Final answer:
General Anthony McAuliffe's legendary one-word reply to the German demand for surrender during the Battle of the Bulge was "Nuts!", symbolizing the Allied resolve to fight on despite being surrounded.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the Battle of the Bulge, when the Germans surrounded Bastogne and demanded the surrender of American troops there, General Anthony McAuliffe responded with a defiant and historic reply. The German commander received McAuliffe's single-word response, "Nuts!", which confused the Germans but encapsulated the American determination to hold their ground despite the siege. This iconic response by General McAuliffe and the steadfast resistance of Allied troops provided morale-boosting legend and were instrumental in eventually repelling the German offensive in the bitterly cold winter of 1944.