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| FL18 - Frontline18 .:. Forum > XMAS 1914 truce |
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Thema: XMAS 1914 truce |
 | Jagdhippo |
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Clan: [LLJK]
Postings: 1927
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The Christmas truce of 1914 really happened. It is as much a part of the historical texture of World War I as the gas clouds of Ypres or the Battle of the Somme or the Armistice of 1918. Yet it has often been dismissed as though it were merely a myth. Or, assuming anything of the kind occurred, it has been seen as a minor incident, blown up out of all proportion, natural fodder for sentimentalists and pacifists of later generations.
But the truce did take place, and on some far greater scale than has been generally realised. Enemy really did meet enemy between the trenches. There was for a time, genuine peace in No Man's Land. Though Germans and British were the main participants, French and Belgians took part as well. Most of those involved agreed it was a remarkable way to spend Christmas. "Just you think," wrote one British soldier, "that while you were eating your turkey, etc, I was out talking and shaking hands with the very men I had been trying to kill a few hours before! It was astounding!"
"It was a day of peace in war," commented a German participant, "It is only a pity that it was not decisive peace."
So the Christmas Truce is no legend. It is not surprising, however, given the standard popular perception of World War I, that this supreme instance of "All Quiet on the Western Front" has come to have something of a legendary quality. People who would normally dismiss that far off conflict of their grandfathers in the century's teens as merely incomprehensible, find reassurance, even a kind of hope, in the Christmas truce.
This was not, however, a unique occurrence in the history of war. Though it surprised people at the time - and continues to do so today - it was a resurgence of a long established tradition.
Informal truces and small armistices have often taken place during prolonged periods of fighting and the military history of the last two centuries, in particular, abounds with incidents of friendship between enemies.
In the Peninsula War British and French Troops at times visited each others lines, drew water at the same wells and even sat around the same campfire sharing their rations and playing cards.
In the Crimean War British, French and Russians at quiet times also gathered around the same fire, smoking and drinking. In the American Civil War Yankees and Rebels traded tobacco, coffee and newspapers, fished peacefully on opposite sides of the same stream and even collected wild blackberries together. Similar stories are told of the Boer War, in which on one occasion, during a conference of commanders, the rank and file of both sides engaged in a friendly game of football.
Later wars too have their small crop of such stories. It is rare for a conflict at close quarters to continue very long without some generous gestures between enemies or an upsurge in the 'live and let live' spirit. So the Christmas truce of 1914 does not stand alone; on the other hand it is undoubtedly the greatest example of its kind.
There are certain misapprehensions regarding the Christmas truce. One widely held assumption is that only ordinary soldiers took part in it; that it was, as it were, essentially a protest of cannon-fodder, Private Tommy and Musketier Fritz throwing aside the assumptions of conventional nationalism and thumbing their noses at those in authority over them.
In fact, in many cases, NCOs and officers joined in with equal readiness, while others truces were initiated and the terms of armistice agreed at 'parleys' of officers between the trenches.
There is also some evidence that while some generals angrily opposed the truce, others tolerated it and indeed saw some advantage in allowing events to take their own course while never for a moment doubting that eventually the war would resume in full earnest.
One other misapprehension about the truce calls for rebuttal. There has grown up a belief, even among aficionados of World War I, that the Christmas truce was considered to be so disgraceful and event, one so against the prevailing mood of the time, that all knowledge of it was withheld from the public at home until the war was over.
In fact, the truce was fully publicised from the moment news of it reached home. Throughout January 1915 numerous local and national newspapers in Britain printed letter after letter from soldiers who took part; in addition they ran eye-catching headlines ("Extraordinary Unofficial Armistice", "British, Indians and Germans shake hands"), and even printed photographs of the Britons and Germans in No Man's Land. Germany also gave the event press publicity, though on a smaller scale and for a shorter period of time.
Publishing a year later, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his history of 1914 called the Christmas truce "an amazing spectacle" and in a memorable description, saluted it as "one human episode amid all the atrocities which have stained the memory of the war".
