Author Topic: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce  (Read 1500 times)

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rangerrebew

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 World War I: 100 Years Later
The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
It has become a great legend of World War I. But what really happened when British and German troops emerged from their trenches that Christmas Day?
 
By Mike Dash
smithsonianmag.com
December 23, 2011
 
Even at the distance of a century, no war seems more terrible than World War I. In the four years between 1914 and 1918, it killed or wounded more than 25 million people–peculiarly horribly, and (in popular opinion, at least) for less apparent purpose than did any other war before or since. Yet there were still odd moments of joy and hope in the trenches of Flanders and France, and one of the most remarkable came during the first Christmas of the war, a few brief hours during which men from both sides on the Western Front laid down their arms, emerged from their trenches, and shared food, carols, games and comradeship.

Their truce–the famous Christmas Truce–was unofficial and illicit. Many officers disapproved, and headquarters on both sides took strong steps to ensure that it could never happen again. While it lasted, though, the truce was magical, leading even the sober Wall Street Journal to observe: “What appears from the winter fog and misery is a Christmas story, a fine Christmas story that is, in truth, the most faded and tattered of adjectives: inspiring.”

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-story-of-the-wwi-christmas-truce-11972213/

Offline Fishrrman

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Offline Absalom

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2019, 01:01:40 am »
A memorable mention.
The Great War, one of the greatest catastrophes ever visited on
Mankind changed Europe, and the World, forever for the worse.
To this moment, the impact of that catastrophic event, still reverberates.
 

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2019, 01:18:23 am »
A memorable mention.
The Great War, one of the greatest catastrophes ever visited on
Mankind changed Europe, and the World, forever for the worse.
To this moment, the impact of that catastrophic event, still reverberates.

Indeed. It completely opened the door to the very secular collectivist globalism we see today, that was brewing and scheming even back then.

It's only grown like a cancer since.
The Republic is lost.

Offline Absalom

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2019, 03:32:41 am »
Indeed. It completely opened the door to the very secular collectivist globalism we see today, that was brewing and scheming even back then.
It's only grown like a cancer since.
------------------------
Vulcan, kudos!
Your observation is highly insightful of which so very few are even remotely aware.
As you doubtless know, in 1914 we were but a 125 year old republic yet more
importantly, a very rich and unconsciously, a very powerful one.
Wilson, at his core an academic neurotic, full of fatuous nostrums; saw himself as a Messiah
that would change the world for which he would get the applause and hosannas he craved.
The British saw him for the empty-suit he always was but coddled him as they needed his
support to finance their war effort, entangling us ever deeper w/them as the War dragged on.
Then when the opportunity presented itself in 1917, he easily declared War on Germany
in a conflict that was never any of our damn business.
By this action, Wilson altered the focus of our politics forever by internationalizing it,
a reality we are dealing w/to this very moment and for which we are much worse off.
 
« Last Edit: December 26, 2019, 04:42:30 pm by Absalom »

Offline PeteS in CA

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #5 on: December 26, 2019, 04:40:55 am »
https://www.ladbible.com/community/interesting-100-years-after-wwi-some-areas-of-france-are-still-uninhabitable-20180427

100 Years After World War One, Some Areas Of France Are Still Uninhabitable

Quote
The areas of France are known as the 'Zone Rouge', or Red Zone, and collectively it's not exactly a small area - in fact, it's more than 1,200 square kilometres (about 460 square miles). Under French law it is illegal to live, farm, or grow trees there because it is simply too unsafe.

Some areas around WWI battlefields are so badly affected by the aftermaths of World War One that 99 percent of all plants die because the soil is so polluted.

This is because there were a lot of chemicals used during the war and the soil around these areas is contaminated by arsenic (in some places up to 17 percent of soil samples consists of the poisonous chemical) as well as mercury, chlorine, and lead.

