MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

[Jim McDougall]

On the evening of December 24,1914 in the freezing darkness of the trenches on the western front, it was noted by British observers that many of the Germans were lighting candles in lanterns. Although this clearly illuminated the enemy soldiers, the British refused to open fire ...it was Christmas.
Then even more remarkable, a British officer saw that the Germans were holding up small Christmas trees with lit candles......incredibly they were wishing thier enemies a Merry Christmas!!!

Within moments some of the German troops began caroling, and the chorus deepened as the voices up and down the trenches boomed with "Silent Night" in German, 'Stille Nacht, Heilage Nacht' !!
On both sides, boards were held up wishing the other side Merry Christmas.

One by one, soldiers threw down arms and jumped over the parapets on both sides, and joined each other in the bombed out no mans land, in mutual peace. There were common campfires lit, and the men all shared a single goal, the celebration of Christmas Eve.

Somehow it was agreed that no firing would take place until these celebrations had ended, and while this event certainly has many varying versions of the story, the fact remains that it did happen.
On the morning of December 26th, warning shots were fired in the air by both sides....the British officer and German officer who had exchanged gifts and greetings looked toward each other, respectfully bowed, and returned to their positions....and the tragedy resumed.

In that short time from that miraculous evening, humanity prevailed, and as I sit here on this Christmas eve, I think of our soldiers far away, and of all soldiers of all nations, and all faiths in all holiday celebrations........and wish with all my heart,for peace on earth, and goodwill to all, as on this night, and ever in hope that it may be so always......someday.

[Anandalal N.]

Dear Jim and Friends all over the world,

Here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year all the way from Sri Lanka.

Jim that is a lovely bit of "humanity" that you have set out.

Thanks.

Regards.

[kahnjar1]

It is now Christmas night here. Suffering from too much good cheer! To those yet to suffer, have a great day.
A MERRY XMAS TO ALL.
Stuart

[katana]

Hi Jim,
well put .....an event to truly illustrate that even in the 'hell' that was the trenches in WW1 .Men can rise up from their differences and extend an open hand of humanity. It was mainly the 'rank and file' soldiers that instigated this...the high ranking officers found this deplorable and believed it would 'soften' the troops and wanted hostilities to re-commence immediately. Easy for these officers ....miles away in their safe quarters....soften the troops ?? It would take brave individuals to climb out of the trenches, with only their 'faith' in their enemy's humanity not to shot, as they became 'easy' targets walking in no-mans land.

I only have admiration for the men of both sides whom were involved in the cease fire.

Regards David

[Dmitry]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

On the evening of December 24,1914 in the freezing darkness of the trenches on the western front, it was noted by British observers that many of the Germans were lighting candles in lanterns. Although this clearly illuminated the enemy soldiers, the British refused to open fire ...it was Christmas.
Then even more remarkable, a British officer saw that the Germans were holding up small Christmas trees with lit candles......incredibly they were wishing thier enemies a Merry Christmas!!!

Within moments some of the German troops began caroling, and the chorus deepened as the voices up and down the trenches boomed with "Silent Night" in German, 'Stille Nacht, Heilage Nacht' !!
On both sides, boards were held up wishing the other side Merry Christmas.

One by one, soldiers threw down arms and jumped over the parapets on both sides, and joined each other in the bombed out no mans land, in mutual peace. There were common campfires lit, and the men all shared a single goal, the celebration of Christmas Eve.

Somehow it was agreed that no firing would take place until these celebrations had ended, and while this event certainly has many varying versions of the story, the fact remains that it did happen.
On the morning of December 26th, warning shots were fired in the air by both sides....the British officer and German officer who had exchanged gifts and greetings looked toward each other, respectfully bowed, and returned to their positions....and the tragedy resumed.

In that short time from that miraculous evening, humanity prevailed, and as I sit here on this Christmas eve, I think of our soldiers far away, and of all soldiers of all nations, and all faiths in all holiday celebrations........and wish with all my heart,for peace on earth, and goodwill to all, as on this night, and ever in hope that it may be so always......someday.

In my opinion, this episode was yet another sign of the hypocrisy of man. The next day they were gutting one another, and the next day, and for the next 4 years. Millions died, and for what?!

