Download Silent Night: The Remarkable 1914 Christmas Truce AudioBook Free
It had been one of history's most effective -- yet forgotten -- Christmas stories. It took place in the improbable setting of the mud, cold rain and senseless killing of the trenches of World War I. It just happened regardless of orders to the contrary by superiors; it happened regardless of language barriers. And it still stands as the only real amount of time in history that peace spontaneously arose from the low ranks in a significant conflict, bubbling up to the officers and temporarily turning sworn enemies into friends. "Silent Night," by renowned military historian Stanley Weintraub, magically restores the 1914 Christmas Truce to history. It had been lost in the tide of horror that filled the battlefields of Europe for months and years afterward. Yet in December 1914 the Great War was still young, and the men who suddenly threw down their arms and came together over the front lines -- to sing carols, exchange gifts and letters, drink and eat and even play friendly games of soccer -- naively hoped that the war would be short-lived, and they were fraternizing with future friends.It started out when German soldiers lit candles on small Christmas trees, and British, French, Belgian and German troops serenaded one another on Christmas Eve. Soon these were gathering and burying the dead, in an age-old custom of truces. But as the energy of Christmas grew included in this, they broke bread, exchanged addresses and letters and expressed deep admiration for one another. When angry superiors ordered these to recommence the shooting, a lot of men aimed harmlessly high overhead.Sometimes the best beauty emerges from deep tragedy. Surely the forgotten Christmas Truce was one of history's most beautiful moments, made allthe more beautiful in light of the carnage that followed it. Stanley Weintraub's moving re-creation demonstrates that peace can be more fragile than war, but also that ordinary men can bond with each other despite all efforts of politicians and generals to the contrary.