Oh, and of course there are then the unexploded shells and bombs.
If, as anti-Covid-vaxxers claim, https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2021/robert-f-kennedy-jr-said-the-covid-19-vaccine-is-the-deadliest-vaccine-ever-made-thats-not-true/ , https://gospelnewsnetwork.org/2021/11/23/covid-shots-are-the-deadliest-vaccines-in-medical-history/ , The Vaccine is deadly, where in the US have Pfizer and Moderna hidden the millions of bodies of those who died of "vaccine injury"? Is reality a Big Pharma Shill?

Millions now living should have died. Anti-Covid-Vaxxer ghouls hardest hit.

Offline dfwgator

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #6 on: December 26, 2019, 07:39:15 am »
------------------------
Vulcan, kudos!
Your observation is highly insightful of which so very few are even remotely aware.
As you doubtless know, in 1914 we were but a 125 year old republic yet more
importantly, a very rich and unconsciously very powerful one.
Wilson, at his core an academic neurotic, full of fatuous nostrums; saw himself as a Messiah
that would change the world for which he would get the applause and hosannas he craved.
The British saw him for the empty-suit he always was but coddled him as they needed his
support to finance their war effort, entangling us ever deeper w/them as the War dragged on.
Then when the opportunity presented itself in 1917, he easily declared War on Germany
in a conflict that was never any of our damn business.
By this action, Wilson altered the focus of our politics forever by internationalizing it,
a reality we are dealing w/to this very moment and for which we are much worse off.

Britain in hindsight, would have better off staying out of the war, and with it, the US, as well.   Why did the Brits suddenly love their traditional enemy, France?  She still had her Empire,   why did it matter to Britain whether France or Germany ruled the continent?


Offline PeteS in CA

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #7 on: December 26, 2019, 02:24:36 pm »
Britain in hindsight, would have better off staying out of the war, and with it, the US, as well.   Why did the Brits suddenly love their traditional enemy, France?  She still had her Empire,   why did it matter to Britain whether France or Germany ruled the continent?

At the time, Germany was a newcomer in imperialism, and had been in a several decades long naval arms race in battleships, armor quality, and big guns (as well as cruisers, submarines and smaller ships). Kaiser Wilhelm II was also a bellicose fool. France had done its imperialist thing and kept its navy more or less current, but had not challenged Britain for almost a century. Britain France and Russia had a treaty of alliance which, while paper, Germany was seen as the most dangerous potential enemy and had declared war on Russia.
If, as anti-Covid-vaxxers claim, https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2021/robert-f-kennedy-jr-said-the-covid-19-vaccine-is-the-deadliest-vaccine-ever-made-thats-not-true/ , https://gospelnewsnetwork.org/2021/11/23/covid-shots-are-the-deadliest-vaccines-in-medical-history/ , The Vaccine is deadly, where in the US have Pfizer and Moderna hidden the millions of bodies of those who died of "vaccine injury"? Is reality a Big Pharma Shill?

Millions now living should have died. Anti-Covid-Vaxxer ghouls hardest hit.

Offline dfwgator

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #8 on: December 26, 2019, 02:43:59 pm »
At the time, Germany was a newcomer in imperialism, and had been in a several decades long naval arms race in battleships, armor quality, and big guns (as well as cruisers, submarines and smaller ships). Kaiser Wilhelm II was also a bellicose fool. France had done its imperialist thing and kept its navy more or less current, but had not challenged Britain for almost a century. Britain France and Russia had a treaty of alliance which, while paper, Germany was seen as the most dangerous potential enemy and had declared war on Russia.

If Germany was allowed to take care of Russia, there would have been no Bolshevism,  they probably would have kept the Czar in power.


Offline Absalom

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #9 on: December 26, 2019, 05:30:05 pm »
Britain in hindsight, would have better off staying out of the war, and with it, the US, as well.   Why did the Brits suddenly love their traditional enemy, France?  She still had her Empire,   why did it matter to Britain whether France or Germany ruled the continent?
--------------------------
dfgator, on the mark.
Sir John Keegan of Sandhurst, Princeton and Vassar raised that very question in "The First World War";
suggesting that while the British Empire still spanned some half the globe, British leaders such as  Palmerston, Disraeli, Gladstone and Cecil had passed; replaced by the likes of Asquith, Balfour and George, mere shadows of the former. Consequently numerous British military and political leaders feared Germany.
A lesson to us from history which speaks loud and clear, in this case.
When a nation's leadership weakens noticeably, their fear rises
significantly; making them prone to serious if not fatal error.

