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The World War 1 Christmas Truce by Ebiniz(m): 3:51pm On Dec 25, 2016 |
During World War I, on and around Christmas Day 1914, the sounds of rifles firing and shells exploding faded in a number of places along the Western Front in favor of holiday celebrations in the trenches and gestures of goodwill between enemies. The Truce Starting on Christmas Eve, many German and British troops sang Christmas carols to each other across the lines, and at certain points the Allied soldiers even heard brass bands joining the Germans in their joyous singing. At the first light of dawn on Christmas Day, some 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. Some soldiers used this short-lived ceasefire for a more somber task: the retrieval of the bodies of fellow combatants who had fallen within the no-man’s land between the lines. 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Truce of 1914 came only five months after the outbreak of war in Europe and was one of the last examples of the outdated notion of chivalry between enemies in warfare. It was never repeated—future attempts at holiday ceasefires were quashed by officers’ threats of disciplinary action—but it served as heartening proof, however brief, that beneath the brutal clash of weapons, the soldiers’ essential humanity endured. During World War I, the soldiers on the Western Front did not expect to celebrate on the battlefield, but even a world war could not destory the Christmas spirit.
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Re: The World War 1 Christmas Truce by Ebiniz(m): 3:53pm On Dec 25, 2016 |
Soldiers from both sides taking pics
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Re: The World War 1 Christmas Truce by idupaul: 3:54pm On Dec 25, 2016 |
Even the world war had a truce yet Buhari didn't give our economy any truce from his incompetence |
Re: The World War 1 Christmas Truce by Ebiniz(m): 3:54pm On Dec 25, 2016 |
German soldier and English soldier sharing cigarette on war front
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Re: The World War 1 Christmas Truce by Ebiniz(m): 3:55pm On Dec 25, 2016 |
idupaul:lol |
Re: The World War 1 Christmas Truce by fernandoc(m): 3:58pm On Dec 25, 2016 |
Wow. This story just made my day. |
Re: The World War 1 Christmas Truce by Nobody: 4:03pm On Dec 25, 2016 |
Hmmm. Very touching. |
Re: The World War 1 Christmas Truce by Topsido(m): 1:41pm On Jun 07, 2017 |
(1) (Reply)
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