Christmastime 1914: Soldiers Halted War for Day of No Hate

The Wall Street Journal ^ | Wednesday, December 4, 2002 | CYNTHIA CROSSEN

[TroutStalker]

It was the night before Christmas, give or take a day or two, and even in the muddy pits they called home, the troops were in merry spirits. It was December 1914, the first Christmas season of World War I, and German and English soldiers were hunkered down in trenches that slashed parallel lines across thousands of miles of European countryside. The war had come to a screeching halt -- neither side could advance, neither would retreat.

[joesnuffy]

Clinton and cronies bombed Serbian Christians to save their muslim buddies we are fighting now.

We couldnt have spent a Merry Christmas with Nazis, or the Chi Coms or NVA or Muslims

The Germans and Italians yeah..Christians draftees..not necessarily hard corps Party Memembers

Much like our Civil War..not just Christian against Christian but brother against brother..imagine that.

[wku man]

I think Paul McCartney used this story as the basis for one of his videos. "Pipes of Peace", I believe.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[Jimmyclyde]

Ummmm.....

Ya, go tell that to the tens of millions killed by Stalin and all the other good Godless commies in the last 80 years.

I'm sure Uncle Joe or Mao would love to have tea with you.

[azhenfud]

Years ago in school, I read a short-story called "The Sniper", which was based on an individual in Belfast who was given that task. His target - unknown to him at the time - was his brother, which he found out only after making the hit.

Unfortunately wars divide families, and cost lives. So sad....

[jjm2111]

They might. I doubt every Muslim is a wild eyed crazy.


Here's a story:

When I sailed on merchant ships we discovered two stowaways onboard. One was a Christian Serb and the other a Bosnian Muslim. They were best friends since they were little kids and didn't want to fight each other. They had traveled across Europe on a motor-scooter until it broke down, then walked/hitch-hiked the rest of the way.

Many ordinary folks just want to make a living, have a family, and enjoy a hobby. Too often, the will of the powerful spills the blood of the innocent.

[azhenfud]

Pardon - that was Dublin. It was many years ago....

[steve-b]

Indeed, a captain on the front wrote in his diary, "We have issued strict orders to the men not on any account to allow a 'truce.' The Germans did try. They came over towards us singing. So we opened rapid fire on them, which is the only sort of truce they deserve."

Refusing a truce is one thing. Firing on someone approaching unarmed with the obvious intent of attempting to negotiate a truce is inexcusable, unless their side has a known record of treachery under cover of truce (which, AFAIK, was never the case for the Germans in WWI).

[SES1066]

This is one of the reasons that the First World War was such a turning point. In 1914, these soldiers made the most of their shared Christian Heritage and utterly horrified their superiors. By the next Christmas, it was the "filthy Boche" and whatever the Germans called the Brits and French, and it was everything that lead up to the slaughters like Ypres. Out of this war came the chaos and bitterness that nutured Hitler and his "Final Solution" for Jews, Gypsies and all others his hating mind could add.

Yet, Today, can anyone envision such a war in Western Europe? This is the miracle of the 20th Century and we are too close to it to see it at all well. W.Europe had been at war amongst its component states for a millenium, yet now it isn't even thought about. Maybe there is hope yet!

[ruger9mm]

I'd say it was the kings, politians and alliances that screwed things up in WWI - no Dieties.

[Sparta]

Thanks for the ping. I'm going to activate the list.

[Sparta]

Merry Christmas ping!!

My apologies in advance for the lack of blood and guts, but this is still a very good story.

If you want on or off the Western Civilization Military History ping list, let me know.

[SAMWolf]

(((Ping)))

[Vermont Lt]

You are talking MACRO, I am talking micro. I've known men who were in the Wermacht (sp?)who were nice, decent gentlemen. It doesn't mean I like the Nazi's.

My point is that people are people. Politics and religion scew us all up.

[Valin]

When I sailed on merchant ships we discovered two stowaways onboard. One was a Christian Serb and the other a Bosnian Muslim. They were best friends since they were little kids and didn't want to fight each other. They had traveled across Europe on a motor-scooter until it broke down, then walked/hitch-hiked the rest of the way.

Better watch it! As we all know ALL Muslims are bad evil wicked people, full of hatered and live to kill all christians and jews.
< /sarcasm>

[Valin]

I've been thinking for a while now that Europe is still recovering from the horrors of this war. This might explain their aversion to publicly supporting America in this war on terrorism.

[aomagrat]

Belleau Wood

Oh, the snowflakes fell in silence
Over Belleau Wood that night
For Christmas truce had been declared
By both sides of the fight

As we lay there in our trenches
The silence broke in two
By a German soldier singing
A song that we all knew

Though I did not know the language
The song was "Silent Night"
Then I heard my buddy whisper
"All is calm and all is bright"

Then the fear and doubt surrounded me
'Cause I'd die if I was wrong
But I stood up in my trench
And I began to sing along

Then across the frozen battlefield
Another's voice joined in
Until one by one each man became
A singer of the hymn

Then I thought that I was dreaming
For right there in my sight
Stood the german soldier
'Neath the falling flakes of white

And he raised his hand and smiled at me
As if he seemed to say
Here's hoping we both live
To see us find a better way

Then the devil's clock struck midnight
And the skies lit up again
And the battlefield where heaven stood
Was blown to hell again

But for just one fleeting moment
The answer seemed so clear
Heaven's not beyond the clouds
It's just beyond the fear

No heaven's not beyond the clouds
It's for us to find it here

Performer: Garth Brooks
Words and music: John Henry and Garth Brooks
Album: Sevens (1997)

[Soaring Feather]

bump

[SAMWolf]

I'm gonna have to see if I can find this song. I like Garth

[MistyCA]

Thanks, Sam!

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

Most people loathe war and killing. It is striking that even among sworn enemies trying to slaughter each other, these being British and Germans, they would take every opportunity offered to avoid that distateful act and treat each other with compassion.

Then again, I am given to wonder why there are no such stories with respect to our combat with Asian enemies. I am unaware of any such niceties during WWII against Japan, or during the Korean or Vietnam wars.

Perhaps those kindnesses were only known among Westernized Cultures. Perhaps it was the common deminator of both being Christian Nations, England and Germany. Perhaps we saw Asians as sub-human and offered no similar treatment.

IMHO, the difference lies in the relative civility of Westernized cultures vs. the relative cruelty of Asian cultures -- treatment of occupied women and children, and treatment of POWs, being huge differences between Western and Asian cultures.

This is why I detest multi-culturalism. All cultures are not equal. While all nations and cultures have their respective skeletons in the closet, some cultures are flat out "superior" to others. Period.

Thanks for the reminder that even in a deadly there can be found compassion and humanity. Nobody wants war. Only a few politicians and generals. Most of us just want to be left alone to be happy.