I wish you all a wonderful, HEALTHY Christmas, and a fruitful New Year.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Dmitry

In my opinion, this episode was yet another sign of the hypocrisy of man. The next day they were gutting one another, and the next day, and for the next 4 years. Millions died, and for what?!

I wish you all a wonderful, HEALTHY Christmas, and a fruitful New Year.

Actually my recounting this event was to emphasize a quality in the men, that of brotherhood. Much of the horror of war is that the common soldier must fulfill his obligation to duty, even unto the tragedy of mortal combat.
The hypocrisy is given to those who perpetuate war, not to those who by duty, must carry it out. There is a distinct difference, and my reference was to honor those who serve.

All best wishes again to all for a wonderful new year!!!

As always,
Jim

[Dmitry]

I reiterate my Christmas wished to all here! May we never meet on the field of battle!

[katana]

Hi Dimetry
I quote you from the e-mail received from the forum (with your post)....which has now disappeared from the forum website. I only do this because you brought up an interesting point....

"Well, Jim, what happened to the quality of those men, the brotherhood, in all the Christmases following 1914? No similar occurrences on a significant scale came about........"

Dimetry the reason was that this never occurred again "on a significant scale" was because the Generals had decided that from then on continual Artillary bombardment of enemy trenches (Christmas Eve onwards) would prevent communication between the opposing lines of trenches...and thus further unofficial ceasefires. They were not always successful....unofficial truces occured between

".........British and German troops stationed along the Western Front during Christmas 1914 and, to a lesser extent, in 1915. In 1915 there was a similar Christmas truce between German and French troops, and during Easter 1916 a truce also existed on the Eastern Front.........."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

Regards David

[Jim McDougall]

Actually the reason I brought this up was simply to show that even in the atmosphere of war, there can be moments of humanity. It seems that the point spoke for itself..it wasn't a revelation...simply a Christmas miracle.
There will always be those who do not see things the same.
It wasn't intended to provoke a debate, just wanted to say something special on Christmas Eve.
Thank you David, Anandalal and Stu for the kind input and Dmitry for the holiday wishes.
I would say that about wraps it up for this topic.

[Dmitry]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Actually the reason I brought this up was simply to show that even in the atmosphere of war, there can be moments of humanity. .

I did remove what I posted, because this is not a political forum, and I didn't want to escalate this any further..
But since you insist - indeed, there were 'moments of humanity', followed by spreading poisonous gas on one's fellow-Christians.

In my book the whole Christmas cease fire is nothing but a load of bull. These same soldiers were more than happy to kill one another the next morning.

Your story would have a moral, if the belligerents just dropped their weapons and walked home. Otherwise the X-mas cease fire is pretty meaningless, especially in the pedagogical aspect of it. What did the humankind learn from it, really? Nada. It became a cute Christmas yarn, nothing else.

Merry Christmas, all!

[Jim McDougall]

Thanks again for sharing your valuable perspective. With that I really dont think we need any further views on this, and you're right, this is not a political forum. I had hoped to share something I thought special with others on a very quiet Christmas Eve, and you have certainly illustrated why such miracles are sadly quite out of reach, there was no political issuance intended.
I think its best to leave this thread and go back to weapons OK.

[Dmitry]

Hey, let's not waste this opportunity!
Since we're on the subject of Christmas and War - check out these WWI Christmas cards.
Not much love for the fellow man noted...I especially love the aerial bomb Merry Christmas present, and the shooting star, i.e. a rocket lighting up the sky, so the machine gunners can have a pretty clear sight of the Huns on Christmas Eve!

The Russian card is kinda cute - "Our hero is home just in time for the holidays, sporting his medals". The little boy is a Full Cavalier of the Cross of St.George, Imperial Russian highest enlisted man's honor. Wounded, but very lightly.

[Jim McDougall]

Old wartime postcards are a fascinating field of collecting that is offers interesting possibilities to augment the collecting of arms!
Excellent examples, and I understand these often served well as propoganda during wartime.
Thanks for sharing those here, all very cute. Well done.

[katana]

I realise that Jim posted this as an example of Christmas spirit and not as a topic of discussion, but to truly understand the sentiment, you really have to understand the the situation that the front line troops were facing.....to understand that in the blackness of war....a few....bravely, lit candles of hope.


