The Christmas Scarce On The Western Front

The Christmas truce which was a not official truce. The truce occurred along the Western Front. The truce occurred during the Christmas of 1914. World War 1 had been going on for many months but the soldiers on both sides stepped out of their trenches. They walked across no mans land which is where they shook hands and agreed to have a truce so that any of the dead from either side could be buried. As well some of the soldiers also used the truce as a way to chat with each other. Some of them even claim to playing a football game. Still today unofficial truces between opposing forces occur and some more happened at other times during World War One but never on the scale of that first Christmas truce. Similar events have occurred in other conflicts
Soldiers dug trenches and erected barbed wire to hold their positions the nightmare that was to become trench warfare had begun. In places the trenches were just yards apart. Then as the soldiers realized that neither side was going to make any rapid victories or progress, the trenches became more fortified. The opposing forces now had time to regroup and strengthen their lines with more men but it soon became apparent to the Generals and to the men on the front line that this was going to be a war of attrition the only way a winner would be decided would be when one side ran out of men or out of bullets. As Private .R. Fleming of the 2nd Durham Light Infantry put it. He said that it is not war. It is who can kill the most enemies in the shortest time possible. The proximity of the enemies also allowed men to shout out to their opponents or stick up signs on wooden boards. After a particularly heavy barrage of missiles or bullets. The soldiers might shout out Missed or Left a bit. This black humour was the start of a conversation between the troops that would hasten the onset of the Christmas truce. Another factor that assisted