posted 12-14-2017 04:55 PM                  

In the midst of all the bombing, death and destruction an incredible event occurred on Christmas Day, 1914 when both nations called for a truce in order to celebrate Christmas Day.

Roughly 100,000 British and German troops were involved in the unofficial cessations of hostility along the Western Front.

The first truce started on Christmas Eve 1914, when German troops decorated the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres, Belgium.

The Germans soldiers placed candles on their trenches and on Christmas trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols.

The British responded by singing carols of their own. The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were excursions across No Man's Land, where small gifts were exchanged, such as food, tobacco and alcohol, and souvenirs such as buttons and hats.

The artillery in the region fell silent.

The truce also allowed a breathing spell for each Army where recently killed soldiers could be brought back behind their lines by burial parties. Joint services were held.

In many sectors, the truce lasted through Christmas night, continuing until New Year's Day.

....On a lighter side, you may recall the song "Snoopy and The Red Barron....This ACTUAL EVENT was the basis for that song when, in a gesture of peace and good will, the Brits and German pilots did not fire on one another because it was Christmas.

(Pass this true story along to your grandchildren...)

And sing along with Snoopy and The Red Barron's tune:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlf---13Q0g