During Ww1: An Informal Truce, 1914

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DURING WW1, ON CHRISTMAS WEVE 1914 ..... A TRUE MIRACLE TOOK PLACE.
After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, the
world was plunged into war. Germany, realizing they were likely to face a
two-front war, attempted to defeat the western foes before the Russians were able
to mobilize their forces in the East (estimated to take six weeks), using the
Schlieffen Plan.
Though the Germans had made a strong offensive into France, French, Belgian,
and British forces were able to halt them. However, since they were not able
to push the Germans out of France, there was a stalemate and both sides dug
into the earth creating a large network of trenches.
Once the trenches were built, winter rains tried to obliterate them. The
rains not only flooded the dug-outs, they turned the trenches into mud holes - a
terrible enemy in and of itself. "It had been pouring, and mud lay deep in
the trenches; they were caked from head to foot, and I have never seen
anything like their rifles...! Not one would work, and they were just lying about
the trenches getting stiff and cold. One fellow had got both feet jammed in the
clay, and when told to get up by an officer, had to get on all fours; he
then got his hands stuck in too, and was caught like a fly on a flypaper; all he
could do was look round and say to his pals, 'For Gawd's sake, shoot me...!'

I laughed till I cried. But they will shake down, directly they learn that
the harder one works in the trenches, the drier and more comfortable one can
keep both them and oneself." (Lieutenant Sir Edward Hulse as quoted in
Malcolm Brown and Shirley Seaton, Christmas Truce - New York: Hippocrene Books,
1984).
The trenches of both sides were only a few hundred feet apart, buffered by a
relatively flat area known as "No Man's Land." The stalemate had halted all
but a scattered number of small attacks; thus, soldiers on each side spent a
large amount of time dealing with the mud, keeping their heads down in order
to avoid sniper fire, and watching carefully for any surprise enemy raids on
their trench. Restless in their trenches, covered in mud, and eating the same
rations every day, some soldiers began to wonder about the un-seen enemy,
men declared monsters by propagandists. "We hated their guts when they killed
any of our friends; then we really did dislike them intensely. But otherwise
we joked about them and I think they joked about us. And we thought, well,
poor so-and-sos, they're in the same kind of muck as we are." (Leslie Walkinton
as quoted in Brown, Christmas Truce).
The uncomfortableness of living in trenches coupled with the closeness of
the enemy who lived in similar conditions contributed to a growing "live and
let live" policy. Andrew Todd, a telegraphist of the Royal Engineers, wrote of
an example in a letter: "Perhaps it will surprise you to learn that the
soldiers in both lines of trenches have become very 'pally' with each other. The
trenches are only 60 yards apart at one place, and every morning about
breakfast time one of the soldiers sticks a board in the air. As soon as this board
goes up all firing ceases, and men from either side draw their water and
rations. All through the breakfast hour, and so long as this board is up, silence
reigns supreme, but whenever the board comes down the first unlucky devil
who shows even so much as a hand gets a bullet through it." (Andrew Todd as
quoted in Brown, Christmas Truce).
Sometimes the two enemies would yell at each other. Some of the German
soldiers had worked in Britain before the war and asked about a store or area in
England that an English soldier also knew well. Sometimes they would shout
rude remarks to each other as a way of entertainment. Singing was also a common
way of communication. "During the winter it was not unusual for little groups
of men to gather in the front trench, and there hold impromptu concerts,
singing patriotic and sentimental songs. The Germans did much the same, and on
calm evenings the songs from one line floated to the trenches on the other
side, and were there received with applause and sometimes calls for an encore."
(6th Division of the Gordon Highlanders Official History as quoted in Brown,
Christmas Truce).
After hearing of such fraternization, General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien,
commander of the British II Corps, ordered: "The Corps Commander, therefore,
directs Divisional Commanders to impress on all subordinate commanders the
absolute necessity of encouraging the offensive spirit of the troops, while on the
defensive, by every means in their power. Friendly intercourse with the
enemy, unofficial armistices (e.g. 'we won't fire if you don't' etc.) and the
exchange of tobacco and other comforts, however tempting and occasionally amusing
they may be, are absolutely prohibited." (II Corp's Document G.507 as quoted
in Brown, Christmas Truce).
