Christmas Truce

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Chloe_88
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Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 11:48 am

Christmas Truce

Post by Chloe_88 »

WWI & II interest me quite a bit, but my dad watches every documentary on wwI & II.

As I walked in 2 days ago, he was watching one of them, and I couldn't believe it, " A Christmas Truce" .. I never heard of this, how amazing...

Christmas truce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
fuzzywuzzy
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Christmas Truce

Post by fuzzywuzzy »

really? I thought that was common knowledge. what most don't know is that there was a lot of cease fires decided on by the troops of both sides without authorisation. In WW11 this is also true. (small acts of kindness)

1915 (1982) clip 2 on ASO - Australia's audio and visual heritage online

Burying the Dead on Armistice Day | NZETC

armictice day for us is different to the rest of the world because of the 24th of May ...11 of Nov. is "remembrance day" here. The insanity of war eh? excerpt from an officer from Gallipoli regarding that day..

"he burying was finished some time before the end. There were certain tricks to both sides. Our men and the Turks began fraternizing, exchanging badges, etc. I had to keep them apart. At 4 o’clock the Turks came to me for orders. I do not believe this could have happened anywhere else. I retired their troops and ours, walking along the line. At 4.17 I retired the white-flag men, making them shake hands with our men. Then I came to the upper end. About a dozen Turks came out. I chaffed them, and said that they would shoot me the next day. They said, in a horrified chorus: “God forbid!” The Albanians laughed and cheered, and said: “We will never shoot you.” Then the Australians began coming up, and said: “Good-bye old chap; good luck!” And the Turks said: “Oghur Ola gule gule gedejekseniz, gule gule gelejekseniz” (“Smiling may you go and smiling come again”). Then I told them all to get into their trenches, and unthinkingly went up to the Turkish trench and got a deep salaam from it. I told them that neither side would fire for twenty-five minutes after they had got into the trenches. One Turk was seen out away on our left, but there was nothing to be done, and I think he was all right. A couple of the rifles had gone off about twenty minutes before the end but Potts and I went hurriedly to and fro seeing it was all right. At last we dropped into our trenches, glad that the strain was over. I walked back with Temperley. I got some raw whisky for the infection in my throat, and iodine for where the barbed wire had torn my feet. There was a hush over the Peninsular. "

Aubrey Herbert, Mons, Anzac and Kut

"Infection in my throat" ...I like that .:yh_rotfl
Chloe_88
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Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 11:48 am

Christmas Truce

Post by Chloe_88 »

fuzzywuzzy;1438042 wrote: really? I thought that was common knowledge. what most don't know is that there was a lot of cease fires decided on by the troops of both sides without authorisation. In WW11 this is also true. (small acts of kindness)

1915 (1982) clip 2 on ASO - Australia's audio and visual heritage online

Burying the Dead on Armistice Day | NZETC


yeah, i didn't know.. but then we were only taught about anne frank and the camps at school.

but most of the things i learnt from watching documentaries. as i would include the information i learnt, in tests at school that wasnt in the textbooks, i would score fulls points lol!

it was taught at school as if the germans were evil, unhuman. it got me thinking, found a documentary of a man that drove the trains to the camps. He said that they told him; if you refuse you and your family are the next to be put on the train. what else was he supposed to do..
fuzzywuzzy
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Christmas Truce

Post by fuzzywuzzy »

isn't it amazing? We were taught that germans were evil ......well not evil as such but maybe they had something to do with it all . until that is .........my sister married a man of german parents . BOY did I get an education. I sited "papers" with the 'swas ticckky' thingy rubbed out... i was really confused because it was an old document. I didn't know there was a german resisitence and you could only identify them by scribbling over the SS stamp. Of course it was death if you were caught by the authorities but they kept it. and then to hear the stories of my eldest sons grandfather during the hungarian uprising and given the address of the guns he buried before he got out ..it's all ..........an individuals war in the end.
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Oscar Namechange
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Christmas Truce

Post by Oscar Namechange »

What a difference It would have made If the foot soldiers just refused to fight again, laid down their arms and surrendered to each other.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. R.L. Binyon
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AnneBoleyn
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Christmas Truce

Post by AnneBoleyn »

Chloe_88;1438043 wrote: yeah, i didn't know.. but then we were only taught about anne frank and the camps at school.

but most of the things i learnt from watching documentaries. as i would include the information i learnt, in tests at school that wasnt in the textbooks, i would score fulls points lol!

it was taught at school as if the germans were evil, unhuman. it got me thinking, found a documentary of a man that drove the trains to the camps. He said that they told him; if you refuse you and your family are the next to be put on the train. what else was he supposed to do..


That's why he's called a "good" german.
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AnneBoleyn
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Christmas Truce

Post by AnneBoleyn »

oscar;1438056 wrote: What a difference It would have made If the foot soldiers just refused to fight again, laid down their arms and surrendered to each other.


Sainte Marie Buffy - Universal Soldier Lyrics

"HeÂ’s 5 foot 2 and heÂ’s 6 feet 4

He fights with missiles and with spears

HeÂ’s all of 31 and heÂ’s only 17.

HeÂ’s been a soldier for a thousand years

HeÂ’s a catholic, a Hindu, an atheist, a Jain

A Buddhist, and a Baptist and Jew.

And he knows he shouldnÂ’t kill

And he knows he always will kill

YouÂ’ll for me my friend and me for you

And HeÂ’s fighting for Canada.

HeÂ’s fighting for France.

HeÂ’s fighting for the USA.

And heÂ’s fighting for the Russians.

And heÂ’s fighting for Japan

And he thinks weÂ’ll put an end to war this way.

And HeÂ’s fighting for democracy,

HeÂ’s fighting for the reds

He says itÂ’s for the peace of all.

HeÂ’s the one, who must decide,

whoÂ’s to live and whoÂ’s to die.

And he never sees the writing on the wall.

But without him,

how would Hitler have condemned him at Dachau?

Without him Caesar would have stood alone

HeÂ’s the one who gives his body

as a weapon of the war.

And without him all this killing canÂ’t go on

HeÂ’s the universal soldier

And he really is the blame

His orders comes from

far away no more.

They come from him.

And you and me.

And brothers canÂ’t you see.

This is not the way we put an end to war"

Buffy Sainte Marie - "Universal Soldier" - YouTube
Chloe_88
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Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 11:48 am

Christmas Truce

Post by Chloe_88 »

I just find it hard to believe these men exchanged photos of family, shared a drink and a cig and then after xmas shot the hell out of each other.. It's just so weird..
fuzzywuzzy
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Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2009 5:35 pm

Christmas Truce

Post by fuzzywuzzy »

War, I guess isn't supposed to make sense. Quick to begin, slow to end.
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Bryn Mawr
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Christmas Truce

Post by Bryn Mawr »

oscar;1438056 wrote: What a difference It would have made If the foot soldiers just refused to fight again, laid down their arms and surrendered to each other.


It would have made no difference whatsoever - the troops who refused to fight were withdrawn from the front and replaced by fresh troops.

Here's a wonderful song by Mike Harding recalling the events :-

Christmas 1914 In no man's land - YouTube
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