this post was submitted on 25 Dec 2023
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Today I Learned

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The following Christmas, machine gun barrages were deliberately timed to drown out any sound of carol singing to prevent spontaneous truces happening again.

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[–] [email protected] 33 points 11 months ago (5 children)

"It lifted astoundingly quickly. And along that line we were suddenly able to see Germans doing exactly the same thing all out in the open. And we just looked at each other for some time and then one or two soldiers went towards them. They met, they shook hands, they swapped cigarettes. They got talking. The war, for that moment, came to a standstill." General Walter Congreve, who led the Rifles Brigade, wrote to his wife on Christmas Day, describing the ceasefire as "an extraordinary state of affairs". Because the trenches were so close, soldiers were able to shout greetings to each other, initiating conversations. "A German shouted out that they wanted a day's truce and would one come out if he did," wrote the general. "Very cautiously one of our men lifted himself above the parapet and saw a German doing the same. Both got out, then more... they have been walking about together all day giving each other cigars and singing songs."

I don't get this. This sounds like people were there for a job, but otherwise harbored no ill will towards the enemy. Or maybe they did, but it being Christmas and all, they really just wanted to carol and smoke cigars? What was the point of going back to the war with someone you just sang carols and smoked with?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's well documented that the leadership of both sides had some difficulty getting their soldiers to go back to fighting after the truce.

The average soldier did not want to fight. Leadership had to threaten charges of desertions and treason to get them back to fighting.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

modern people are able to so easily access excellent multimedia propaganda nowadays that just isnt needed anymore

Hate is so easy to propogate with film

And almost impossible without it

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