Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Christmas Truce of 1914

Starting point is 00:00:00 On Christmas Eve 1914, something remarkable happened on the Western Front during the First World War. Soldiers in the trenches on both sides of no man's land cease fighting. Not only did they stop fighting, but they came out of their trenches to meet each other to celebrate Christmas. It's become one of the most mythologized events of the war and one of the oddest events in military history. Learn more about the Christmas truce of 1914 and what really happened on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. What if your perceptions about the past were wrong? ThruLine is a podcast that takes you back in time to uncover the parts of the story that may have gone unnoticed. It effectively turned day into night.

Starting point is 00:00:55 And how it shaped the world now. Time travel with us every week on the ThruLine podcast from NPR. On Christmas Day, 1914, no one had thought that the war would still be going on. When the war began in the summer, both sides thought that it would be over by autumn. In fact, the phrase often used by the troops was that they would be home by Christmas. Instead, what happened is that the war devolved into a stalemate. The main German advance was stopped early on at the Battle of the Marn. Both sides dug in, and the result was the trench warfare that the conflict became known for.

Starting point is 00:01:33 What the soldiers quickly found out was that the trenches were horrible. You lived every day under the constant threat of artillery attack. If you should happen to stick your head over the wall of the trench, it's likely that you would be instantly shot. Assuming you kept your head down and stayed in the trench, you would have to live in wet, filthy conditions. Diseases were rampant, and there was a good chance you'd have to live with rats. The odd thing is, as bad as the trenches were, it was probably better than the alternative, which was to be ordered over the walls of the trench in an attack, which meant almost certain death. As each side began digging trenches, the lines became longer and longer as each side tried to

Starting point is 00:02:10 to avoid being flanked by the other. By December 1914, a line of parallel trenches ran from the Swiss border to the North Sea. There were forces at work that tried to encourage calmer heads to prevail. Pope Benedict XIV called for a ceasefire, even if it was just for Christmas. He asked, quote, that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angel sang. However, the government of both sides would have none of it and refused to stop fighting. The animosity between the two sides wasn't necessarily personal. There were reports of contact between troops on both sides. Usually this was nothing more than medical staff who, under a white flag, would negotiate short, localized ceasefires, where each side would collect their dead from no man's land between the trenches.

Starting point is 00:02:55 Depending on where on the line they were, the soldiers would often shout at each other. Both sides would complain about the weather and life in the trenches. Germans would often inquire about English Football League scores. On Christmas Eve, the men of both sides of the front line were homesick. The promise of the war being over by Christmas had clearly not been achieved. Instead of being home with their families, they were stuck in a cold, wet hole in the ground. Around 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the British troops began to notice something. First, the Germans had lined their trenches with candles, and then they started to hear things. A British machine gunner by the name of Bruce Barron's father after the war recalled,

Starting point is 00:03:32 quote, away across the field among the dark shadows beyond, I could hear the murmur of voices. He turned to one of his fellow soldiers and said, quote, do you hear the Boshes kicking up that racket over there? It turns out the Germans were celebrating Christmas Eve by singing Christmas carols. After listening to several German songs being sung, the British decided to reply with songs of their own. At one point, British troops began singing, O come all ye faithful in English, and the Germans sang along with them, singing the Latin lyrics, Adestis Fidelis. Eventually, and we don't know who did it, a German soldier shouted in broken English, come over here. Needles to say, being invited over to the enemy trench is probably not the most

Starting point is 00:04:14 compelling invitation. However, one of the British soldiers then shouted back, You come halfway, I come halfway. And they did. Again, we don't know who the first soldiers were to step out over the wall of their trench, but it must have been terrifying. Going over the wall usually meant instant death. However, they did go over the wall, and they weren't killed. Soon other soldiers from both sides joined them. They were all quite literally fraternizing with the enemy. They began to shake hands and exchange small gifts with each other. They shared wine, schnapps, cigarettes, and candy.

