Community | December 26, 2008 | 12 comments

1914 Christmas Truce-troops emerged from trenches to shake hands and sing carols

December 25: General Interest
1914 : The Christmas Truce

Just after midnight on Christmas morning, the majority of German troops engaged in World War I cease firing their guns and artillery and commence to sing Christmas carols. At certain points along the eastern and western fronts, the soldiers of Russia, France, and Britain even heard brass bands joining the Germans in their joyous singing.

At the first light of dawn, many of the German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no-man's-land, calling out "Merry Christmas" in their enemies' native tongues. At first, the Allied soldiers feared it was a trick, but seeing the Germans unarmed they climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the enemy soldiers. The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. There was even a documented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer.

The so-called Christmas Truce of 1914 came only five months after the outbreak of war in Europe and was one of the last examples of the outdated notion of chivalry between enemies in warfare. In 1915, the bloody conflict of World War I erupted in all its technological fury, and the concept of another Christmas Truce became unthinkable.
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12 comments // 1914 Christmas Truce-troops emerged from trenches to shake hands and sing carols

  • Cynic2
  • WisconsinNorm
    • 0
      WisconsinNorm  

    • OK, let's go back to basics. A man will kill another man for what reason? Or--- why would one man risk his life for another man or culture he does not particularly care about?

      It comes down to someone somewhere not having a good job, good food, good sex, and good golf courses. If any of the above are missing, someone is going to kill someone else.

      No self-respecting golfer could ever fire a mortar round or drop a bomb onto a good course!

      Therefore, start building golf courses! Everything else will follow.

      Happy New Year! FORE!

      You're right, good booze is part of the formula...

    • 3 years ago
  • csmonut
  • damnneargenius
    • 0
      damnneargenius  

    • Those men weren't celebrating the Christmas Spirit, they were just using Christmas as an excuse to demonstrate the Human Spirit. We are largely the same before we are programmed and conditioned to be different.

      Perhaps in the future technology will find a way to create similar, permanent truces.

      The difference between sports and war is, in sports, you live to win another day.

      It's a shame what all the retarded indoctrination and greed has done to cause noble people to suffer.

    • 3 years ago
  • clayjj05
  • cyman01
  • Ashaobama08
  • pjacobs51
  • tbowman131
  • Cynic2
  • Jeffnfun631
  • cyman01
cyman01
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