Christmas Truce - 1914

The fighting along the Western Front died down a sun down approached on Christmas Eve. As darkness fell the fighting stopped entirely. The German soldiers put the Christmas trees they had been sent atop their trenches alight and began singing Silent night, holy night." The British soldiers replied with "The First Noel". Both sides traded christmas carols and finally harmonized across No Man's Land in an English/Latin version of "O come all ye faithful."

The German soldiers called for an ambasador and the English soldiers were ordered to hold their fire. Officers met in No Man's Land and exchanged gifts then the Christmas Truce of 1914 was on.

Meeting in No Man's Land the English and German soldiers traded gifts and complaints of the war, started bon fires and traded letters (many Germans had worked in Britian). On Christmas Day these truces continued so the soldiers could bury their dead. Soccer matches were reported in some locations along the Western Front.

The generals reportedly wanted the fighting to contiue but found the front-line soldiers unwilling to continue. Eventually the front-lines were changed and the war went on.