(From a story on the internet by George Dvorsky) The Christmas Truce It was 100 years ago this very night that something miraculous happened along the Western Front. After months of bitter fighting, soldiers on both sides gathered in no-mans-land in a spontaneous show of peace and goodwill. In December 1914, the war was entering into a new phase: an extended siege fought along static trenches stretching along a 750 km (466 mile) front. During the previous four months, soldiers were killed at a horrendous pace, and with no end of the war in sight. But during Christmas, things suddenly became quiet — at least for a little while. We No Shoot! The night before Christmas, a British captain serving at Rue du Bois heard a foreign accent from across the divide saying, Do not shoot after 12 oclock and we will not do so either, and then: If you English come out and talk to us, we wont fire. Commonwealth troops fighting in Belgium and France started to hear odd sounds drifting from across no-mans land; German soldiers were singing Christmas carols like Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (Silent Night, Holy Night). Allied troops applauded and cheered, shouting out for more. Soldiers on both sides began to sing in unison, trading verses in alternating languages. The next day, some soldiers dared to poke their heads up to look across no-mans land. Bits of evergreen could be seen in observance of the occasion. Some Germans, in an effort to prompt a temporary peace, hoisted lanterns above the trenches while calling out to the British. If no shots were fired, it was taken as a sign of truce. At one point, a German was heard calling out, We good. We no shoot. Then, very cautiously and with great courage, unarmed German and Allied soldiers climbed out of their trenches to stand atop their defenses. Near Neuve Chapelle, an Irish soldier brazenly walked across no-mans-land where he was greeted not with machine gun fire, but a cigar. His act of bravery inspired others in his troop to do the same. Similar scenes began to repeat elsewhere as soldiers walked towards each others trench, or to simply meet half-way. And when they met, the servicemen exchanged Christmas greetings as best they could. They began to give each other gifts in the form of mementos, cigarettes, and foodstuffs like bully beef, wine, cognac, black bread, biscuits, ham, and even barrels of beer. They showed each other photographs of family and loved ones back home. Some soldiers even started to play soccer with makeshift soccer balls. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For a short time, a very short time in a very long war, men overcame their mutual distrust, and found that they were not so different after all. I think, 100 years later, that something can be learned from this, something for all of us, mutual respect, if not love, for our fellow man. For that is what this season is all about, love.... Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!!! Tim the Admin Guy
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 00:34:34 +0000
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