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Our original design on a very limited pocket t-shirt. Only available in 2XL and will not be reprinted.
The shirt:
- Military green — Size: 2XL: 100% cotton, 4.3 oz with pocket on the left chest. Imported.
This design is also available in a made in America t-shirt, women's v-neck shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, a hooded sweatshirt, and a long-sleeved shirt with UPF protection.
Our original design includes these historical references:
• What became known as the "Battle of the Bulge" was the Ardennes Offensive, and the response of the Allies, the Ardennes Counteroffensive.
• The battle lasted for five weeks, from December 16, 1944 to January 28, 1945, towards the end of the war in Europe.
• The 101st Airborne Division was surrounded at Bastogne and being shelled.
• "NUTS" was the (probably sanitized) reply from Brig. Gen. Anthony Mcauliffe to the letter from the attacking German Forces offering an opportunity to surrender.
• An excerpt from Mcauliffe's Christmas Letter to his troops:
We are giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present and being privileged to take part in this gallant feat of arms are truly making for ourselves a Merry Christmas.
/s/ A. C. McAULIFFE
/t/ McAULIFFE
Commanding.
• The Sherman Cobra King pictiured broke through to link up with the 101st Airborne Division on the outskirts of Bastogne on December 26.
• The line running down the center is a tracing from the map of enemy positions on December 25.
Included with every shirt: A 5" x 8" card with the entire Christmas letter that McAuliffe had distributed to his troops, the letter from the German Commander offering McAuliffe the opportunity to surrender his encircled troops, and the propaganda flier that the the Germans distributed to American troops encouraging them to desert.
See more historical background below.
Our WWII Collection
Browse through all our original designs in our WWII collection, including Pearl Harbor, Midway, "V" for Victory with all of the battles listed, History Nerd paratrooper / Operation Overlord, Operation Market Garden, She's a W.O.W., a print with more than 100 posters from the homefront, our Victory pin, and more.
Historical accounts and background
The US Army's account of the "NUTS" reply.
Sherman Jumbo "Cobra King"
Company C, 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division
As shown in the photo above, the M4A3E2 Sherman Cobra King is now on display at the National Museum of the United States Army outside of Washington, DC.
This is the text on the panel beside the tank:
"M4A3E2 Sherman Cobra King links up with encircled defenders of the 101st
Airborne Division on the outskirts of the town of Bastogne on 26 December
1944. The breakthrough opened the way for Allied forces to begin the counteroffensive that ended the Battle of the Bulge. In March 1945, Cobra King was put out of action during the unsuccessful mission to liberate American prisoners of war at a POW camp near Hammelburg, Germany.
"CREW MEMBERS
- 1st Lt. Charles P. Boggess,
- Cpl. Milton Dickerman,
- Pvt. James G. Murphy,
- Pvt. Hubert S. Smith, and
- Pvt. Harold Hafner after the Bastogne linkup."
Here's the story of how the tank was tracked down and authenticated in 2008.
Thanks to Larisa for her suggestion of a Battle of the Bulge shirt, and to Martin Quinn and Mike Manning for reviewing the historical details.