1944: Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe, commander of the 101st Airborne Division, was presented with a formal demand from the German XXXXVII Panzer Korps that he surrender Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. McAuliffe was at a loss for a suitable reply, though his operations officer, Lt. Col. Harry Kinnard, had a suggestion based on something he heard McAuliffe say several times that morning. The reply:  "To the German commander. NUTS! The American commander." Read more about the Battle of the Bulge on HistoryNet.com.

Here's some of what also happened on Dec. 22 in the United States and elsewhere: 

1775: In the Battle of Great Cane Break, South Carolina Patriots routed a gathering of Loyalists, although the Tory leader, Patrick Cunningham, escaped. As a result of the battle, though, South Carolina's commitment to secession from Great Britain was virtually sealed.

1914: As the Russians advanced into Western Galicia in the early months of World War I, the 1st Brigade of the Polish Legion fought a delaying action -- often hand-to-hand -- at Lowczówek. The Poles eventually had to abandon their positions at 1 p.m. on Dec. 25, but held on long enough to prevent the Russians from splitting the Austro-Hungarian Third and Fourth armies, giving those forces time to withdraw. The battle costs the Polish brigade 128 killed (including 38 officers) and 342 wounded.

1941: Just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces invaded Luzon in the Philippines. See a map of the battle on HistoryNet.com.




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