“…….The early trenches were often hasty creations and poorly constructed; if the trench was badly sighted it could become a sniping hot spot. In bad weather (the winter of 1914 was a dire one) the positions could flood and fall in. The soldiers - unequipped to face the rigours of the cold and rain - found themselves wallowing in a freezing mire of mud and the decaying bodies of the fallen……
…The man at the Front could not help but have a degree of sympathy for his opponents who were having just as miserable a time as they were….
….On the eve of the Truce, the British Army (still a relatively small presence on the Western Front) was manning a stretch of the line running south from the infamous Ypres salient for 27 miles to the La Bassee Canal.
Along the front the enemy was sometimes no more than 70, 50 or even 30 yards away. Both Tommy and Fritz could quite easily hurl greetings and insults to one another, and, importantly, come to tacit agreements not to fire. Incidents of temporary truces and outright fraternisation were more common at this stage in the war than many people today realise ….
With their morale boosted by messages of thanks and their bellies fuller than normal, and with still so much Christmas booty to hand, the season of goodwill entered the trenches. A British Daily Telegraph correspondent wrote that on one part of the line the Germans had managed to slip a chocolate cake into British trenches.
Even more amazingly, it was accompanied with a message asking for a ceasefire later that evening so they could celebrate the festive season and their Captain's birthday. They proposed a concert at 7.30pm when candles, the British were told, would be placed on the parapets of their trenches.
The British accepted the invitation and offered some tobacco as a return present. That evening, at the stated time, German heads suddenly popped up and started to sing. Each number ended with a round of applause from both sides.
The Germans then asked the British to join in. At this point, one very mean-spirited Tommy shouted: 'We'd rather die than sing German.' To which a German joked aloud: 'It would kill us if you did'….
……Along many parts of the line the Truce was spurred on with the arrival in the German trenches of miniature Christmas trees - Tannenbaum. The sight these small pines, decorated with candles and strung along the German parapets, captured the Tommies' imagination, as well as the men of the Indian corps who were reminded of the sacred Hindu festival of light.
It was the perfect excuse for the opponents to start shouting to one another, to start singing and, in some areas, to pluck up the courage to meet one another in no-man's land…..

…..Christmas day began quietly but once the sun was up the fraternisation began. Again songs were sung and rations thrown to one another. It was not long before troops and officers started to take matters into their own hands and ventured forth. No-man's land became something of a playground.
Men exchanged gifts and buttons. In one or two places soldiers who had been barbers in civilian times gave free haircuts. One German, a juggler and a showman, gave an impromptu, and given the circumstances, somewhat surreal performance of his routine in the centre of no-man's land….
….The Truce lasted all day; in places it ended that night, but on other sections of the line it held over Boxing Day and in some areas, a few days more. In fact, there parts on the front where the absence of aggressive behaviour was conspicuous well into 1915….”

http://www.firstworldwar.com/feature...stmastruce.htm


As to the postcards....mostly political propaganda....produced to demonise the enemy. They actually make the ceasefire even more of a miracle....it shows the extent of the propaganda ...which was still ignored by a number of soldiers on the front.

Originally Posted by Dmitry

..............
In my book the whole Christmas cease fire is nothing but a load of bull. These same soldiers were more than happy to kill one another the next morning.

Your story would have a moral, if the belligerents just dropped their weapons and walked home. Otherwise the X-mas cease fire is pretty meaningless, especially in the pedagogical aspect of it.

Dmitry, if a soldier refused to fight, for any reason, he would be branded a 'coward' or 'deserter' and excecuted by firing squad. The fact that this 'extreme' punishment was implemented, demonstrates that many must have wished to 'lay down their arms' and instigate peace..... The details of the ceasefires were surpressed by the opposing governments .....they wanted to demonise their 'enemy' ....not humanise them. Perhaps, if the higher powers had not 'covered up' the incident or made out that the ceasefire was a stragetic action to gather information about the enemy....the war would have ended sooner.



Below is a picture entitled…..
British and German troops meet in no man's land. Boxing Day, 1914. Photographed by 2nd Lt Cyril Drummand, RFA.

[Dmitry]

Originally Posted by katana

Dmitry, if a soldier refused to fight, for any reason, he would be branded a 'coward' or 'deserter' and excecuted by firing squad.

