Christmas
There are two programs that have been on TV about 1914 Christmas in the trenches. Very interesting stuff. It seems to have been totally unorganized. In one area the German?s lit a Christmas tree, set it up above the trench line and were surprised the Brits did not shoot at it. In another sector the Germans sang Silent Night very loudly, not to be out done the Brits sang the same song even louder in English. After several Christmas carols they got out of their holes without weapons and just like during the Civil War wanted to trade coffee for tobacco or whatever.
In one area a British officer freaked out seeing his men and the Germans out in No Man?s Land. He shot a single German soldier and both side rushed back to their lines. In another area on Christmas Day there was a soccer game between the two armies - still a dispute over who won.
People on both sides fought for 4 ? months with old out dated methods of attack. The artillery and machine guns were generations ahead of standing soldier to soldier and marching forward. The death and carnage was unbelievable. The battle field was all thick cold mud with way too many unburied bodies laying around. Could anyone blame these guys for wanting to ?have a day off??
Note both sides were singing Christian songs on a Christian holiday. I love mentioning this to atheists.
Stay healthy,
Andy
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