The 110th Anniversary of the Christmas Truce of 1914
British soldiers huddled together in the dark, muddy trenches as a light dusting of snow fluttered around them. Across the 250 yards of No Man’s Land that separated the soldiers from their enemies, lights appeared, accompanied by hundreds of voices singing in a language unfamiliar to those listening.[7] While the words were unrecognizable, the melody was the same as the carol “Silent Night” sung back home in churches on Christmas Eve.[5] When the song ended, applause erupted throughout the trenches, and voices joined together to sing “The First Noel” in response to the German’s rendition of “Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht.”[5]
This event is one of several truces that occurred on December 24-25, 1914, as fighting during World War I was briefly paused in what could be described as a “Christmas miracle.” Rather than one major truce, several impromptu ceasefires were called up and down the Western Front.[2] General Walter Congreve of the Rifles Brigade wrote to his wife describing this moment:
“A German shouted out that they wanted a day's truce and would one come out if he did. Very cautiously one of our men lifted himself above the parapet and saw a German doing the same. Both got out, then more... they have been walking about together all day giving each other cigars and singing songs."[5]
Like most incredible occasions, the Christmas Truce is surrounded by many myths, but what really happened on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 1914? As the 110th anniversary of the Christmas Truce approaches, we separate fact from fiction regarding this extraordinary event.
Myth #1: The Christmas Truce Didn’t Happen
As fantastical as enemies laying down their weapons to meet in the middle of No Man’s Land sounds, firsthand accounts in letters, memoirs, diaries, and photos taken by soldiers confirm that the Christmas Truce was a real event. Censorship wasn’t used yet, so soldiers freely documented their experiences of fraternizing with their enemies in their letters sent to loved ones on the homefront.[4] Newspapers published these letters detailing British and German soldiers meeting to exchange gifts, play games, and bury their dead.[8]
However, not everyone who read these accounts in newspapers believed they were authentic.[6] Even after photos that the soldiers had taken made their rounds through Europe, people still considered the Christmas Truce to be a myth. People’s disbelief could be partly due to the propaganda the government and media pushed out against the enemy, so learning about a ceasefire and fraternization with the enemy seemed implausible.[4] The camaraderie shown between enemies in the most unlikely of places is arguably what makes the Christmas Truce of 1914 so heartwarming to many people and why it remains among the parts of WWI history that stand out.
Myth #2: Christmas Wasn’t Celebrated in Trenches
Trench warfare was a grisly affair filled with mud, disease, and rats. To boost morale, German Emperor William II sent Christmas trees to soldiers.[3] Even U-boats received fir trees![6] Christmas was a significant holiday to Germans, and these trees meant that they could still celebrate, even if they were hundreds of miles away from home. Soldiers decorated their trees with lanterns and whatever they could find, such as leaves and ivy, and placed their trees along the trenches.[6]
British soldiers received tin boxes filled with sweet treats and tobacco, which were gifts from Princess Mary.[9] There was also an account written by an unnamed German soldier who witnessed a festive fireworks display by British soldiers: “Christmas 1914 – Suddenly a man from my company reported: ‘The English are letting off fireworks.’ And sure enough, across the way from us the enemy trenches were lit up with fires and rockets and so on. We then made up a few banners reading ‘Happy Christmas!’ with a couple of candles behind and a couple on top.”[10]
Caroling was another way that soldiers made merry on Christmas Eve. Marmaduke Walkinton of the Queen’s Westminster Rifles recalled:
“We were in the front line. We were about 300 yards from the Germans and we had I think on Christmas Eve, we'd been singing carols and this that and the other, and the Germans had been doing the same, and we'd been shouting to each other, sometimes rude remarks, more often just joking remarks. Eventually, a German said, ‘Tomorrow you no shoot, we no shoot’.”[1]
Myth #3: Ceasefires Were Called Everywhere
On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV asked “that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.” His request for peace was, unfortunately, denied by European leaders.[3] While an official call to lay down arms at all battlefields along the Eastern and Western Fronts makes for a heartwarming Christmas story, it sadly wasn’t the case.
