The Christmas Truce 1914 From Oh! What A Lovely War

[lakewalker11]

Love it. 

[51wins]

Its truely amazing when you think of it that both sides who were killing each-other came together. Clearly they both had more in common then they thought...and really weren't enemies they were just doing their orders from their leaders in Berlin or London.

Christian faith and peace to one and other clearly played its part on Christmas

[111RobinHood]

And who do you think create wars: the ordinary people? Of course not! Don't forget that Hitler was given support and for his Nazi party by American and European companies and banks. In other words, it is the Elite that cause these wars to make profit for themselves. The Elite create division and wars and we like idiots talk about how we saved Europe from nazism when our own companies supporte Hitler and we helped to him power! It is not all clear cut so wake up! The real enemies are the elite.

[mzrebel]

I know it's stupid but I keep hoping this'll happen again soon. So sick of hearing about the stuff human beings are capable of doing to each other with guns, knives and bombs, over things that aren't worth the bloodshed and it's all so bloody stupid because we're all the same.

[Vengrence]

@mzrebel While I agree with your sentiment, saying we're all the same rather ruins it. We're not robots.

[heitai1221]

It`s amazing

[FruityTweeter]

Beautiful video.

I think both sides advanced more in one christmas of peace than in the next 4 years of war.

[TheCherubeal]

@ShOwStOpp3rr It makes you wonder that if these people were capable of saying "This is freaking stupid, why are we even doing this to one another...", putting down their weapons, climbing out of the trench and shaking hands with their fellow man why they didnt just decide this whole thing was a tragic waste and just sit together on those trenches until the peace was called. It could have been a great moment for humanity. This shows the ability was there, somewhere.

[Luminahawke]

@TheCherubeal In a way it did happen. The German Army by the end of the war was close to a full blown Mutiny. The German Navy had already, out of risk of complete collapse forced German military/polititions and even the Kaiser all to realise there was no way to continue. The German people/soldiers ended the war, not the allies.

[mhcxx777]

the christmas day truce lasted only a few hours but for the first time peace came to ww1 i wish peace was here in these dark days of all this world fighting

[Thatcrazedtroll35]

every brother should love each other and not need war to prove their countries better the top comment of today should stay up there, for it deserves too

[MsSmallthings]

Awful lot of female voices singing in that trench.



[TalonMercenary]

hehe even in 1914 Germany were better than England at football. The score was 2-1 i think

[Titanlord10000]

@TalonMercenary

Yea your right, 3-2 to germany

[nomadsaber]

what they are doing here in their skirts

[MrJB2106]

@nomadsaber they are presumably Scottish kilted soldiers

[Antonionrojas]

this is wrong and stupid 

[dogblue14]

@Antonionrojas screw you

[Antonionrojas]

@dogblue14 i screw your mom

[Titanlord10000]

@Antonionrojas

why?

[Hippophilee]

Sorry if my comment cools down your gentle feelings – which are quite understandable, given what we know of the horrors of WW1. This Xmas truce was an exception, a tiny display of brotherhood within a huge armed front. Remember that these Germans were singing "Stille Nacht" in the middle of countries they had invaded, which they had bombarded, where they had committed innumerable war crimes. On the other side, most Belgians and French wanted to kick them out and make them pay for the losses.

[ShOwStOpp3rr]

what a great story i actually teared up..what a shame they couldn't end the war that day and go down in the history books as the greatest end to a war to world history..

[Dhammaification]

If we don't participate, they cannot have their wars, wars that server the interests of the few, not the many, not humanity.

[pawdublin]

Beautiful video-so sad that they had to return to war a few days later.

[ReverendRatspeed]

Yeah, sorry, had to "dislike" the video, because it's not historically accurate. The truce lasted for much longer. It's too bad the filmmakers didn't get it right. Not your fault, poster. You might want to look for the other versions who get it better.

[TonPappa]

@ReverendRatspeed You are right but you are also wrong.some lasted for days but others lasted only for instances like this one.The men were meeting with them in no mans land and when there officers saw it some welcomed it and got drank and showed pics of loved ones bc they spoke different langue but some ordered a barrage and they went back to the trenches and the years following the first Christmas truce the officers either did a barrage or ordered a charge to remember the men they were at war

[chewbacka3210]

May they rest in Peace

[luuuke39]

was the artillery used to stop the truce and make them go back in their trenches?

[teatotaler75]

@luuuke39 - At many times during the trench warfare, the generals scheduled barrages regardless of what was going on in the front lines - keeping the enemy "on edge." And the artillery was usually well back behind the lines and would have had no idea what might have been going on there unless informed.

[TonPappa]

@teatotaler75 Well you are wrong to tell you the truth. You should learn your history more. the men were singing and they met up with the other men in no mans land or in some cases the men showed them around the trenches and drank and showed some pics of loved ones and they couldnt communicate with each other but it didnt matter to the men because early on the war was a gentlemens war as in you dont shoot when the other one is retreating. the officers didnt like it so they DID use the artillery

[TonPappa]

@teatotaler75 to stop the truce from happening in the later years when the war dragged on and it became a dirty war. The officers in their own diary accounted that they used it to stop it from happening and some even charged the trenches in the later years to use it as an advantage.

