Incorrect! Hostilities were set aside for a Christmas truce - WDAM.COM - TV 7 - News, Weather and Sports

Incorrect! Hostilities were set aside for a Christmas truce

  • Most ReadMost Popular Stories

  • Monday, May 20 2013 5:16 PM EDT2013-05-20 21:16:41 GMT
    Pine Belt shoppers will soon have a wider selection of retailers from which to shop. This summer, four new retail businesses have relocated to Turtle Creek Mall and are scheduled to be open by August.
    Pine Belt shoppers will soon have a wider selection of retailers from which to shop.

  • Monday, May 20 2013 2:32 PM EDT2013-05-20 18:32:53 GMT
    HATTIESBURG (WDAM) - Police say a tractor trailer accident is blocking 38th Avenue and Hardy Street. Police are diverting traffic. Copyright 2013 WDAM. All rights reserved.
    Police say a tractor trailer accident is blocking 38th Avenue and Hardy Street.  Police are diverting traffic.

  • Monday, May 20 2013 10:38 PM EDT2013-05-21 02:38:44 GMT
    The city of Columbia is receiving complaints over the odor of its sewage lagoon Columbia has narrowed the odor problem down to algae growth along the city's sewage lagoon. The board of alderman voted
    The city of Columbia is receiving complaints over the odor of its sewage lagoon Columbia has narrowed the odor problem down to algae growth along the city's sewage lagoon. The board of alderman voted
    •   

 

Provided by World Now

World War I combat began in August of 1914. By winter, the battle in Belgium had bogged down. Soldiers on both sides were dug into defensive trenches, often separated by only a few dozen yards of no-man's land.

Then, on Christmas eve, German soldiers put small trees outside their trenches and decorated them with candles as they sang carols. Signs, written in English, invited the opposing British and French troops to stop fighting to mark the holiday. British solders responded with "Merry Christmas" signs of their own. (The U. S. did not enter the war until 1917.)

For a day, peace broke out. The truce was spontaneous; some officers actively discouraged it. But in many places, troops met in no-man's land, exchanging handshakes and greetings with enemy soldiers.

When Christmas ended, so did the truce. There would not be another Christmas truce during the war.

To learn more, read Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce, a book by military historian Stanley Weintraub.

*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.