What is the Christmas Truce?

The Christmas Truce is a term used to describe several unofficial ceasefires that took place during the Christmas period between the French, British and German troops during the First World War, especially those between British and German troops stationed along the western front in 1914, and to a lesser extent in 1915. In 1915 there was a similar Christmas truce between the German and French troops. In 1915 and 1916, a truce was also held at Easter on the eastern front.

What exactly happened?

The soldiers on both sides of the western front were shocked by the losses they had suffered since August. On the morning of December 25th, the French and the British, in the trenches around the Belgian town of Ypres, heard Christmas carols in German. Soon after that they discovered Christmas trees placed along the German trenches. Slowly, columns of German soldiers emerged from their trenches and advanced to the middle of the no man’s land, calling the British to join them. The two camps met in the middle of a landscape devastated by shells. They exchanged presents, talked and played football the next morning. An opera singer, the tenor Walter Kirchhoff, at that time a German officer, sang a Christmas carol for the soldiers. The French soldiers applauded until he came back to sing again.

This kind of truce was commonplace where the British and German troops faced each other, and “fraternization” continued elsewhere for a week until the military authorities decided to end it.

Read about the most popular Christmas presents here: Christmas Toys!

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