Fighting in many sectors continued on Christmas Day, much as it had been for months, especially in areas where French and Belgian armies were battling German troops. The Germans had invaded their land, and the animosity many felt towards them made camaraderie with their enemies scarce in much of the French and Belgian-occupied battlegrounds, though there were some ceasefires in these sectors. Along the Eastern Front, only a few truces occurred because the Russian Orthodox Christmas was observed in early January since Russians still used the Julian calendar.[3]
Ceasefires were much more common in areas where fighting was between British and German troops.[6] A rapport had been previously established between the armies as soldiers called across the trenches to each other.[3] A “live and let live” policy was unofficially adopted off and on by lower-ranking British officials to not fire on their enemies unless they had been fired upon first. So, on Christmas Day, in many places along the Western Front, German soldiers began climbing out of their trenches and waved their arms to signal to British troops that they were coming peacefully. Both troops met in No Man’s Land.[3]
Colonel Scott Shepherd was fighting in northern France. On Christmas morning, he and his fellow soldiers were trying to repair their trench during a heavy fog. "It lifted astoundingly quickly,” he later recalled. “And along that line we were suddenly able to see Germans doing exactly the same thing all out in the open. And we just looked at each other for some time and then one or two soldiers went towards them. They met, they shook hands, they swapped cigarettes. They got talking. The war, for that moment, came to a standstill."[5]
These ceasefires were isolated, impromptu calls to lay down arms so that soldiers could bury their dead in No Man’s Land and repair their trenches.[6] Soldiers also exchanged gifts from loved ones back home, like tobacco and chocolate. There’s even an account from a German infantryman of a British soldier offering to cut hair in exchange for cigarettes.[2]
There’s no official record of how many impromptu ceasefires were called on Christmas Eve and Christmas because officials didn’t authorize these. In fact, the high command of armies on both sides of the war didn’t learn about these truces until after they had occurred.[2]
Myth #4: An Offical Soccer Match Was Held
The truce had practical implications, like a chance for soldiers to give their fallen comrades a proper burial, but it was also an opportunity to stretch their legs, run, and enjoy being outside of their confining trenches. Soldiers mingled with their sworn enemies, and spontaneous games of soccer broke out, but it was more like “kicking the ball around” rather than one organized match with a referee and nets.[6]
German Lieutenant Kurt Zehmisch of the 134 Saxons Infantry wrote in his journal:
“Eventually the English brought a soccer ball from their trenches, and pretty soon a lively game ensued. How marvelously wonderful, yet how strange it was. The English officers felt the same way about it. Thus Christmas, the celebration of Love, managed to bring mortal enemies together as friends for a time.”[2]
Although there wasn’t an official soccer match on Christmas Day in 1914, the 100th anniversary of these impromptu soccer games was celebrated in 2014. England’s and Germany’s national soccer teams competed to commemorate the sportsmanship the British and German armies showed so long ago.[2]
Myth #5: The Christmas Truce Happened Every Year During WWI
The Christmas Truce lasted from one day to two days to a week, depending on the troops. In some sectors, fighting resumed at dusk on Christmas Day. Other troops kept their truces until Boxing Day (December 26), while others extended it through New Year's Day. By the time the truces ended, it was “business as usual” for soldiers. They understood that the war wasn’t over yet.[6]
Unfortunately, the Christmas Truce was not re-established in the subsequent years of the war. Leaders of all armies made sure the Christmas Truce remained a singular fluke. In 1915, they sent orders to local commanders giving strict instructions not to let it happen again, and anyone caught attempting to fraternize with the enemy was to be punished.[6] On Christmas Day 1915, any caroling was drowned out by artillery fire.[5]
Reflecting on the Christmas Truce of 1914, British General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien wrote, "This is only illustrative of the apathetic state we are gradually sinking into."[2] Adolf Hitler, who was a dispatch runner at the time, reportedly said, “Such a thing should not happen in wartime. Have you no German sense of honor?”[3]
Even though the Christmas Truce never happened again, it remains a bright moment in WWI’s dark history where humanity was restored, and peace reigned on Christmas Day.
