Each man began to speak with the enemy soldiers,/introducing themselves/and shaking hands.
They wished each other a happy Christmas/and showed photos of their families back home.
They shared their meager rations of food and drink.
Some soldiers even exchanged gifts,/like chocolates and sausages.
And as they greeted each other,/the men began to realize/that they were not so different.
A few hours earlier/they had been trying to kill each other.
Now they were talking and laughing/like old friends!
Some critics say/the Christmas Truce didn’t happen,/and that it is a fairy tale made up by people/who oppose war. But historians say/the Christmas Truce was a real event. It was reported/in English and German newspapers/with photos of soldiers from both sides sitting together. There were stories of men playing “kickabout,”/an informal game of soccer. Arthur Conan Doyle,/the creator of Sherlock Holmes,/called it “an amazing spectacle”/in one of his history books. And it was amazing!
Most reports say/that it was the German soldiers/who invited the truce. Perhaps it was because they were winning the war at that time/and were more confident. Or maybe it was because many of them could speak English. Many Germans had worked in England/before the war. The German soldiers may have taken the first steps/because they had the confidence/to communicate in English.
Not everyone was happy/with the Christmas Truce. Some British generals spoke angrily/and accused the soldiers of losing their fighting spirit. On the German side,/one young man scolded his fellow soldiers saying,/“Such a thing should not happen in wartime. Do you have no German sense of honor left?” His name was Adolf Hitler,/the man who started World War II.
Each year on November 11,/people in many countries remember/those who have died in all wars. This day is often called Remembrance Day. There are ceremonies with presidents and prime ministers. They place wreaths on graves/so that we do not forget everyone /who has died in war. Why November 11? Because this is the day/when the peace treaty was signed/that officially ended the Great War.
Some critics say/the Christmas Truce didn’t happen,/and that it is a fairy tale made up by people/who oppose war. But historians say/the Christmas Truce was a real event. It was reported/in English and German newspapers/with photos of soldiers from both sides sitting together. There were stories of men playing “kickabout,”/an informal game of soccer. Arthur Conan Doyle,/the creator of Sherlock Holmes,/called it “an amazing spectacle”/in one of his history books. And it was amazing!
Most reports say/that it was the German soldiers/who invited the truce. Perhaps it was because they were winning the war at that time/and were more confident. Or maybe it was because many of them could speak English. Many Germans had worked in England/before the war. The German soldiers may have taken the first steps/because they had the confidence/to communicate in English.
Not everyone was happy/with the Christmas Truce. Some British generals spoke angrily/and accused the soldiers of losing their fighting spirit. On the German side,/one young man scolded his fellow soldiers saying,/“Such a thing should not happen in wartime. Do you have no German sense of honor left?” His name was Adolf Hitler,/the man who started World War II.
Each year on November 11,/people in many countries remember/those who have died in all wars. This day is often called Remembrance Day. There are ceremonies with presidents and prime ministers. They place wreaths on graves/so that we do not forget everyone /who has died in war. Why November 11? Because this is the day/when the peace treaty was signed/that officially ended the Great War.