Christmas truce

The Christmas truce was a spontaneous and unofficial cessation of hostilities that occurred on Christmas Day 1914 along much of the Western Front during World War I. The truce was initiated by German troops and occurred mostly with members of the British Army, although some French and Belgian soldiers also took part. Soldiers on both sides put down their weapons and met each other in the no man’s land between the trenches. According to many first-hand accounts, the soldiers treated each other with genuine friendship and exchanged gifts and stories of home. In some cases, hastily arranged soccer matches even took place. The truce lasted anywhere from one day to several days, after which fighting resumed. Military leaders on both sides condemned the truce and warned of punishment for any continued fraternization with the enemy. This edict, combined with the increasingly deadly fighting as the war dragged on, ensured that similar events did not occur for the remainder of the conflict.

Background

In the decades before World War I, political tensions had been simmering throughout Europe. Germany feared the growing military might of the continent’s other great powers and began increasing its war readiness in response. Worried about Germany’s arms buildup, Great Britain, France, and Russia agreed to an alliance to come to each other’s aid in case they were attacked. In turn, Germany signed its own agreements with Austria-Hungary and other nations in the region.

The spark that set off World War I occurred on June 28, 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, was assassinated. Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for his death and declared war on the Balkan nation in late July. Within days, the network of treaties and alliances was called into play and the major powers of Europe were at war. Germany was mainly concerned with Russia, its neighbor to the east, and wanted to eliminate the threat of France to its west. The German army swept down into France through Belgium in hopes of capturing Paris and winning a quick victory. This attack on neutral Belgium triggered Great Britain’s entry into the war. By mid-September, the two sides had reached a stalemate and dug into fortified trenches in northern France and Belgium. The trenches stretched out for hundreds of miles and, in many cases, were dug just yards apart from each other.

Overview

When the fighting started, the prevailing feeling among military leaders and soldiers on both sides was that the war would be over by Christmas. However, as the battle raged and the casualties began to mount, it soon became apparent that the war would last far into the new year. In early December, Pope Benedict XV proposed that the combatants observe a truce on Christmas, but his request was denied by both sides. The idea of a temporary truce was not unheard of; soldiers occasionally requested a break in the fighting to be allowed to collect and bury their dead from the battlefield. In one case, German troops even asked for a cease fire, so they could hold a concert to celebrate a captain’s birthday.

On Christmas Eve, the weather, which had been rainy and miserable, turned colder and cleared up. That evening, British troops along the Western Front began to report strange lights and singing coming from the German trenches. Although they did not recognize the words, they knew that the songs were Christmas carols. The lights they saw were candles placed in miniature Christmas trees. In some places, the Germans called out “Merry Christmas,” and asked the British soldiers to “come over.” Although the British were wary, they became more curious as the night wore on. Many started shouting greetings back across the trenches and even joined in the singing.

In some places during the night, scouts from both sides cautiously met between the trenches in the battle-scarred wasteland called no man’s land. The Germans promised that if the British did not fire on them, they would not fire back. As the sun rose on Christmas morning, soldiers along much of the Western Front slowly began to climb out of their trenches and meet in no man’s land. They shook hands and exchanged small gifts, such as cigars, cigarettes, postcards, newspapers, whiskey, and even chocolate cake.

While few British soldiers spoke German, many Germans were able to speak English as they had worked in Great Britain before the war. In a few cases, British soldiers who were barbers offered haircuts to the Germans. Many soldiers reported that improvised soccer matches were organized on the frozen mud in no man’s land. Most of these matches were between troops on the same side, but on at least a few occasions, the Germans and British played against one another.

Both British and German commanders were angry at the reports of a truce and ordered the fraternization to stop under penalty of court martial; however, many officers in the trenches ignored the orders. Truces did not occur everywhere along the front lines, and in some places, the fighting continued throughout Christmas Day. An unofficial estimate from the British Imperial War Museum suggested that the truce was observed along two-thirds of the British lines. Although some French and Belgian troops reportedly also took part, they were not as willing to put aside their hatred of the Germans who had invaded and occupied their homelands.

Most of the soldiers understood that the truce would be over on December 26, but in some places the cease fire lasted until the New Year. A British officer later wrote that on Christmas night he raised a flag above his trench with the words “Merry Christmas” on it. His German counterpart put up a sheet saying “thank you.” The British officer fired two shots into the air and “the war was on again.” Other reports claim that some soldiers wished each other “good luck” as they headed back to their trenches, fully aware that they would be trying to kill each other the next day.

Word of the Christmas truce soon spread around the world and captivated the public. It also garnered the attention of British and German military brass who threatened severe punishments on any soldier who took part in such actions in the future. The war continued through 1915, growing deadlier as the months wore on. Scattered attempts were made to organize other Christmas truces that holiday season, but none was successful. An end to the fighting would not occur until November 1918 when the armistice was declared, and the war was officially over.

Bibliography

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“The Christmas Truce, Winter 1914.” National WWI Museum and Memorial, 2020, exhibitions.theworldwar.org/christmas-truce/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhO6Ohfux5wIVTZyzCh0H8gIXEAAYASAAEgLBSfD‗BwE. Accessed 3 Feb. 2020.

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