We were greatly inspired by Sabaton’s new song Christmas Truce when making this video.
You can stream it now and pre-order their upcoming album The War To End All Wars in the link in the description.
It’s the night of December 24th, 1914 on the Western Front.
The industrial might of the new 20th century has been focused into a war
that has been going on for 8 months.
Everyone thought it would be over by Christmas,
but sadly such hopes have now died alongside the young men in the clinging mud and cold of the trenches.
On the run up to Christmas there were efforts to start peace.
Over 100 British women had written an open letter to the Women of Germany and Austria
calling for the women to unite and push for peace at Christmas.
Pope Benedict XV begged the warring governments to call a truce and asked that
"the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang".
But all these efforts were for nothing
as the generals refused the requests
and war continued to slog on without interruption.
In the trenches sometimes just 30 metres apart
the men of both sides often shout insults to each other above the sounds of battle.
On Christmas eve the enthusiasm for battle just isn’t there
with the men on all sides
they are disheartened to be away from their families at Christmas for the very first time.
Suddenly a cry comes over from the German side.
In broken English.
“Tomorrow, you no shoot, we no shoot!”
The British and French are incredulous.
Then along the trenches, there’s a movement.
The British on alert keep watch on the enemy activity.
But instead of seeing the sight of men going over the top
this time, pushed up above the top of the trenches
Christmas trees start to appear along the German lines, lit up by flickering candles.
Is it a ruse, could it be real?
On the wind, drifting across no man's land, there’s a sound of hope.
It’s the sound of cheer.
The sound of peace as carols in German are sung.
The gentle murmur becomes stronger and is picked up by more and more of the soldiers.
As Christmas eve becomes Christmas day, the British and French join in too.
As the morning draws. There’s silence.
In a farmhouse a short distance away from the front line is 18 year old scotsman Alfred Anderson.
He vividly recalled that Xmas day and said
“I remember the silence, the eerie sound of silence.
Only the guards were on duty.
We all went outside the farm buildings and just stood listening.
And, of course, thinking of people back home.
All I'd heard for two months in the trenches was the hissing, cracking and whining of bullets in flight
machine gun fire and distant German voices.
But there was a dead silence that morning
right across the land as far as you could see.
We shouted 'Merry Christmas'
even though nobody felt merry.”
Most reports said that the first initiatives came from the German side.
Tentatively walking into no man's land, with their hands in the air
the tension of fear and hope in the balance.
On Christmas Day, Brigadier-General Walter Congreve, commander of the 18th Infantry Brigade
wrote a letter saying that when the Germans declared a truce for the day
one of his men bravely lifted his head above the parapet
and others from both sides walked onto no man's land.
Meeting in the middle officers and soldiers shook hands and made peace with their enemies.
Swapping cigarettes and cigars
one of his captains smoked a cigar with a young fellow just 18 years of age
but who was also the best shot in the German army!”
The General didn’t take part in the truce for fear of German Snipers not able to resist taking a shot at a general.
25 year old French soldier, Gustav Berthier wrote
that Christmas day the Germans made a sign showing they wished to speak.
“They said they didn't want to shoot...
They were tired of making war, they were married like me”
Captain Bruce Bairnsfather, the famous military cartoonist wrote
I wouldn't have missed that unique and weird Christmas Day for anything...
I spotted a German officer, some sort of lieutenant I should think
and being a bit of a collector, I intimated to him that I had taken a fancy to some of his buttons...
I brought out my wire clippers
and, with a few deft snips, removed a couple of his buttons and I put them in my pocket.
I then gave him two of mine in exchange... “
I saw one of my machine gunners, who was a bit of an amateur hairdresser in civil life
cutting the unnaturally long hair of a docile German, who was patiently kneeling on the ground
whilst the automatic clippers crept up the back of his neck.
Good natured celebrating was had by all sides, with Champagne, Cognac and rations being shared.
Inevitably like all the best parties, at some point the men decided to have a sing along.
Given the mixture of English, Scots, Irish, Prussians, Württenbergers
finding a common song that everyone knew was not easy.
According to one British Captain, it descended frequently into Auld Land Syne...
He said “It was absolutely astounding, and if I had seen it on a cinema film I should have sworn that it was faked!"
Some German soldiers managed to get some barrels of beer they had liberated from a French brewery into no man’s land.
A British soldier Frank Richards said they raised toasts to one another’s health
and all sides agreed that “French beer was rotten stuff.”
But one of the most enduring stories of that day
that seems so fantastic that people have questioned whether they really happened
were the football matches.
That they took place should be under no doubt as there were many records from the men
and the players, who took part.
From somewhere a football appeared.
Lieutenant Kurt Zehmisch of the 134th Saxon Infantry Regiment
told that the English "brought a soccer ball from their trenches
and pretty soon a lively game ensued.
How marvellously wonderful, yet how strange it was"
A cheer went up as kickabouts started along the line.
There were many matches, some with proper footballs, some with bully beef cans
some were disorganized scrambles for the ball, but some were organized matches.
Robert Graves reported that in his match the Germans won 3-2.
The Argyle and Southern Highlanders, reported their match ended 4-1 to Scotland.
The spirit of the Christmas truce didn’t grip everyone.
Fraternizing with the enemy was not seen as an honorable pastime by all.
Charles de Gaulle wrote of the "lamentable" desire of French infantrymen to leave the enemy in peace.
A Corporal in the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry called Hitler was opposed to the truce and said:
“Such a thing should not happen in wartime.”
And went on to question the honor of the Germans who took part.
It was not all fun and games. The men buried their fallen and tended to injuries.
As they day wore on, the truce that an estimated 100,000 men took part in, came to a close.
As the men moved back to their trenches
Captain Charles Stockwell took it upon himself to fire three shots skyward.
He raised a flag upon which was written “Merry Christmas.”
His German opposite raised a flag that read “Thank you.”
The two men then stood on the ramparts and saluted each other.
Alfred Anderson, the young Scotsman, survived the war and lived to the age of 109.
He said of the end of the truce,
“The Silence ended in the early afternoon. It was a short peace in a terrible war.”
But one of the most remarkable quotes comes from a young soldier
who despite being away from his family for the very first time said of the events on that day
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the most gorgeous Christmas dinner in England”.
Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays! We at Yarnhub wish you all a happy and peaceful New Year.