To the German Commander. NUTS! The American Commander. December 22nd, 1944: American forces were completely surrounded, running out of ammo, enduring freezing-cold temperatures, and facing total annihilation by German forces. When the Germans demanded the Americans surrender, this was their official response. Winston Churchill called the Battle of the Bulge "the greatest American battle of the war." It took roughly another month of fighting before the Allied troops would claim the victory. Approximately 19,000 Americans were killed in action, 47,500 wounded, and over 23,000 missing. For their efforts, about 100,000 Germans were killed, wounded or captured. The Battle of the Bulge would pave the way to Allied victory less than five months later.