MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!

[Jim McDougall]

Old wartime postcards are a fascinating field of collecting that is offers interesting possibilities to augment the collecting of arms!
Excellent examples, and I understand these often served well as propoganda during wartime.
Thanks for sharing those here, all very cute. Well done.

[katana]

I realise that Jim posted this as an example of Christmas spirit and not as a topic of discussion, but to truly understand the sentiment, you really have to understand the the situation that the front line troops were facing.....to understand that in the blackness of war....a few....bravely, lit candles of hope.


“…….The early trenches were often hasty creations and poorly constructed; if the trench was badly sighted it could become a sniping hot spot. In bad weather (the winter of 1914 was a dire one) the positions could flood and fall in. The soldiers - unequipped to face the rigours of the cold and rain - found themselves wallowing in a freezing mire of mud and the decaying bodies of the fallen……
…The man at the Front could not help but have a degree of sympathy for his opponents who were having just as miserable a time as they were….
….On the eve of the Truce, the British Army (still a relatively small presence on the Western Front) was manning a stretch of the line running south from the infamous Ypres salient for 27 miles to the La Bassee Canal.
Along the front the enemy was sometimes no more than 70, 50 or even 30 yards away. Both Tommy and Fritz could quite easily hurl greetings and insults to one another, and, importantly, come to tacit agreements not to fire. Incidents of temporary truces and outright fraternisation were more common at this stage in the war than many people today realise ….
With their morale boosted by messages of thanks and their bellies fuller than normal, and with still so much Christmas booty to hand, the season of goodwill entered the trenches. A British Daily Telegraph correspondent wrote that on one part of the line the Germans had managed to slip a chocolate cake into British trenches.
Even more amazingly, it was accompanied with a message asking for a ceasefire later that evening so they could celebrate the festive season and their Captain's birthday. They proposed a concert at 7.30pm when candles, the British were told, would be placed on the parapets of their trenches.
The British accepted the invitation and offered some tobacco as a return present. That evening, at the stated time, German heads suddenly popped up and started to sing. Each number ended with a round of applause from both sides.
The Germans then asked the British to join in. At this point, one very mean-spirited Tommy shouted: 'We'd rather die than sing German.' To which a German joked aloud: 'It would kill us if you did'….
……Along many parts of the line the Truce was spurred on with the arrival in the German trenches of miniature Christmas trees - Tannenbaum. The sight these small pines, decorated with candles and strung along the German parapets, captured the Tommies' imagination, as well as the men of the Indian corps who were reminded of the sacred Hindu festival of light.
It was the perfect excuse for the opponents to start shouting to one another, to start singing and, in some areas, to pluck up the courage to meet one another in no-man's land…..

…..Christmas day began quietly but once the sun was up the fraternisation began. Again songs were sung and rations thrown to one another. It was not long before troops and officers started to take matters into their own hands and ventured forth. No-man's land became something of a playground.
Men exchanged gifts and buttons. In one or two places soldiers who had been barbers in civilian times gave free haircuts. One German, a juggler and a showman, gave an impromptu, and given the circumstances, somewhat surreal performance of his routine in the centre of no-man's land….
….The Truce lasted all day; in places it ended that night, but on other sections of the line it held over Boxing Day and in some areas, a few days more. In fact, there parts on the front where the absence of aggressive behaviour was conspicuous well into 1915….”

http://www.firstworldwar.com/feature...stmastruce.htm


As to the postcards....mostly political propaganda....produced to demonise the enemy. They actually make the ceasefire even more of a miracle....it shows the extent of the propaganda ...which was still ignored by a number of soldiers on the front.

Originally Posted by Dmitry

..............
In my book the whole Christmas cease fire is nothing but a load of bull. These same soldiers were more than happy to kill one another the next morning.

Your story would have a moral, if the belligerents just dropped their weapons and walked home. Otherwise the X-mas cease fire is pretty meaningless, especially in the pedagogical aspect of it.

