Posted on Dec 24, 2020
The bittersweet story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 - We Are The Mighty
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https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/christmas-truce-1914/?utm_campaign=hot-sheet&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=hs-12-23-2020&goal=0_379e5644da-847407e [login to see] 65&mc_cid=847407e346&mc_eid=7915f8a387
In the midst of utter carnage, the opposing side often seemed evil. Yet, it wasn’t. It was war itself that was inhuman, not the men across the trenches. On Christmas Eve, 1914, soldiers on both sides did the unthinkable; they laid down their arms and sang.
The renowned Christmas Truce that followed was unauthorized.
In the earliest weeks of the war, forces on both sides were aggressive and angry. By December, they had seen enough death and destruction for a lifetime. They had initially believed the war would be over by Christmas and many of them longed for an end to the fighting. While Pope Benedict XV called for a temporary ceasefire for the holiday, none of the countries involved settled on any official agreement, so the exhausted soldiers took matters into their own hands.
In the midst of utter carnage, the opposing side often seemed evil. Yet, it wasn’t. It was war itself that was inhuman, not the men across the trenches. On Christmas Eve, 1914, soldiers on both sides did the unthinkable; they laid down their arms and sang.
The renowned Christmas Truce that followed was unauthorized.
In the earliest weeks of the war, forces on both sides were aggressive and angry. By December, they had seen enough death and destruction for a lifetime. They had initially believed the war would be over by Christmas and many of them longed for an end to the fighting. While Pope Benedict XV called for a temporary ceasefire for the holiday, none of the countries involved settled on any official agreement, so the exhausted soldiers took matters into their own hands.
The bittersweet story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 - We Are The Mighty
Posted from wearethemighty.com
Christmas
World History
Military History
WWI
Peace
Edited 4 y ago
Posted 4 y ago
Responses: 9
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I always remember the verified story of a British clerk from London, now in an infantry unit, meeting his German barber who had had a shop in London. Someone found a bucket for him to sit on, someone found scissors, and he got one more haircut from his regular barber.
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Increible story, but a great story to telll about the human spirit that goes beyond wars and cultural differences.
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