A Miracle at time of War and Holidays

1 year ago
12

Here is more details to the Story and a extra link to New York times 1914(100 yrs later)
https://time.com/3643889/christmas-truce-1914/

Just after midnight on Christmas Morning, German troops in Ypres,
Belgium stopped firing their guns. They began decorating the area
around their trenches by placing candles on trees and then
started singing Christmas carols. At certain points along the
front, brass bands joined the Germans in their joyous singing.

The words drifted across the frozen battlefield: "Stille Nacht.
Heilige Nacht. Alles Schlaft, einsam wacht." To the ears of the
British troops peering over their trench, the lyrics may have
been unfamiliar but the haunting tune was unmistakable.

After the last note, a German appeared holding a small tree
glowing with light. "Merry Christmas. We not shoot, you not shoot.

Not to be outdone, the British troops in the trenches across from
the Germans responded by singing English carols. The two sides
continued by shouting holiday greetings to each other. At the
first light of dawn, many of the Germans emerged from their
trenches and walked across the feared "No Man's Land", calling out
"Merry Christmas!" in their enemies' native tongues. At first,
Allied soldiers suspected it to be a trick. Eventually, though,
they climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the
Germans. The men exchanged presents of cigarettes, cigars,
whiskey, and plum pudding. "Hello Tommy!" and "Hello Fritz!"
could be heard as both sides used the nicknames generally
ascribed to each other. The truce allowed the bodies of the fallen
to be brought back and buried. Funerals took place as soldiers
from both sides mourned the dead together.

There was even a case of soldiers playing a good-natured game
of soccer. (Sadly, the game ended when the ball struck a strand
of barbed wire and deflated... no joke.) In one or two places,
soldiers who had been barbers in civilian times gave free haircuts
. One German, a juggler, gave a performance in the center of
"No Man's Land". In many areas along the fronts, the truce lasted
until midnight on Christmas Night; others lasted until New Year’s
Day. British Captain J.C. Dunn recorded how hostilities
re-started:

"At 8:30pm, I fired three shots in the air and put up a flag with
'Merry Christmas' on it. The Germans put up a sheet with
'Thank you' on it. The German captain fired two shots in the air,
and the war was on again."

The Christmas Truce has often been characterized as the last
twitch of the 19th Century... the last example of chivalry in
warfare. It would never happen again.

Loading comments...