We all know about the famous Christmas truce of WW1, an unofficial ceasefire. But during the war truces were not unique to the Christmas period, and reflected a growing mood of "live and let live", where infantry in close proximity would stop overtly aggressive behaviour, and often engage in small-scale fraternisation, engaging in conversation or bartering for cigarettes.
Had this ever occured in other wars? At this scale?
Occasionally medical truces in WW2. Hurtgen Forest, pic related.
>>547812
>We all know about the famous Christmas truce of WW1
the funny thing is... what "we all know" is outright wrong
the idea that thousands of soldiers engaged in jolly christmasy happy affairs and played tons of football or whatever is yet another of those sappy antiwar sentiments that ww1 seems to spawn
>>547887
Why issue anti-fraternisation orders then?
>>547934
to prevent the cessation of hostilities in general
dont get me wrong huge numbers of men did stop fighting - but it was not as friendly as popular history makes it out to be, the vast majority of the christmas events were simply ceasefires, not heartwarming stories of joint humanity and men from both sides literally coming together
>>547944
>heartwarming stories of joint humanity and men from both sides literally coming together
But that happened too
>>547956
yes, in very isolated incidents, hence my internet outrage at the entirety or majority of these christmas events being portrayed as such
>>547812
The soldiers should have started a coup against their respective governments, then establish peace.
Really, when will soldiers learn that they are just pawns? There's no more "defending the homeland", and there hasn't been for quite awhile. A military coup, especially in the US, could promote an era of peace.
>>547968
>There's no more "defending the homeland",
like, half the combatants in ww1 were doing literally just that
>>547986
Only because politicians forced them into such a situation.
Taking over the government, then nullifying whatever alliance got them there in the first place could have stopped the war if done en masse.
>>547997
so, uh, their politicians "forced" them to defend their country, and by extension themselves, their families and livelihoods against foreign invaders bent on conquest? i suspect many would do that on their own without politicians
as for taking over the government, i don't think that, for example, the common soldiers of belgium taking over the belgian government would be in any capacity to "nullify" the actions of germany or indeed any german alliances
i mean they might try but i don't think the government of belgium gets a say in what the government of germany does, regardless if it's a government of politicians or common soldiers
>>547968
Hey, you know what? The Russians did exactly that. Didn't really work out for 'em.
![ozgurgundem_fp_isis_soldiers_281014[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/7BKdUb0.jpg "ozgurgundem_fp_isis_soldiers_281014[1].jpg")
>>547812
it happened just a few years ago.
the turkish soldiers were seen fraternizing with other(hence the other)terrorists belonging to isis which they were supposed to be fighting.
still, the christmas truce was probably the last relevant and emotional thing i've read about war.
basically it was the day when the soldiers went on strike and refused to fight...
from what i've read about this subject it all started when the unsuspected krauts started chanting christmas carols, which the allies refused to be sang alone and trying to sing even louder and thus the first battle was started-almost 100 years before rap was even a thing.
just to end, some interesting links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--uXQQ0h-yQ
>pipes of peace by paul mccarthney - based on those events
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/british-soldier-allegedly-spares-the-life-of-an-injured-adolf-hitler
>mr. Buzzkill I. Hateverything was on the trenches when those incidents happened (and it was against it)
During the battle of El Alamein,
Hans von Lucks southern regiment was facing off against a british counterpart.
They developed a ceasefire after 1700 each day. They would also call each other at 1705 each day and discuss what prisoners they'd taken and they even traded a bit amongst the regiments. The brits asked for malaria medicine - which had been cut off from them due to japanese actions in Burma. They received it in return for German POWs.
On another occasion, the Krauts captured a british officer who had some kind of ties to a cigarette company. He jokingly suggested that they trade him for cigarettes - which the germans actually tried. In the end however the Brits could not agree on the sum that the British prisoner (!) demanded as a fee, and when they could not do that, he refused to be bartered for a lesse sum as he did not think he was worth "less" than what he had originally suggested (1 million cigarettes).
>>547964
people that used to hate eachother that play football together and exchange candies and cheese is and isolated incident itself. add a war, trenches, killers and rifles to the scene and thats a real heartwarming story in my opinion
>>547986
this
