Christmas Truce
December 24, 2010 5:51 AM Subscribe
Small Christmas Truces occurred even after 1914. A recently uncovered letter from Canadian Private Ronald MacKinnon describes a "tray-bon" celebration between Canadian and German troops on December 25, 1916.
posted by Kabanos at 6:17 AM on December 24, 2010
posted by Kabanos at 6:17 AM on December 24, 2010
Makes you wish every day was Christmas...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:27 AM on December 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:27 AM on December 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
Fuck war.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 6:41 AM on December 24, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 6:41 AM on December 24, 2010 [3 favorites]
I recommend Joyeux Noël very highly if you are interested in the Christmas Truce.
posted by piratebowling at 7:19 AM on December 24, 2010
posted by piratebowling at 7:19 AM on December 24, 2010
I learned about this (and most everything else I know about WWI, aside from the presence of poppies in Flanders, and the date and time the war ended) from Blackadder Goes Forth.
Is that bad? I have a feeling it might be, mostly because I know a lot of people who have never seen Blackadder and might know even less about the First (and worst) World War.
Fuck war.
No, don't fuck war. War is not sexy.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:23 AM on December 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
Is that bad? I have a feeling it might be, mostly because I know a lot of people who have never seen Blackadder and might know even less about the First (and worst) World War.
Fuck war.
No, don't fuck war. War is not sexy.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:23 AM on December 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm familiar with the story, but this recent Radiolab segment talks more about how hostilities resumed (in at least one instance) once high command got word of what happened. Warning: it'll erase any good feelings you had. Fuck all the generals and monarchs.
posted by kmz at 7:51 AM on December 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by kmz at 7:51 AM on December 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
Sys Rq: Everything I know about WWI also either comes from Blackadder or folk music. If that's wrong, I don't ever wanna be right.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 7:51 AM on December 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by 1f2frfbf at 7:51 AM on December 24, 2010 [1 favorite]
I recommend Joyeux Noël ...
Joyeux Noël/Merrry Christmas -- Best Foreign Language Film 2006. Film trailer.
posted by ericb at 7:52 AM on December 24, 2010
Joyeux Noël/Merrry Christmas -- Best Foreign Language Film 2006. Film trailer.
posted by ericb at 7:52 AM on December 24, 2010
Sys Rq: "I learned about this (and most everything else I know about WWI, aside from the presence of poppies in Flanders, and the date and time the war ended) from Blackadder Goes Forth."
Baldrick: Remember the football match?
Blackadder: Remember it? How could I forget it, I was never offside!
Anyway, don't feel bad, because I learned about the WWI Christmas truce from Paul McCartney's "Pipes of Peace" video.
Thanks for posting this nam3d -- good listen.
posted by stennieville at 8:29 AM on December 24, 2010
Baldrick: Remember the football match?
Blackadder: Remember it? How could I forget it, I was never offside!
Anyway, don't feel bad, because I learned about the WWI Christmas truce from Paul McCartney's "Pipes of Peace" video.
Thanks for posting this nam3d -- good listen.
posted by stennieville at 8:29 AM on December 24, 2010
Don't get me wrong, I'm not ashamed to have learned history from Blackadder; I meant "Is that bad?" with regard to the fact that I (and presumably very many others) didn't learn about those things from, for example, school.
posted by Sys Rq at 8:47 AM on December 24, 2010
posted by Sys Rq at 8:47 AM on December 24, 2010
Another pop homage: Paul McCartney - Pipes of Peace.
posted by PenDevil at 12:53 PM on December 24, 2010
posted by PenDevil at 12:53 PM on December 24, 2010
Fuck war.
You can fuck war. Just don't expect war to respect you, much less call you back or answer your text messages. War's a goddamn cad, I swear.
/wanders off to play soccer with German soldiers...
posted by spoobnooble at 3:29 PM on December 24, 2010
You can fuck war. Just don't expect war to respect you, much less call you back or answer your text messages. War's a goddamn cad, I swear.
/wanders off to play soccer with German soldiers...
posted by spoobnooble at 3:29 PM on December 24, 2010
Somewhere in my addled memory, I remember seeing a short chalk-drawn animation of this story, but the Googles is failing me tonight. I did find this though, and also this about the last survivor of the truce. Sounds like it has been romanticized a bit. :(
posted by pashdown at 5:06 PM on December 24, 2010
posted by pashdown at 5:06 PM on December 24, 2010
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posted by HuronBob at 5:56 AM on December 24, 2010