On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV suggested a temporary hiatus of the
war for the celebration of Christmas. Though Germany readily agreed, the other
powers refused. Even without a cessation of war for Christmas, family and
friends of the soldiers wanted to make their loved ones' Christmas special. They
sent packages filled with letters, warm clothing, food, cigarettes, and
medications. Yet what especially made Christmas at the front seem like Christmas
were the troves of small Christmas trees. On Christmas Eve, many German
soldiers put up their Christmas trees, decorated with candles, on the parapets of
their trenches. Hundreds of Christmas trees lighted the German trenches. The
British soldiers could see the lights but it took them a few minutes to
figure out what they were from. British lookouts reported the anomalies to their
superiors. Could this be a trick...? British soldiers were ordered not to fire
but to watch them closely. Instead of trickery, the British soldiers heard
many of the Germans celebrating. "Time and again during the course of that
day, the Eve of Christmas, there were wafted towards us from the trenches
opposite the sounds of singing and merry-making, and occasionally the guttural
tones of a German were to be heard shouting out lustily, 'A happy Christmas to
you Englishmen.. On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV suggested a temporary
hiatus of the war for the celebration of Christmas. Though Germany readily
agreed, the other powers refused. Even without a cessatOn December 7, 1914, Pope
Benedict XV suggeChristmas Truce).
In other areas, the two sides exchanged Christmas carols. "They finished
their carol and we thought that we ought to retaliate in some way, so we sang
'The first Noël', and when we finished that they all began clapping; and then
they struck up another favourite of theirs, 'O Tannenbaum'. And so it went on.
First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing one
of ours, until when we started up 'O Come All Ye Faithful' the Germans
immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words 'Adeste Fidéles'.
And I thought, well, this was really a most extraordinary thing - two nations
both singing the same carol in the middle of a war." (Jay Winter and Blaine
Baggett, The Great War: And the Shaping of the 20th Century - New York: Penguin
Books, 1996).
This fraternization on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas was in no way
officially sanctified nor organized. Yet, in numerous separate instances down
the front line, German soldiers began yelling over to their enemy, "Tommy, you
come over and see us..!" (Brown, Christmas Truce). Still cautious, the
British soldiers would rally back, "No, you come here...!" In some parts of the
line, representatives of each side would meet in the middle, in No Man's Land.
"We shook hands, wished each other a Merry Christmas, and were soon
conversing as if we had known each other for years. We were in front of their wire
entanglements and surrounded by Germans - Fritz and I in the centre talking, and
Fritz occasionally translating to his friends what I was saying. We stood
inside the circle like streetcorner orators. Soon most of our company ('A'
Company), hearing that I and some others had gone out, followed us . . . What a
sight - little groups of Germans and British extending almost the length of
our front...! Out of the darkness we could hear laughter and see lighted
matches, a German lighting a Scotchman's cigarette and vice versa, exchanging
cigarettes and souvenirs. Where they couldn't talk the language they were making
themselves understood by signs, and everyone seemed to be getting on nicely.
Here we were laughing and chatting to men whom only a few hours before we were
trying to kill...!" (Corporal John Ferguson as quoted in Brown, Christmas
Truce 71).
Some of those who went out to meet the enemy in the middle of No Man's Land
on Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day negotiated a truce: we won't fire if you
won't fire. Some ended the truce at midnight on Christmas night, some
extended it until New Year's Day. One of the main reasons Christmas truces were
negotiated was in order to bury the dead. Though some had died recently, there
were corpses out in No Man's Land that had been there for several months.
Along with the revelry that celebrated Christmas was the sad and somber job of
burying their fallen comrades. On Christmas day, British and German soldiers
appeared on No Man's Land and sorted through the bodies. In just a few rare
instances, joint services were held for both the British and German dead. Yet
many soldiers enjoyed meeting the un-seen enemy and were surprised to discover
that they were more alike than he had thought. They talked, shared pictures,
exchanged items such as buttons for food stuffs. An extreme example of the
fraternization was a soccer game played in the middle of No Man's Land between
the Bedfordshire Regiment and the Germans.
A member of the Bedfordshire Regiment produced a ball and the large group of
soldiers played until the ball was deflated when it hit a barbed wire
entanglement. This strange and unofficial truce lasted for several days, much to
the dismay of the commanding officers. This amazing showing of Christmas cheer
was never again repeated and as World War I progressed, the story of
Christmas 1914 at the front became something of a legend. "This experience has been
the most practical demonstration I have seen of 'Peace on earth and goodwill
towards men." (Oswald Tilley as quoted in Brown, Christmas Truce). Wishing a
Merry Christmas to you all... and Peace on Earth and Goodwill toward men.
Merry Christmas to all and May God Bless you all ...