During WWI, many of the British, French, and German soldiers lived, fought, and died in trenches that snaked thousands of miles through the countryside. These trenches were grim, dark places averaging 7 feet deep and 6 feet wide. On the Allied side, they were often full of mud, rats, and disease. The men lived in these trenches, struggling to keep dry, stay alive, and not lose their minds. The trenches of the enemy were sometimes just 30 meters away, and sticking your head above the trench could easily get you killed.
After five months of horrific fighting, the soldiers on both sides were sick of war. Suddenly peace broke out between the trenches. It was Christmas Eve, 1914. It was “a beautiful moonlit night, frost on the ground, white almost everywhere,” said Pvt. Albert Moren. The Germans sang out from their trenches the song, Silent Night. When they finished, their enemies in the neighboring trench cheered. The Allied soldiers then replied with the English version.
No shots were fired that night, and in the morning, they wondered if the peace would last. At one point along the trenches, a German soldier held up a sign saying, “You no shoot, we no shoot.” Slowly heads popped up above the trenches, and Christmas greetings were offered from both sides in English. Nervously the soldiers came out from their protective trenches. Leaving their guns and safety behind, they approached each other. With hearts likely filled with a mixture of fear and hope, they shook hands. Some soldiers exchanged small gifts of tobacco or buttons. Others played soccer upon the battlefield. A pig was roasted by the British and shared with the Germans in one place, and the Germans rolled over a barrel of beer to the British in exchange. In another place, a German juggler performed, and at yet another, a British soldier got his hair cut by a German barber.
Not all of the soldiers were at peace that day, but 100,000 soldiers did take part in the truce. At some points along the trenches, the truce lasted only part of the day, and in others, it lasted until New Year’s Day. Not everyone was pleased with the impromptu peace. One young German corporal named Adolf Hitler complained, “Such a thing should not happen in wartime…. Have you no German sense of honor left?” And, of course, when the higher-ups got wind of the friendly fraternization, they made sure that it was not repeated the following year. Nevertheless, at least for one Christmas, humanity’s gentler side overcame the insanity of war as men came together in celebration and peace.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce
http://time.com/3643889/christmas-truce-1914/
http://www.history.com/news/world-war-is-christmas-truce-100-years-ago
During WWI, many soldiers lived, fought, and died in trenches. These trenches were thousands of miles long. They were terrible, dark places. They were about 7 feet deep and 6 feet wide. On the Allied side, they were often full of mud, rats, and disease. The men lived in these trenches, trying not to lose their minds or their lives. The trenches of the enemy were sometimes just 30 meters away. Putting your head above the trench could easily get you killed.
After five months of terrible fighting, the soldiers on both sides were sick of war. Suddenly peace broke out between the trenches. It was Christmas Eve, 1914. It was a beautiful night. The moon was shining, and there was white frost on the ground. The Germans sang out from their trenches the song, Silent Night. When they finished, their enemies cheered. The Allied soldiers then replied by singing the song in English.
No shots were heard that night, and in the morning, they wondered if the peace would last. At one point along the trenches, a German soldier held up a sign saying, “You no shoot, we no shoot.” Slowly heads rose above the trenches. Then Christmas greetings were offered from both sides in English. The soldiers slowly came out from their protective trenches. Leaving their guns and safety behind, they walked towards each other. With hearts filled with fear and hope, they shook hands. Some soldiers exchanged small gifts of tobacco or buttons. Others played soccer. A pig was cooked by the British and shared with the Germans in one place. The Germans brought a barrel of beer to the British in exchange. In another place, a German juggler performed. At yet another, a British soldier got his hair cut by a German barber.
Not all of the soldiers were at peace that day, but 100,000 soldiers did take part in the truce. At some points along the trenches, the truce lasted only part of the day, and in others, it lasted until New Year’s Day. Not everyone was pleased with the unexpected peace. One young German corporal named Adolf Hitler complained, “Such a thing should not happen in war…. Have you no German sense of honor left?” Of course, when the higher-ups got wind of the truce, they were not happy. They made sure that it was not repeated the next year. Nevertheless, for one Christmas, humanity’s gentler side overcame the insanity of war.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce
http://time.com/3643889/christmas-truce-1914/
http://www.history.com/news/world-war-is-christmas-truce-100-years-ago
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