The True Story of the Christmas Truce

British and German Eyewitness Accounts from World War I

De: Anthony Richards, Hew Strachan - introduction

Narrado por: Simon Vance

"One of them shouted 'A Merry Christmas English. We're not shooting tonight.'...[then] they stuck up a light. Not to be outdone, so did we. Then up went another. So, we shoved up another. Soon the lines looked like an illuminated fete." (Rifleman Leslie Walkington)

On Christmas Eve 1914, a group of German soldiers laid down their arms, lit lanterns, and started to sing Christmas carols. The British troops in nearby trenches responded by singing songs of their own. The next day, men from both sides met in No Man's Land. They shook hands, took photos, and exchanged food and souvenirs. Some even played improvised football games, kicking around empty bully-beef cans and using helmets for goalposts. Both sides also saw the lull in fighting as a chance to bury the bodies of their comrades.

In some parts of the front, the truce lasted a few hours. In others, it continued to the New Year. But everywhere, sooner or later, the fighting resumed. Today, the Christmas Truce is seen as a poignant symbol of hope in a war that many people regard as unnecessary and futile. But what was the real story of those remarkable few days?

©2021 Anthony Richards (P)2022 Tantor

A Wonderful and Bizarre Christmas Story

When I first saw this title, I thought of the classic, A Midnight Clear, which describes a fictional truce at Christmas time between some German and Allied soldiers. This book describes a real truce 30 years earlier at Christmas time during World War I. It was a frankly bizarre event that spread rapidly along the trenches in which soldiers on both sides of the lines spontaneously began to speak to each other, exchange presents (usually alcohol and tobacco), and share a little holiday spirit in the middle of a war. The truce, while never formal, lasted several days in some areas before the fighting began again. The book ends with Richards trying to explain why this incredible thing happened and what its ultimate impact was. Sadly, part of its legacy was the determination of senior officers to never let something like this happen again (i.e. soldiers deciding to take a break from the fighting and celebrate a holiday together). This is a very interesting read and certainly appropriate for the Christmas season.