"This is how the Christmas truce happened on the Western" Topic

…Front in 1914

"By late December 1914 World War I had been raging for nearly five months. Had anyone really believed it would be "all over by Christmas," then it was clear they had been cruelly mistaken. With the strength of imperial Germany now evident to all, there appeared to be no chance of victory in the foreseeable future. By this time men were beginning, almost despite themselves, to gain a kind of grudging respect for their opposite numbers lurking across no man's land. They were enduring the same terrible weather, the same dreadful living conditions, and, after all, they had managed to fight each other to an absolute standstill. The earlier rumors of atrocities, knavish tricks and the callous use of "dum-dum" bullets had abated as more experience was gained of the destructive power of high-velocity bullets, shrapnel bullets and shell fragments. The war had become the new reality for countless men, as they were wrapped up into the stultifying routines and deadly horrors of trench warfare. There seemed no respite in sight, but it was critical to maintain a high level of watchfulness, or else the consequences were often fatal.

Amid the continuing fighting, there was also growing evidence in some localized sectors of the line the two sides were edging to a modus vivendi that helped ameliorate some of the worst aspects of trench life. Many Germans could speak English, and a fair number of German soldiers had lived and worked in Britain before the war. Sometimes it seemed almost natural for an attitude of "live and let live" to creep in. Breakfast time seemed quieter, latrine breaks were respected, and men engaged in mundane tasks were left in peace. Soldiers would banter across no man's land, and there were even rumors of informal shooting contests at impromptu targets displayed in each other's trenches. Such behavior attracted the attention of General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien — commander of the British Expeditionary Force's II Corps — who issued orders to try and eradicate such relaxed practices:…"

Main page
link

Amicalement
Armand

YouTube link
love this

Thanks!.

Amicalement
Armand

And Paul McCartney's "Pipes Of Peace" referenced the event too. At least in the video.