This is true regarding one soldier, a platoon, perhaps a company.
However, when the whole French armies refused to fight, leading to the coordinated massive strikes in France, and effectively brought the country and the French government onto its knees.
Same thing happened on the Eastern Front, when the Russian soldiers, demoralized, cold, hungry, and sick, dropped their weapons, and left the trenches in droves, hundreds of thousands of them.


Going back to the Christmas cease fire - we cannot possibly comprehend what went through the minds of those people, and what it meant for them. For us, it's just an anecdote.
Then the moment of clarity
Faded like charity does...

[Jim McDougall]

David, incredibly well said and beautifully written!!! It is exactly what I was trying to get across, and you bring up extremely valid points....the men could not simply leave....that was desertion.....and there are numerous examples of such executions for this offense.

I do not wish to add more to this subject, though I am sure that many of us could add first hand or personal experience to illustrate the dire effects of war on the humanity of individuals, but I would prefer to let this thread rest as what it was intended to be....a Christmas story under terrible circumstances........not a debate. I honestly had hoped for positive notes and sharing of other stories that would further illustrate Christmas spirit.

The discussion has served its purpose conversely in some manner however, in clearly illustrating the extreme polarity that often exists among mankind.

Thanks guys!

Jim

[Dmitry]

Imperial German/Third Reich Christmas ornaments.

I kinda like the Imperial German ones, the Zeppelins and what appears to be the noggin of Kaiser Wilhelm.

[celtan]

Why were the Xmas Zeppelin decorations designed to hang going straight down?



BTW, I recall reading an account from the British perspective, after the entente cordiale. Seems neither Tommies nor Jerries wanted to go back to their grim business. Thus, two british officers were instructed to restart the war.

The one with the highest rank picked up an Enfield and starting to systematically shoot all the german soldiers close by. These were at the time greeting them, and merrily offering wine bottles, just a few feet away.

The officer then gave the Enfield back to the open mouthed Tommie whom he took it from, and commented.

"Done. We must now hurry back, there's a War to be won..!"

Needless to say, it worked.

Originally Posted by Dmitry

Imperial German/Third Reich Christmas ornaments.

I kinda like the Imperial German ones, the Zeppelins and what appears to be the noggin of Kaiser Wilhelm.

[celtan]

There are instances in the Vietnam war where American units refused to obey orders, with no consequences whatsoever.

And fragging officers, while rare, did occur.

Originally Posted by Dmitry

This is true regarding one soldier, a platoon, perhaps a company.
However, when the whole French armies refused to fight, leading to the coordinated massive strikes in France, and effectively brought the country and the French government onto its knees.
Same thing happened on the Eastern Front, when the Russian soldiers, demoralized, cold, hungry, and sick, dropped their weapons, and left the trenches in droves, hundreds of thousands of them.


Going back to the Christmas cease fire - we cannot possibly comprehend what went through the minds of those people, and what it meant for them. For us, it's just an anecdote.
Then the moment of clarity
Faded like charity does...

[Jim McDougall]

Thanks guys! Here I thought all the Christmas cheer had ended, and I was missin' my tree!! you guys are amazing, your Christmas spirit just keeps goin

I have stored all my Christmas ornaments now.

[Dmitry]

Orthodox Christmas hasn't even come yet.
Julian calendar is 13 days behind the Gregorian one.

[Jim McDougall]

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Dmitry

... In my book the whole Christmas cease fire is nothing but a load of bull. These same soldiers were more than happy to kill one another the next morning....

Sinister book. Has the author interviewed the soldiers?

[Dmitry]

Originally Posted by fernando

Sinister book. Has the author interviewed the soldiers?

No, but the author is aware of 16 million dead and 21 million wounded. That is why the author collects swords and not Phosgene canisters.

[Jim McDougall]

Well even that didn't work!!! Christmas is over, not that this thread is even about Christmas Eve, as it began. As I mentioned before, what developed here thanks to the insistance in turning the thread into an editorial column is far from what was intended. For me, a lesson learned, even a message well intended can be distorted, which as previously noted, clearly displays the polarities in the spectrum of 'humanity'.
I left this open far too long hoping that good will would prevail. I was wrong,
THANKS

Thread closed