Atmosphere image Christmas WWI station Ramskapelle

Atmosphere image fraternization Christmas WWI Ramskapelle station.

There were several informal Christmas truces during the First World War. At the initiative of the men in the trenches on the occasion of Christmas, a fraternization took place between the soldiers of the warring parties, this completely against the wishes of the army leadership.

By Christmas 1914, weather conditions had made war impossible and both armies were facing each other in the trenches. An atmosphere of "live and let live" arose. Around Christmas, soldiers with the enemy went to celebrate Christmas in the trench, around a Christmas tree, and gifts were exchanged. The next day in some places a football match in no man's land followed. The curious situations on these fronts lasted from a few hours to several days. They warned each other if an attack was coming. If a visit from the army commanders came in the trenches, the opponent was notified of this and there was vigorous shooting back and forth, over the heads. The following days, all corpses that were still in the no man's land were collectively cleared and buried.[1]

The first Christmas truces arose in Flanders, more specifically in the Ypres sector, at the initiative of German soldiers, especially Saxon and Bavarian troops. In some places Prussian soldiers also took part. On the other hand, it was mainly British troops who took part in these fraternizations. But Belgians and French also took part. It is estimated that on the entire Western Front, about half of all soldiers celebrated Christmas together (this also happened on the Eastern Front).

Golden Monstrance
One of the most remarkable incidents occurred in Diksmuide, where on Boxing Day the German soldiers (a regiment from Bavaria) asked the Belgian soldiers across the street if a priest was present. Moments later, the Belgian commander Lemaire arrived on the scene with the regimental priest, Sabin Vandermeiren. They were addressed by a Bavarian commander with an English name: Major John William Anderson. The latter had found a gold monstrance in the coal cellar of a field hospital and wished to return it to the Belgians. The transfer happened on the frozen Yzer. The monstrance is now on display in the Yser Tower in Diksmuide.

Football at the front
According to the writer Mike Dash, football games would have been spontaneously played at the front. The most legendary match is said to have been played between the British and the Germans, in the Saint-Yvon district, near Ploegsteert. The Germans won 3-2.[2] This is disputed by some historians.

Nevertheless, a memorial monument was inaugurated in Komen-Waasten on December 11, 2014, by UEFA President Michel Platini.

charge
At first the Christmas truces in some places had only been an attempt to make the most of it, as no offensives were expected due to the weather conditions. During that period, however, both camps realized that they were facing the same misery at the front and that they had both become the playthings of the politicians and the army leadership, regardless of the nationality of the soldiers. They also realized that not everyone matched the description that the propaganda had given to each other on both sides. In some places, both sides even began to seriously question the meaning of the war. For the first time, the madness of the war was clearly apparent.

Some units went very far in their file. An example of this is a unit in the 107th Saxon Regiment: this unit went on strike for a while and resolutely refused to take up arms again.

The Allied and German Supreme Commanders panicked and reacted furiously. This was seen as mutiny and high treason. Moreover, there were fears that these initiatives could be the beginning of a revolution and the overthrow of the government. However, the general patriotism and the propaganda were stronger than the initiatives on the ground. Once the spring had sprung, the same soldiers attacked each other again.

To try and prevent such truces in the future, the commanding generals on both sides issued measures. Soldiers who again attempted to fraternize with the enemy would be executed as deserters. Nevertheless, scenes of fraternization again took place during Christmas 1915, but on a more limited scale by the orders issued. The army command was again furious.

In the fall of 1916, he threatened to direct artillery at the infantry if they were friendly with the enemy. Again, minor officers and soldiers would be summarily executed. German or allied soldiers who entered no man's land at Christmas 1916 or who sought contact with the enemy were now getting bullets. There was no Christmas truce this year, nor in 1917.

Willem Vandenameele