Starting point is 00:04:49 They began singing songs with each other, and they swore to buttons and their hats. As Bairn's father noted, quote, Here they were the actual practical soldiers of the German army, and there was not an atom of hate on either side. End quote. This wasn't an isolated event with a few soldiers. in one location. The truce spread up and down the front. It's estimated that as many as a hundred thousand troops on both sides took part in the truce. British, French, Belgian, and German forces

Starting point is 00:05:17 all took part. There were even reports of similar events taking place on the eastern front. The truce was by no means universal, but it was widespread. The truce went into Christmas Day. There were several reported cases of football matches that were played between the two sides. Most famously, the German 133rd Royal Saxon Regiment played the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders from Scotland. Reportedly, the Scots were victorious winning 4 to 1,

Starting point is 00:05:44 a rare international victory for Scotland. But I should also note that the German version of the story has them winning 3 to 2. While cameras were discouraged on the front lines, there were several soldiers who had personal cameras with them. They took photos which documented the Christmas truce. Some soldiers reported giving or getting haircuts, and there was at least one reported case of a pig roast in no man's land.

Starting point is 00:06:07 In many parts of the Western Front, the unofficial truce extended beyond Christmas. There were reports of some places extending their truce all the way out to New Year's Day. The truth was that many of the soldiers really didn't want to fight. They didn't want to be there and they didn't see the point in fighting over a few inches of land. Furthermore, why try to kill the men you just met and shared a moment with? News of the Christmas truce was quick to spread to the rest of the world. The first newspaper to break the story was the New York Times, as the United States was still a neutral party as of 1914 and had no restrictions on news from the front. It was later reported in the Allied countries and was reported in Germany, although not as extensively.

Starting point is 00:06:46 Not everyone was a fan of the Christmas truce. The generals hated it, as did several rank and file soldiers. One German soldier said, quote, Such a thing should not happen in wartime. Have you no German sense of honor left? That German soldier's name was Corporal Adolf Hitler. British General Sir Horace Smith Dorian wrote in a confidential document, quote, This is only illustrative of the apathetic state that we are gradually sinking into.

Starting point is 00:07:14 On December 29th, just a few days after Christmas, the German High Command sent a general order that banned all fraternization with the enemy, and said that, quote, every approach to the enemy will be punished as treason. There were attempts at other similar truces throughout the war, but the officers on both sides were now wise to it and strongly discouraged it. On Christmas the next year, the Allied generals discouraged truces by scheduling attacks and conducting artillery barrages on Christmas Day. What did develop was a system known as Live and Let Live. These were just standing informal agreements between the two sides that were often just shouted between the trenches. These would

Starting point is 00:07:54 include things such as agreeing not to shoot each other during meal time, and allowing for a time when each side could retrieve their fallen comrades. The soldiers in the trenches were fundamentally fighting a different war than the generals who ran things did. The generals fought the war looking at maps safely behind the front lines. The soldiers were often so close to the enemy, they could hear them and smell what they were cooking. The Christmas truce of 1914 was unlike any other event in the history of warfare. Previously, soldiers would meet on an open field, fight, and then someone would win and the survivors would go home. When they weren't fighting, they weren't in proximity to each other,

Starting point is 00:08:31 and moreover, they seldom fought in December. After World War I, mechanization kept belligerents far apart from each other, and the mechanized nature of warfare kept units on the move. The First World War was probably the only war in history, where something like this even could have happened. The Christmas truce has become one of the most celebrated moments of the First World War. It's been the subject of songs, plays, movies, and books. There's a moment of Memorial to the Christmas Truce, which was created at the National Memorial Arboretum in Stadfordshire, England. When the memorial was unveiled in 2014, a football match was held between teams representing the British and German armies. For the men who took part in the Christmas

Starting point is 00:09:11 truce, it was something that they would never forget. It was probably best summarized by the aforementioned Bruce Barnesfeather, who noted, quote, looking back on it all, I wouldn't have missed that unique and weird Christmas Day for anything. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Thor Thompson and Peter Bennett. Today's review comes from listener of Fair News 235 from Apple Podcasts in Canada. They write, Very informative and well thought through.

Starting point is 00:09:44 Hi, this is an amazing podcast. My dad got me addicted to it. I love it and listen to it whenever I'm going on a long road trip. My friends don't understand why I listen to an informational podcast, but I don't care. This is amazing. And it's short enough not to get bored, but long enough to learn something. Thanks, Gary, for this awesome, informative podcast, Raylan. Well, thanks, Raylan.

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Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Christmas Truce of 1914

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