[TonPappa]

@luuuke39 Yes. officers saw that men deserted there post and was really angry so to prevent it from happening again they used artillery to make the men stay in there trenches. some Christmas truces lasted for a while. Early on in the war it was called a gentlemens war. Ie dont shoot a solder in the back type war. Later it changed. Even when the end was coming the men on both sides but mostly the british and the Americans side still charged some trenches almost to the minute of the armistance.

[shitonMOHAMMAD]

I would like to watch ONE fucking video some day in my lifetime depicting German troops without some trolling cunt yelling "Nazi" somewhere in the midts because he's tired or bored of looking at his shrivelled little dick. There's always some douche bag that starts shit wherever these war films are shown.

[StockportWesleyanC]

Just been studying this with my children as part of their Home-Ed studies!

[millionaire1231]

@StockportWesleyanC I've never had the opportunity to learn something like that in school... :)

[hooverboy2747]

Quite beautiful.

[DJBuckCallYo]

if only we could just put the politicians in a ring and hold a boxing match.

[RubberToadstools]

If this had happened in ww2 the nazi Germans would pretend to go with the Christmas truce but then would slaughter the other side when they had their guns down.

WW1 germans faught because they were told to

WW2 germans fought because they hated everyone and wanted nazis to rule.

This is why we hunt down all nazis because all of them are scum and deserve to die

[millionaire1231]

@RubberToadstools Ignorant idiot

[RubberToadstools]

@millionaire1231 only a nazi supporter would say that.

[millionaire1231]

@RubberToadstools No, only an ignorant idiot would say what you had said... Not every German soldier who fought for Germany during WW2 was a Nazi...you fool. Otherwise there would be no distinction between the Waffen-SS and the Wehrmacht. Soldiers in the Waffen-SS were Nazis, yes; but soldiers in the Wehrmacht were not and contained a lot of anti-Nazis, who were joining the Wehrmacht to AVOID becoming Waffen-SS.

Get your facts right and learn your history before you talk crap again.

[mr9396]

@RubberToadstools. idiot.

[RubberToadstools]

@mr9396 only someone kissing the boots of the nazis would say that.

[mr9396]

@RubberToadstools. In World War 1, Soldiers from all sides were told to join up, told to go over the top and face certain death. In WW2, Hitler got into power basically because Germany felt it had been mistreated by the Treaty of Versailles, So when Hitler became chancellor people thought he could fix Germany. He never said anything about murdering Jews. The average German soldier in WW2 was following orders, and fought by the rules. The SS were the evil ones. Don't be so blind and Ignorant.

[RubberToadstools]

@mr9396 dont tell me what to do woman!!

[mr9396]

@RubberToadstools. I don't know why I bothered trying to educate you. Your obviously so far stuck up your own arse to see daylight.

[millionaire1231]

@mr9396 You're exactly right...ignorant is all he is.

[TalonMercenary]

If this could have happened all along the frontlines, the war truly would have ended by christmas 1914 :/

[samst3rs]

this could nether happen n america because there trigger happy!

[simon22908]

The officers who dobbed the soldiers who were doing what anyone'd do on christmas day should've been the ones who were shot. Orders or no orders, it is a time for peace.

[DavidJY1970]

This is a true moment of humanity

[juditfoldenyi]

@DavidJY1970 i agree 100% !!! Merry Christmas!

[BossHossGT500]

0:10

tah

[johncmullen1960]

What is fascinating is that the truce took place at several dozen places independently, almost always started by the Germans (though this is also because they were more likely to speak English than the Brits were to speak german.

[ImperialGuard9001]

Back to the madness.

[Whoami691]

They were all good men, simply obeying orders... its so ad that so many had to die when in truth we are not so different. We are all humans...

[friend4666]

Who shot the artillery that ended such a beautiful meating?

[alexgwyther]

If this interests anyone please see my spoken word piece on the Christmas Truce between the Allied and German soldiers on my channel :)

[RADIXCHRISTUSMOLE]

It actually lasted for a few days. Gifts were exchanged, and an inprovised game of football was played on Christmas Day between the English and German troops. Some of the men had to be reassigned because they would not fire on men who they celebrated Christmas with just a few days ago.

[coolmamac]

@RADIXCHRISTUSMOLE You are right. Their officers threatened to court martial them if they did not fire!

[GPOPization]

@RADIXCHRISTUSMOLE Not to be too pedantic but it was British troops, not just English troops and there were French troops there too. The Christmas truce is one of the most inspiring and saddest stories I've ever heard.

[Unterscharfuhrer]

@RADIXCHRISTUSMOLE I bet the Germans still won on penalties?

[sc0ttyb0dy123]

very touching.put a tear in my eye..good men killing good men for reasons not known to them. but, at the end of the day, the beguiled, uncertain and emotionally wrung man will identify with his supposed "enemy".

in our hearts, we just want to get along. but as soldiers (pawns) in a grand game of chess..we are easily played.

and very expendable.

[RattytheSecond]

Such a tragedy. A war that was a huge accident, with no real hatred between either side; it makes me wonder why my family had to lose so many men, 5 in our case often many more in others. It is a beautiful scene; and it really happened. It’s a pity that it couldn't have all stopped there and then.

[ChristinaCroft]

Thank you - this is so beautiful!!

[icecorescientist]

thank-you for this. Beautiful scene and music. Merry Christmas