The 1914 Christmas Truce
-Jason
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World War I was a conflict that spanned the world and brought death and destruction across the globe. The Christmas of 1914, the first of the Great War witnessed one of the most short-lived, and tragically beautiful, unofficial truces that took place during those four painful years. The events that took place during this brief lull in fighting were quickly forbidden by the commanders on both sides of the trenches for fear of damaging morale.
The first months of World War I witnessed the Imperial German Army penetrate deep into northern France and most of Belgium. Despite the initial successes of the invasion in August and September, the Germans were exhausted by November 1914 and faced increasingly bitter French, British, and Belgian resistance. The frontlines stabilized into what would eventually be known as the Western Front, a continuous series of trenches and fortifications that stretched from the Swiss Alps to the English Channel. At the outbreak of hostilities in 1914, both the Central Powers and the Entente had expected the Great War to be over by Christmas; they were entirely overoptimistic about the length and expense of the war.
The gigantic network of pillboxes, reinforced trenches, and fortifications for which the Western Front was known had not been completed by December 1914, instead, hastily created dugouts and trenches sheltered the enemy combatants. A deadly “No Man’s Land” existed between the opposing lines, where thousands of German and Entente troops had been killed or wounded. Machine gun nests and artillery barrages made No Man’s Land a killing ground where the dead and wounded had been left until there was a chance to retrieve them under cover of darkness. New technology and weapons had outstripped the tactics of the previous century and made the Western Front a nightmare for those condemned to fight within its bounds.
As Christmas Eve approached, an unauthorized truce was initiated by the soldiers sheltering in the trenches. Not every region of the Western Front observed this Christmas Truce, but where they did, the opposing forces were brought together. Groups of soldiers crossed over No Man’s Land to exchange greetings, gifts, and food. Ostensible enemies came together to sing Christmas carols. The exchange of prisoners, the recovery of the wounded and dead were also conducted without fear of attack. This phenomenal truce continued into Christmas Day.
Christmas Day also witnessed an impromptu football, or soccer, match taking place between British and German soldiers in No Man’s Land. According to British sources, the game went to their soldiers in a 3-2 victory. There are reports of as many as 29 such games played along the Western Front.
As darkness fell on Christmas Day, the opposing forces slipped back into their trenches to resume killing each the next day.Rumors of this fraternization reached Entente and Central Power commanders, who viewed these events with a dour pessimism: the soldiers were there to fight, not to exchange small talk and gifts.Such activities could undermine morale of both sides, as individuals remembered their enemy’s humanity.Orders passed down the lines condemning the Christmas Truce.The severe casualties both sides suffered in 1915, 1916, and 1917 destroyed any largescale repeats of the 1914 Christmas Truce.