org/10.2307/1982354