Resources for Teaching Your Students About the Christmas Truce
“1914 | Sainsbury's Ad | Christmas 2014”: To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Christmas Truce, British supermarket Sainsbury’s created this heartwarming reenactment video. While most of the video is accurate, other parts are dramatized. Ask your students to point out the scenes that are historically accurate and which ones take creative license. Click here to watch the video.
“Christmas Truce: Crafting a Reader’s Theater” by The National WWI Museum and Memorial: After reading primary sources from the Christmas Truce, students create characters and a script to retell the events on December 25, 1914. Click here to view the lesson plan.
“Declare a Truce” by The National WWI Museum and Memorial: Students can take what they’ve learned about putting aside their differences and finding common ground by declaring a truce of their own or agreeing to a truce as a class. There are several light-hearted declared truces on The National WWI Museum and Memorial’s website, such as “Dog Lovers vs. Cat Lovers,” and more serious truces that students can join, or they can make a new one. Click here to create a truce.
Key Events of World War I by Gallopade International: By examining first-hand accounts from soldiers who witnessed the ceasefire, students can learn about the historical significance of the Christmas Truce. Click here to download your free sample from our
Key Events of World War I - Common Core Lessons & Activities book. For more resources, explore our other WWI titles.
From all of us at Gallopade, we wish you a bright and merry Christmas!
Sources:
[1] “The Real Story of the Christmas Truce.” Imperial War Museums, https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-real-story-of-the-christmas-truce. Accessed 11 November 2024.
[2] Baime, A.J., and Volker Janssen. “WWI’s Christmas Truce: When Fighting Paused for the Holiday.” HISTORY, 29 October 2018, https://www.history.com/news/christmas-truce-1914-world-war-i-soldier-accounts. Accessed 11 November 2024.
[3] Ray, Michael. “Christmas Truce.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 November 2024, https://www.britannica.com/event/The-Christmas-Truce. Accessed 11 November 2024.
[4] Weintraub, Stanley. “Myth or Reality? The 1914 Christmas Truce.” The National WWI Museum and Memorial, https://exhibitions.theworldwar.org/christmas-truce/introduction/essay-1. Accessed 11 November 2024.
[5] Burke, Myles. “The WWI Christmas Truce: ‘The war, for that moment, came to a standstill.’” BBC, 24 December 2023, https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20231219-the-ww1-christmas-truce-the-war-for-that-moment-came-to-a-standstill. Accessed 11 November 2024.
[6] “The Christmas Truce of 1914 (Repeat).” Short History Of…, NOISER, 25 December 2022, https://open.spotify.com/episode/1IvM5DUsILHm3F3LDVFui9. Accessed 20 November 2024.
[7] Patterson, Katie. “Significance of No Man’s Land.” Pat Barker’s Regeneration, Spring 2003, https://www.k-state.edu/english/westmank/regeneration/nomansland.patterson.html#:~:text=The%20width%20of%20No%20Man's,most%20likely%20to%20be%20attacked. Accessed 20 November 2024.
[8] Staples, Steven. “Did the famous Christmas Truce of 1914 really happen?” Peace Quest, 23 December 2022, https://www.peacequest.ca/p/did-the-famous-christmas-truce-of-1914-really-happen. Accessed 21 November 2024.
[9] Sheil, Michael St. Maur. “An Ancient Tradition in an Industrial War.” The National WWI Museum and Memorial, https://exhibitions.theworldwar.org/christmas-truce/introduction/essay-3. Accessed 22 November 2024.
[10] “Christmas During World War I | Moments of Peace in a Time of War.” The National WWI Museum and Memorial, https://theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/christmas-during-world-war-i. Accessed 22 November 2024.
Σχόλια