The phrase sums up the attraction of the truce: it is the human dimension which means that this relatively obscure event in the fifth month of a 52-month war is still remembered and will continue to catch the imagination.
In a century in which our conception of war has changed fundamentally, from the cavalry charge and the flash of sabres to the Exocet, the cruise missile and the Trident submarine, the fact that in 1914 some thousands of the fighting men of the belligerent nations met and shook hands between their trenches strikes a powerful and appealing note. It is perhaps the best and most heartening Christmas story of modern times.
-BBC online
The Xmas truce was an amazing display of peace. I don't want any corrections or comments on it. I posted this because I believe as a tribute on Christmas day The Servers should be shut down and noone fight online (just like the truce) instead we should be sharing stories and driking with our freidns and foes on AOL ICQ or MSN. If this does occur could someone plz post something in the other Language forums to inform people.
Thank You for your time
[Editiert von Rac00n am 19.Dec.2004 um 18:38]
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 | Col. Fokkhof |
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Clan: [BAC]
Postings: 1459
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Will translate this with a translation program!
Yeah, nice idea! Servers down on 25 December for the 90th aniversary of the Christmas Truce! You should start a vote for this one! Remove the servers for one day and replace them by 2 or 3 TS channels to have fun with eachother! I'm totally behind you Racoon!
[Editiert von Col. Fokkhof am 19.Dec.2004 um 18:40]
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I died in hell, they called it Passchendaele.
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| Jagdhippo |
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Clan: [LLJK]
Postings: 1927
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Thank you fokkhof 
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 | SquireJames |
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Clan: The Birmingham Pals
Postings: 336
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A fitting photo i think you'll agree
[Editiert von SquireJames am 19.Dec.2004 um 19:45]
__________________
Let my Armies be the rocks and the trees, and the birds in the sky - Charlemagne
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| Jagdhippo |
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Clan: [LLJK]
Postings: 1927
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Yes it is but id like to know if we could do that?
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| SquireJames |
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Clan: The Birmingham Pals
Postings: 336
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Do what?
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Let my Armies be the rocks and the trees, and the birds in the sky - Charlemagne
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| Jagdhippo |
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Clan: [LLJK]
Postings: 1927
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read the ENTIRE first post the last part ESPECIALLY (cuz thats what i am asking)
[Editiert von Rac00n am 19.Dec.2004 um 21:02]
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| SquireJames |
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Clan: The Birmingham Pals
Postings: 336
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ah yes now i see.
It is a very nice idea, but sadly there is bound to be some arse who goes around spading everyone, but you never know it might work.
I have , for real, been in a situation like that. After a long day re-enactment, all of us got round a fire. Unforgettable atmosphere, and that was with people we knew, and no real fighting. If you had a stop from constant fighting and had a day of peace, wow that must have been really really incredible to be a part of.
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Let my Armies be the rocks and the trees, and the birds in the sky - Charlemagne
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| Jagdhippo |
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Clan: [LLJK]
Postings: 1927
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No no no thtas fokkhofs idea MY idea is to shut down the servers and create an XMAS truce IRC channel
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| SquireJames |
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Clan: The Birmingham Pals
Postings: 336
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OIC, yeah thats a good idea
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Let my Armies be the rocks and the trees, and the birds in the sky - Charlemagne
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| Jagdhippo |
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Clan: [LLJK]
Postings: 1927
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Danke
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| MultipleMonkeyMan |
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Clan: [BEF]
Postings: 433
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Or we could leave one server up, and simply play about.
No fighting, no spadeing, just some mates getting together and thinking up some activities ad hoc (such as air races on Bocage, or formation flying). Have an admin present to kick people who brake the rules and we could truly engage in the spirit of that unforgetable day.
As Cpt. E. Blackadder said, I was never offside! I could not believe that decision!
