One of the most poignant moments in the history of warfare occurred in 1914 during World War One: a “Christmas Truce.” Proposed by Pope Benedict XV earlier in the month, it was flatly rejected by commanders on both sides. The Russians were the first to reject the truce (their Orthodox Church celebrating Christmas on January 7), but soon all sides refused to honor it.
However, across an area of the Western Front known as “No Man’s Land” and despite their commanders’ refusal, soldiers began singing Christmas carols to one another, ally to ally and enemy to enemy . Foreign Legion officer Phil Rader describes the scene:
We had been in the trenches for twenty consecutive days, before Christmas dawned. For twenty days we had faced that strip of land, forty-five feet wide, between our trench and that of the Germans that terrible no man’s land, dotted with dead bodies, criss-crossed by tangled masses of barbed wire. Thoughtlessly I raised my head, too. Other men did the same. We saw hundreds of German heads appearing. Shouts filled the air. What miracle had happened? Men laughed and cheered. There was Christmas light in our eyes and I know there were Christmas tears in mine. There were smiles, smiles, smiles, where in days before there had been only rifle barrels. (The Atlanta Constitution)
The next day the gunfire and slaughter quickly resumed (so impressively portrayed in Kubrick‘s PATHS OF GLORY).
Over the decades of the last century, the story was told and retold and just as many times forgotten. However, it was a brief moment of peace during a conflict of madness…two decades before the madness of an even greater war and so many other wars after that one. Peace on earth remained forever elusive, yet everlastingly sought.
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December 26th, 2008 - 4:22 pm
That is a wonderful story, thank you for writing about it.
December 27th, 2008 - 12:52 am
It’s my pleasure to bring it to the attention of cyberspace and to interested readers such as yourself, for this tale is very deserving of attention; the lesson it holds for humanity is vital. Thank you.
September 20th, 2009 - 11:03 am
It is a wonderful story, one that too few people know about. Thanks for sharing it!
September 20th, 2009 - 10:34 pm
My pleasure. Stories like this need to be shared and need to be understood for a desired sanity to prevail in the world. A tall and impossible hope, especially with today’s newfangled, egocentric terrors; but that’s what dreams are for amidst the course of human (and quasi-human) affairs and their apparent inevitability.