the-seed-of-europe: German and English fraternizers, Christmas 1914. When hostilities resumed along the Western front, a lot of the time they did so unwillingly. There were numerous cases of soldiers warning the opposite side with whom they had fraternized, or plain subordination. The sergeant of the 107th Saxon corps recalled to a female acquaintance a near mutiny in his regiment when the orders to resume shooting arrived: “The difficulty began on the 26th, when the order to fire was given, for the men struck. Herr Lange says that in the accumulated years [of his service] he had never heard such language as the officers indulged in, while they stormed up and down, and got, as the only result, the answer, ‘We can’t - they are good fellows, and we can’t.’ Finally the officers turned on the men with, ‘Fire, or  we do - and not at the enemy!’ Not a shot had come from the other side, but at last they fired, and an answering fire came back, but not a man fell. ‘We spent that day and the next,’ said Herr Lange, ‘wasting ammunition in trying to shoot the stars out of the sky.’” (Stanley Weintraub, Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce.)

the-seed-of-europe:

German and English fraternizers, Christmas 1914.

When hostilities resumed along the Western front, a lot of the time they did so unwillingly. There were numerous cases of soldiers warning the opposite side with whom they had fraternized, or plain subordination. The sergeant of the 107th Saxon corps recalled to a female acquaintance a near mutiny in his regiment when the orders to resume shooting arrived:

“The difficulty began on the 26th, when the order to fire was given, for the men struck. Herr Lange says that in the accumulated years [of his service] he had never heard such language as the officers indulged in, while they stormed up and down, and got, as the only result, the answer, ‘We can’t - they are good fellows, and we can’t.’ Finally the officers turned on the men with, ‘Fire, or  we do - and not at the enemy!’ Not a shot had come from the other side, but at last they fired, and an answering fire came back, but not a man fell. ‘We spent that day and the next,’ said Herr Lange, ‘wasting ammunition in trying to shoot the stars out of the sky.’” (Stanley Weintraub, Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce.)

(via ellobofilipino)

  • December 24
  • , 2011
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    What is absurd and monstrous about war is that men who have no personal quarrel should be trained to murder one another...
  4. captainkholo reblogged this from the-seed-of-europe and added:
    Good chaps, there. Good chaps.
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    Learning about this event has always made me so sad. And, in some ways, given me hope.
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