Posted on 12/23/2018 4:16:51 PM PST by DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis
2018 marks the 100 year anniversary of the end of WWI.
WWI turned out to be a war more long, bloody, and bogged down than anyone at the time had expected. It wasn't long before both sides became mired down in soggy trenches, with no-man's land filled with barbed wire and pitted with a million muddy shell holes in between.
But in 1914, the fighting ceased for a day, at least along some parts of the line. It was Christmas. The British and French troops heard singing coming from across no-man's land. The Germans were singing "Stille Nacht" (Silent Night). The Germans had also propped a little Christmas tree up against the top of the trench. The British joined in the singing from the other side, and before long, soldiers of both sides came out of the trenches and met together in No-Man's land.
Men mingled and exchanged food and souvenirs. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps, while several meetings ended in carol-singing. Men played games of football with one another, giving one of the most memorable images of the truce.
Such peaceful behaviour did not occur along the entire front however; fighting continued in some sectors, while in others the sides settled on little more than arrangements to recover bodies. In following years, truces were not nearly as widespread as in 1914; this was, in part, due to strongly worded orders from the high commands of both sides prohibiting truces, as well as soldiers becoming less amenable to truces after suffering devastating human losses.
The Christmas truces were particularly significant due to the number of men involved and the level of their participation—even in very peaceful sectors, dozens of men openly congregating in daylight was remarkable—and are often seen as a symbolic moment of peace and humanity amidst one of the most violent events of human history.
I saw an interview years ago with one of the last living soldiers fron ww1, a british man 100 or so years old. The reporter asked him what his thoughts were about the war. It was very sad. He looked at the camera and just said “why? Why? What was it all for?
This was not repeated in the next three years. The chain of command on both sides was not amused.
That’s a pretty good film
I agree with him. What WAS it all for???
For all the flaws of modern America, one of the positive aspects of this country is that we will never see a draft again. I don't think you'd find more than 5% of the population who are willing to trust a bunch of @ssholes in Washington with their lives.
In the end the monarchies of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia were “fragged” by their populations (setting the stage for round two 20 years later).
The soldiers realized they had more in common with each other than with their elites; couldn’t have that.
When Russia surrendered in 1917, the Germans allowed fraternizing with the Russians on the Eastern Front; during the Allied offensives in 1918 the German high command left a million troops in Russia because they were afraid of how radicalized they’d become. They lost the war with those troops still doing nothing in Russia.
Thank you for this beautiful reminder. Merry Christmas. :)
I thought he was good. He could make me cry. I don’t watch the new episodes. They’re too referential as opposed to having themes that were applicable to all times and places.
Nurse Who does not grip me in the least.
She just doesn’t quite get in gear.
The writing is sad.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
