Christmas Truce of 1914
On December 7th, 1914, Pope Benedict lobbied war leaders of opposing nations to agree to a Christmas ceasefire, so that, in his words, “the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang,” and while war leaders ignored the Pope’s plea for a temporary peace, something never before witnessed occurred in trenches up and down the Western Front—an event so unlikely and unexpected, that it stands to this day as one of the most unique moments in military history.
Christmas Ceasefire
Shivering in cold muddy trenches along the Western Front, puffing on wet cigarettes that refused to light, morale was low on both sides of No Man’s Land, which was a narrow, bomb-cratered swatch of land that separated opposing trench lines.
Battle losses on both sides soured moods on Christmas Eve, particularly the Russian defeat at Tannenberg, followed by Germany’s crippling defeat at the First Battle of the Marne a week later. At 10:00 PM, however, British soldiers heard Christmas Carols from the German side of No Man’s Land, and when they snuck a cautious peek above their trenches, they saw that the Germans had used candles to light Christmas trees up and down trench lines.
“You British,” a German soldier called across in English,
“Come over here and we’ll celebrate Christmas like Christian men.”
WWI German Soldier
A British sergeant replied, “you come halfway, we’ll come halfway.” Despite strict orders against fraternizing with the enemy, what happened next would stun the world, when nervous soldiers on both sides clamored out of their respective trenches and met each other in No Man’s Land, exchanging gifts of food and war souvenirs, singing Christmas carols together while exchanging stories and smalltalk, instead of bullets and death.
One British soldier set up a makeshift barbershop, charging Germans a couple of cigarettes for a battlefield trim. Others helped enemy soldiers collect their war dead, while intermittent gatherings along the Western Front witnessed the exchange of prisoners during the unplanned ceasefire.
Battlefield Football Match During WWI
An impromptu soccer match broke out between British and German soldiers, where Germany prevailed with a final score of four goals to One. A soldier from Britain’s 3rd Rifle Brigade recounted a German soldier saying, “Today we have peace. Tomorrow you fight for your country, while I fight for mine. Good luck,” he concluded, making the Christmas Truce of 1914, a moment of unexpected deliverance during one of the bloodiest events in the history of human warfare.