The 1914 Christmas Truce

The Christmas truce has become one of the most famous and mythological events of the first world war but what was the real story behind the truth.

why did it happen? and did British and German soldiers really play football in no man's land?

later on Christmas Eve in 1914 men of the British expeditionary Force heard German troops in the trenches opposite them singing carols and patriotic songs and saw lanterns along their trenches, messages began to be shouted between the trenches the following day British and German soldiers met in no man's land and exchanged gifts took photographs and some played impromptu games of football.

they also buried casualties and repaired trenches and dugouts after in boxing day meetings in no man's land dwindled out the truth was not observed everywhere along the western front elsewhere the fighting continued and casualties did occur on Christmas Day, some officers were unhappy at the truth and worried that it would undermine fighting Spirit after 1914 the high command on both sides tried to prevent any trues on a similar scale happening again.

despite this there were some isolated incidents of soldiers holding brief trues later in the war and not only at Christmas it was known as the Live and Let Live system in quiet sectors of the front brief pauses in hostilities were sometimes tactically agreed allowing both sides to repair their trenches and gather their dead