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British and German soldiers fraternising with each other at Ploegsteert during the Christmas Truce, ca. December 24, 1914.

Colourised by @ungermario.

Today 109 years ago, on December 24; Christmas Eve, 1914, the famous Christmas Truce began along the Western Front.

By November 1914, the Western Front had settled into static trench warfare. The proximity of the trench lines made it easy for enemy soldiers to greet each other. Fraternisation began already then in quiet sectors of the front between British, French, Belgian and German soldiers.

Usually out of sheer boredom, soldiers sang Christmas carols with their enemies. Unofficial artillery truces were organized by individual soldiers visiting the enemy's trench unarmed, allowing the soldiers to eat in peace and recover their fallen men in no man's land.

On Christmas Eve 1914, German soldiers at St. Yves in Flanders decorated their lines with candles and Christmas trees, following it up by singing Christmas carols.

The British soldiers responded by singing carols of their own and soon soldiers from both sides began venturing out into no man's land. This culminated into a full out Christmas Truce between the British and Germans, who all met each other face to face in no man's land.

The soldiers exchanged gifts such as alcohol, foods, tobacco and souvenirs. They exchanged pictures of their families, took photographs with each other, held joint burial ceremonies for their fallen soldiers, and small-scale football (soccer) matches were played.

A reported 100,000 British and Germans soldiers along the front participated in the Christmas Truce, which lasted between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve in different sectors.

Fraternistion between French, Belgian and German soldiers did take place as well, though the French and Belgian relations with the Germans were more these than the British, since it was their countries which were being invaded.

The Christmas Truce is without a doubt one of the most remarkable and beautiful events in the history of warfare; a glimpse of light and humanity in one of history's darkest hours.

*NOTE: I tried to post a colorized photo of British and German soldiers together during the truce, but I don’t have access to a computer right now, and don’t seem to be able to get the picture to post. Sorry

Here's your photo.

(Also note that, in addition to being colorized, it has been altered to add snowflakes, which aren't present in the original B&W photo.)

quote:

British and German soldiers fraternising with each other at Ploegsteert

Possibly Rifleman Andrew (left) and another British soldier (third from the right, background) of the London Rifle Brigade with troops of the 104th and 106th Saxon Regiments. The German soldier second from the left is Pioneer Arno Böhme.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collect...tem/object/205022311

Should you come across this movie from 2005, it is a well-made joint British-French-German production.

UK grocery chain Sainsbury's did a version of this a few years back that was very well done: