A Battlefield for Buyers

In late December 1944, the German army launched a major surprise attack that became known as The Battle of the Bulge (a term which would later become sort of a rallying cry for people trying to lose weight – sometimes it’s embarrassing to be a human). With the commanding officer back in the United States for a staff meeting, command of the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army and the defense of the besieged city of Bastogne, Belgium fell to Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe.

With the city surrounded by the German army on December 22, 1944, General Heinrich Freiherr von Luttwitz of the 2nd Panzer Division sent a note to General McAuliffe recommending that the US forces in the city surrender to avoid annihilation of the troops, further destruction of the city, and an increase in civilian casualties. To drive his point home, General Luttwitz detailed the resources he had at his disposal and was willing to use to take the city and wipe out the Americans. I honestly can’t guess at General Luttwitz’ true intentions for sending this note, but it would seem he was being a reasonable, honorable, and humane man despite the terrors and ugliness of war. (Look it up on Wikipedia and read the note yourself.) The German general gave the Americans a time limit by which to respond – and the clock was ticking.

Upon the receipt and reading of this note, General McAuliffe and his advisors quickly discussed how best to respond to the Germans’ ultimatum. In short order, they decided to send this:

To the German Commander.

NUTS!

The American Commander.

The response was delivered to General Luttwitz by Colonel Joseph Harper. General Luttwitz, while a very intelligent and urbane man, was not familiar with American sayings, so he asked Colonel Harper what this meant, to which Harper responded, “In plain English? Go to Hell.”

The Germans threw everything they could at Bastogne and brought in the German Luftwaffe to bomb the city nightly, but the Americans held their position until December 26th when the 4th Armored Division arrived with reinforcements. Bastogne did not fall, and the American forces did not fail.

Perhaps your first impression when you read General McAuliffe’s response to General Luttwitz’ ultimatum was how brash and cavalier it seemed. However, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing a number of women and men who have served in the military, and they know firsthand the heartbreak and horror of war – they would do anything to keep their fellow soldiers out of harm’s way – so I would be willing to say McAuliffe’s response was neither brash nor cavalier. He wasn’t going to subject his men to inevitable death out of pride or a misguided desire to look good in the eyes of his superior officers – just the opposite, really. He had complete and utter confidence in his forces, his position, and his collective abilities to face this menacing challenge.

In a sellers’ market, you need an agent who has that confidence. You need an agent who’s going to stand toe to toe with other agents who are competing for the same property for their clients. And you need a lender who has the firepower to back you and your agent up in the fight. When it’s the Battle of the Bungalow, no surrender!