Christmas Peace (True Story)

On this Christmas morning, I want to share a story of a true Christmas Miracle that happened nearly a century ago: Christmas 1914.

It was during World War I, and there was a long trench with Germans and Austrians on one side and French and British on the other. It was cold, muddy and miserable. While the men had been there for many months and the nights were long and lit by gunfire that continued from the daytime, something different happened the night of Christmas Eve.

Sporadically at first and then widespread, over 100,000 soldiers ceased fire across the Western Front, despite orders from the commanders back home. In some parts, the enemies had launched Christmas greetings and small gifts across the wasteland between the lines - known as "No man's land."

Some reported that at the sound of the church bells in the night proclaiming Christmas was the mark of complete cease fire. With no orders or any request or agreement, for over 100,000 soldiers on the front line on both sides - not a shot was fired. Christmas carols could be heard from the trenches.

Both sides agreed to completely cease fire to allow each other to go out and retrieve their dead and wounded. In several places, both sides put aside their differences and pooled manpower to dig graves together.

Then, across the muddy, devastated wasteland of no man's land, soldiers on both sides took up white flags and left the trenches, guns left behind.

Hand shakes of truce were quickly followed by exchanges in food and drink, as well as alcohol and cigarettes.

Soldiers exchanged Christmas carols with the "enemy." Both sides remarked in letters home how the words were strange but they KNEW the melody that the other side had sung...

 The Germans started decorating their trenches.

Soon both sides  worked together to erect a Christmas tree.

Up and down the Western Front, friendly games of football (soccer) were launched Christmas day, and soldiers showed their "enemy" pictures from home and traded souvenirs. There was even a report of a British soldier (a barber back home) giving a German soldier a haircut in the open field.

In some places, a camaraderie had formed so strong across the lines that no shots were fired until after New Year's Day. In many cases, the commanders back home, who were irate at this impromptu truce and "fraternizing with the enemy" decided upon by lowly soldiers in the trenches, had to pull all the men back from the front lines and replace them with fresh troops and strict orders to fire on the enemy.

None knew how this truce started. Research years later uncovered requests for a temporary truce from Pope Benedict XV ("at least upon the night the angels sang"), which were promptly rebuffed by commanders on both sides, as well as Peace initiatives between British women and those in Germany and Austria.

But my guess is that the true Prince of Peace walked the no man's land between the lines of the Western Front that night. No orders were given, no decisions were made ahead of time. It just happend...

Merry Christmas

Peace on Earth

~ ESA