Dmitry, if a soldier refused to fight, for any reason, he would be branded a 'coward' or 'deserter' and excecuted by firing squad. The fact that this 'extreme' punishment was implemented, demonstrates that many must have wished to 'lay down their arms' and instigate peace..... The details of the ceasefires were surpressed by the opposing governments .....they wanted to demonise their 'enemy' ....not humanise them. Perhaps, if the higher powers had not 'covered up' the incident or made out that the ceasefire was a stragetic action to gather information about the enemy....the war would have ended sooner.



Below is a picture entitled…..
British and German troops meet in no man's land. Boxing Day, 1914. Photographed by 2nd Lt Cyril Drummand, RFA.

[Dmitry]

Originally Posted by katana

Dmitry, if a soldier refused to fight, for any reason, he would be branded a 'coward' or 'deserter' and excecuted by firing squad.

This is true regarding one soldier, a platoon, perhaps a company.
However, when the whole French armies refused to fight, leading to the coordinated massive strikes in France, and effectively brought the country and the French government onto its knees.
Same thing happened on the Eastern Front, when the Russian soldiers, demoralized, cold, hungry, and sick, dropped their weapons, and left the trenches in droves, hundreds of thousands of them.


Going back to the Christmas cease fire - we cannot possibly comprehend what went through the minds of those people, and what it meant for them. For us, it's just an anecdote.
Then the moment of clarity
Faded like charity does...

[celtan]

There are instances in the Vietnam war where American units refused to obey orders, with no consequences whatsoever.

And fragging officers, while rare, did occur.

Originally Posted by Dmitry

This is true regarding one soldier, a platoon, perhaps a company.
However, when the whole French armies refused to fight, leading to the coordinated massive strikes in France, and effectively brought the country and the French government onto its knees.
Same thing happened on the Eastern Front, when the Russian soldiers, demoralized, cold, hungry, and sick, dropped their weapons, and left the trenches in droves, hundreds of thousands of them.


Going back to the Christmas cease fire - we cannot possibly comprehend what went through the minds of those people, and what it meant for them. For us, it's just an anecdote.
Then the moment of clarity
Faded like charity does...

[Jim McDougall]

Thanks guys! Here I thought all the Christmas cheer had ended, and I was missin' my tree!! you guys are amazing, your Christmas spirit just keeps goin

I have stored all my Christmas ornaments now.

[Dmitry]

Orthodox Christmas hasn't even come yet.
Julian calendar is 13 days behind the Gregorian one.

[Jim McDougall]

[Jim McDougall]

David, incredibly well said and beautifully written!!! It is exactly what I was trying to get across, and you bring up extremely valid points....the men could not simply leave....that was desertion.....and there are numerous examples of such executions for this offense.

I do not wish to add more to this subject, though I am sure that many of us could add first hand or personal experience to illustrate the dire effects of war on the humanity of individuals, but I would prefer to let this thread rest as what it was intended to be....a Christmas story under terrible circumstances........not a debate. I honestly had hoped for positive notes and sharing of other stories that would further illustrate Christmas spirit.

The discussion has served its purpose conversely in some manner however, in clearly illustrating the extreme polarity that often exists among mankind.

Thanks guys!

Jim

[Dmitry]

Imperial German/Third Reich Christmas ornaments.

I kinda like the Imperial German ones, the Zeppelins and what appears to be the noggin of Kaiser Wilhelm.

[celtan]

Why were the Xmas Zeppelin decorations designed to hang going straight down?



BTW, I recall reading an account from the British perspective, after the entente cordiale. Seems neither Tommies nor Jerries wanted to go back to their grim business. Thus, two british officers were instructed to restart the war.

The one with the highest rank picked up an Enfield and starting to systematically shoot all the german soldiers close by. These were at the time greeting them, and merrily offering wine bottles, just a few feet away.

The officer then gave the Enfield back to the open mouthed Tommie whom he took it from, and commented.

"Done. We must now hurry back, there's a War to be won..!"

Needless to say, it worked.

Originally Posted by Dmitry

Imperial German/Third Reich Christmas ornaments.

I kinda like the Imperial German ones, the Zeppelins and what appears to be the noggin of Kaiser Wilhelm.