The Christmas Truce was a series of widespread unofficial impromptu ceasefires along the Western Front of the First World War around Christmas 1914.
What followed between the soldiers was nothing short of extraordinary.
In the week leading up to December 25th, French, German, and British soldiers crossed trenches to exchange seasonal greetings and talk.
In some areas, men from both sides ventured into no man’s land on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to mingle and exchange food and souvenirs.
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Soldiers from both sides exchanged handshakes, wine, cigarettes, and laughs. Records, including soldiers’ diaries and letters, also describe fir trees glowing with candles lining German trenches. There were accounts of impromptu games of a ball being kicked around, although it’s likely that tales of full-fledged soccer games between enemy soldiers have been exaggerated over time.
There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps, while several meetings ended in caroling. Hostilities continued in some sectors; in others, the sides settled on little more than arrangements to recover bodies.
The truce, though widespread, wasn’t universal. It’s estimated that about two-thirds of the stationed troops, or around 100,000 people, participated, and commanders on both sides ultimately discouraged the fraternization, worried it would undermine the war effort. It didn’t last all that long, either. In some areas, the fighting resumed by Christmas night; in others, the spontaneous spirit of peace stretched into the following days.
Commanders banned truces after that.
Peace on Earth is a common wish during the Christmas season. During World War I, it actually came true, if only for a short time.
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