First World War?

Question

Is it true that on christmas day during the 1st world war that german and allied soldiers on the front line called a truce for the day and played a game of Football?

Answer 1

Yes, it's definitely 100% true!

Answer 2

Absolutely true. The British Tommies heard the Germans singing Christmas carols and they joined in the singing.

One German Soldier waved a white flag and ventured into No Man's Land. British soldiers cautiously ventured out of their trenches and before long both sides were exchanging cigarettes and drinks.

The officers intervened but were persuaded not to issue an order for the men to withdraw. Later that day a football match was arranged and took place in No Man's Land.

When the men of both sides returned to their trenches the High Command heard of the unofficial truce and said there was to be no repeat of the fraternisation.

Soldiers were informed they would be shot if they did not resume normal hostilities.

Soldiers of both sides took heed of this but in the next few days they deliberately fired over the opposing men's heads.

The 'Christmas Truce' was never allowed to take place again.

Answer 3

Yes in 1914 and 1915. Subsequently the senior officers banned the practice, although it still took place locally. Thge Germans gave gifts of beer nad cigars to Allied troops. The Imperial War Museum in the UK have photographs of the first such truce.

Answer 4

Yes it did happen! What a miracle it must have been! It also shows that people are not enemies, governments are!

The "Christmas truce" is a term used to describe the brief unofficial cessation of hostilities that occurred between German, British troops stationed on the Western Front of World War I during Christmas 1914. The truce began on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1914, during World War I, when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium, for Christmas. They began by placing candles on trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols, namely Stille Nacht (Silent Night). The British troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols.

The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits across the "No Man's Land", where small gifts were exchanged — whisky, cigars, and the like. The artillery in the region fell silent that night. The truce also allowed a breathing spell where recently-fallen soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Proper burials took place as soldiers from both sides mourned the dead together and paid their respect. At one funeral in No Man's Land, soldiers from both sides gathered and read a passage from the 23rd Psalm:

"The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He leadeth me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil."
The truce spread to other areas of the lines, and there are many stories — some perhaps apocryphal — of football matches between the opposing forces. Letters home confirm the score of one of these games to be 3–2 in favour of Germany.

In many sectors, the truce lasted through Christmas night, but in some areas, it continued until New Year's Day.

The truce occurred in spite of opposition at higher levels of the military. Earlier in the autumn, a call by Pope Benedict XV for an official truce between the warring governments had been ignored.

British commanders Sir John French and Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien vowed that no such truce would be allowed again. (However, both had left command before Christmas 1915.) In all of the following years of the war, artillery bombardments were ordered on Christmas Eve to ensure that there were no further lulls in the combat. Troops were also rotated through various sectors of the front to prevent them from becoming overly familiar with the enemy. Despite those measures, there were a few friendly encounters between enemy soldiers, but on a much smaller scale than the previous year.

Nevertheless, commanders of both allied forces and the central powers were against informal truces. One soldier in the German army who felt that such an understanding should not exist during wartime was Adolf Hitler [1].

During Easter 1916 a similar truce also existed on the Eastern Front.

Answer 5

Allied Soldiers in World War I? impossible.

Answer 6

Yes, it's true...

and for large parts of the war, troops in the trenches co-operated with eachother to avoid heavy losses. They sent messages to one another letting the opposition know if there was going to be a big shelling, forward thrust or air strike.

Of course, if they got caught, they were shot by their own people...which goes to show how much sense there was in the damn war in the first place!

Answer 7

I think they did on the first Christmas of World War One but they never did after that.

Answer 8

It actually happened, absolutely amazing I think. I believe there was also an exchange of Christmas Cards between the two sides.

Answer 9

Yes the year wa s1917. The christmas truse lasted 1 night,and on boxing day they were fighting again.

Answer 10

Yep, I studied it for a while, and there were pictures of them playing football together. Sadly the next day they went back to killing each other instead.

Answer 11

I know they exchanged personal items and sang christmas songs but I don't know about the football part.