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'We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark- the place where the wave finally broke and rolled back'
Beta Tester for BF1918
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| Jagdhippo |
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Clan: [LLJK]
Postings: 1927
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How bout a password only so only the forum readers could get in liek Xmas 1914 would be an awesome password
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| The_Mustard_Man |
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Clan: [BAC]
Postings: 1368
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| MultipleMonkeyMan hat folgendes geschrieben: | Or we could leave one server up, and simply play about.
No fighting, no spadeing, just some mates getting together and thinking up some activities ad hoc (such as air races on Bocage, or formation flying). Have an admin present to kick people who brake the rules and we could truly engage in the spirit of that unforgetable day.
As Cpt. E. Blackadder said, I was never offside! I could not believe that decision! |
That sounds great! count me in! 
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 | Meadow |
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Clan: [BEF]
Postings: 2402
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We could play the HL mod International Online Soccer... heh.
By the way, I have never met anyone who doubted the Christmas Truce ever happened.
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OK, now I just want BF1918/2.
Beta Tester, News Poster and English Content Manager for BF1918
'There are no Belgians to speak of - just the three peoples of Belgium agreeing that they don't hate each other enough to form separate states.' - Jagdpanther
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 | Parabellum |
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Clan: Team Frontline18
Postings: 5411
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Christmas 1914
Christmas Eve in 1914, stars were gleaming, gleaming bright
And all along the Western front guns were lying still and quiet
Men lay dozing in the trenches, in the cold and in the dark
As far away behind the lines a village dog began tae bark
Some lay thinking of their families, some sang songs to others quiet
Playing brag and rolling fags to pass away the Christmas night
As we watched the German trenches, something moved in no man's land
Through the dark there came a soldier carrying a white flag in his hand
Then from both sides men came running, crossing into no man's land
Through the barbed wire, mud and shell-holes, shyly stood there shaking hands
Fritz he brought cigars and brandy, Tommy brought corned beef and fags
And as they stood there quietly talking, the moon shone down on no man's land
Then Christmas Day we all played football in the mud of no man's land
Tommy brought some Christmas pudding, Fritz brought out a German band
And when they beat us at the football we shared all our grub and drink
Then Fritz showed me a tattered photo of a brown-haired girl back in Berlin
For four days after no side fired, not one shot disturbed the night
For old Fritz and Tommy Atkins, they'd both lost their will to fight
So they withdrew us from the trenches, sent us back behind the lines
They brought fresh troops to take our places and told the guns, Prepare to fire
The next night in 1914, flak was beaming, beaming bright
The orders came, Prepare offensive! Over the top we go tonight
And men stood waiting in the trenches, gazed out across our football park
As all along the Western front the Christmas guns began tae bark
(Words & music Mike Harding)
(taken from Henry's Folk Lyrics)
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Geschichte ist die Lüge, auf die man sich geeinigt hat. (Napoléon Bonaparte)
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| MultipleMonkeyMan |
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Clan: [BEF]
Postings: 433
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Also on the subject of chivalry in the war, in the CofE Church in Stratford-on-Avon there's a plaque to a flier dated 1916 which reads-
' To Flight Lieutenant W. G. Brown, who gave his life defending two machines of the RFC from attack by six German aircraft. After a communiqué from German High Command commending him on his gallantry and honour '
He had taken down a number of German aircraft and they still sent a wire commending his gallantry. Now try to imagine anything like that happening in a modern war. Truly, if the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, this was won in the clubs of the Strand.
On the passworded server idea- I like it. Developers? Like the look of the idea?
[Editiert von MultipleMonkeyMan am 20.Dec.2004 um 12:53]
__________________
'We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark- the place where the wave finally broke and rolled back'
Beta Tester for BF1918
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| MultipleMonkeyMan |
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Clan: [BEF]
Postings: 433
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Double post- my apologies.
[Editiert von MultipleMonkeyMan am 20.Dec.2004 um 12:53]
__________________
'We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark- the place where the wave finally broke and rolled back'
Beta Tester for BF1918
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