« Last Edit: December 27, 2019, 06:13:07 pm by Absalom »

Offline skeeter

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #10 on: December 26, 2019, 05:44:46 pm »
Britain in hindsight, would have better off staying out of the war, and with it, the US, as well.   Why did the Brits suddenly love their traditional enemy, France?  She still had her Empire,   why did it matter to Britain whether France or Germany ruled the continent?

Without Britain and France's unnecessarily oppressive postwar treatment of Germany there would've been no Hitler.
« Last Edit: December 26, 2019, 05:46:48 pm by skeeter »

Offline PeteS in CA

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #11 on: December 26, 2019, 05:45:59 pm »
If Germany was allowed to take care of Russia, there would have been no Bolshevism,  they probably would have kept the Czar in power.

I do not think the rise of Bolshevism and the monstrosities committed by Lenin and Stalin were foreseeable in Britain in September, 1914.
If, as anti-Covid-vaxxers claim, https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2021/robert-f-kennedy-jr-said-the-covid-19-vaccine-is-the-deadliest-vaccine-ever-made-thats-not-true/ , https://gospelnewsnetwork.org/2021/11/23/covid-shots-are-the-deadliest-vaccines-in-medical-history/ , The Vaccine is deadly, where in the US have Pfizer and Moderna hidden the millions of bodies of those who died of "vaccine injury"? Is reality a Big Pharma Shill?

Millions now living should have died. Anti-Covid-Vaxxer ghouls hardest hit.

Offline Absalom

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #12 on: December 26, 2019, 07:19:27 pm »
I do not think the rise of Bolshevism and the monstrosities committed by Lenin and Stalin were foreseeable in Britain in September, 1914.
----------------------------
In fact, Germany did militarily neutralize Russia at Tannenberg, East Prussia in 1914 where they annihilated 2 Russian Armies.
After that, Russia played tag w/Austria in eastern Europe till 1917.
Yet Germany wanted Russia permanently out if the War so they could concentrate on crushing the British-French.
As a result the Germans sent Lenin to Russia in a sealed train in 1917 to foment revolution against
the Czar and formally withdraw Russia from the War.

Offline Absalom

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Re: World War I: 100 Years Later. The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
« Reply #13 on: December 27, 2019, 01:57:30 am »
At the time, Germany was a newcomer in imperialism, and had been in a several decades long naval arms race in battleships, armor quality, and big guns (as well as cruisers, submarines and smaller ships). Kaiser Wilhelm II was also a bellicose fool. France had done its imperialist thing and kept its navy more or less current, but had not challenged Britain for almost a century. Britain France and Russia had a treaty of alliance which, while paper, Germany was seen as the most dangerous potential enemy and had declared war on Russia.
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The timeline of history is invaluable here.
Julius Caesar was a strong advocate for the expansion of Roman reach and power.
His early objectives included Gaul and then Germania, yet Caesar needed the Roman
Senate to agree, as they had to foot the bill through taxation.
In his War Dispatches, Caesar continuously explained to his Senate that the core reason
for the rising cost of his ventures was the necessity of suppressing the unending conflict
between the tribes of Gaul and Germania. Then Rome fell late in the 5th century when
Gaul was evolving into France, having chosen Clovis as Monarch in 501 AD.
Not so w/Germania, which remained a series of provinces till 1870, some 14 centuries later.
Over that time, the French did whatever and whenever they pleased to the Germans.
Then that dynamic changed dramatically as a result of the Franco-Prussian War and its
architects, Otto von Bismarck, the the creator of a unified Germany, as well as it's military
genius, Gerd von Moltke who crushed the French in a matter of months in 1871.
The French were apoplectic, stunned and seething for revenge but it was not to be as the
torch of European power had passed which they refused to accept or even recognize.
The seeds of the Great War were sewn in the time of Julius Caesar and came to pass in 1914.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2019, 02:35:10 am by Absalom »