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Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting
Two-time Newbery Honor Book author Jim Murphy writes a stunning nonfiction masterpiece about a Christmas miracle on the Western Front during World War I. On July 29th 1914, the world's peace was shattered as the artillery of the Austria-Hungary Empire began shelling the troops of the country to its south. What followed was like a row of falling dominoes as one European country after another rushed into war. Soon most of Europe was fighting in this calamitous war that could have been avoided. This was, of course, the First World War. But who could have guessed that on December 25 the troops would openly defy their commanding officers by stopping the fighting and having a spontaneous celebration of Christmas with their "enemies"?
128 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2009
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1,008 people want to read
About the author
Jim Murphy
32Ìýbooks85ÌýfollowersAn American author of more than 35 nonfiction and fiction books for children, young adults, and general audiences, including more than 30 about American history. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2010 for his contribution in writing for teens. Jim lives in Maplewood, New Jersey, in a hundred-year-old house with his wife Alison Blank, a children’s TV producer and children’s book author and editor, his two talented musician sons, a regal mutt, an African water frog that will live forever, and a house vast collection of books..
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December 21, 2017
'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung,
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung
Our families back in England were toasting us that day
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.*
The Western Front, 1914
Here two parallel trenches --- one held by the Germans, the other by the French, English, and Belgians --- from fifty to one thousand yards apart stretched from the North Sea coast all the way to the Swiss border, a total of over 475 miles. In between was a ravaged wasteland crisscrossed by tangles of razor-sharp barbed wire and appropriately nicknamed No Man's Land.
It was an unusually warm and wet November, with rain pouring "incessantly from above." Conditions for those in the trenches were abysmal. Rats, lice, and fleas "made their lives miserable, while great clouds of black flies nipped at their faces and got into their nostrils and food."
The war dragged along into December with both sides making numerous raids and both sides taking heavy losses. Already, more than one million soldiers had been killed, with many more wounded. Worse still, there was no end to the war in sight. As Valentine Fleming remarked at the time, "It's going to be a long war in spite of the fact that on both sides every single man in it wants it stopped at once."
The men were ready for a respite, and Christmas celebrations seemed to be the answer. Packages from home contained goodies for sharing with comrades, familiar seasonal songs and hymns were sung, and somehow, in many places along the Western Front, a ceasefire was agreed upon. One man reported that just ten minutes after the temporary peace was declared, "the ground between the two lines of trenches was swarming with men and officers of both sides, shaking hands and wishing each other a happy Christmas."
British and German soldiers meet in No Man's Land.
"There's someone coming toward us!" the front line sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one long figure trudging from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shown on that plain so bright
As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night
Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men.*
Not everyone was behind the idea of a Christmas truce. Officers issued orders, and threatened court martial for those caught fraternizing with the enemy. One young German corporal by the name of Adolph Hitler refused to take part saying, "Such a thing should never happen in wartime. Have you no German sense of honor at all?" But for those that did participate, there was a realization on both sides that something truly extraordinary had taken place. A German soldier wrote home that "it was a Christmas celebration in keeping with the command 'Peace on earth' and a memory which will stay with us always." His view was echoed by a British soldier; "This experience has been the most practical demonstration I have seen of 'Peace on earth and goodwill towards men.'"
Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wonderous night
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"*
Though aimed at middle-grade readers, Murphy's book provides quite a detailed look at the causes and consequences of the war. Detailed maps are included, and many, many photographs, most of which I'd never seen before. A word of caution for younger readers - some of the pictures feature dead soldiers and horses.
After word of the truce reached England, the Herald newspaper's editor rejoiced that peace could win out, even if only for a few days. "It is especially saddening," the editorial lamented, "that such soldiers are not in charge of the affairs of Europe instead of the diplomats and potentates. If they were we would have a natural and human Europe."
My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same.*
* from Christmas in the Trenches
by John McCutcheon
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung
Our families back in England were toasting us that day
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.*
The Western Front, 1914
Here two parallel trenches --- one held by the Germans, the other by the French, English, and Belgians --- from fifty to one thousand yards apart stretched from the North Sea coast all the way to the Swiss border, a total of over 475 miles. In between was a ravaged wasteland crisscrossed by tangles of razor-sharp barbed wire and appropriately nicknamed No Man's Land.
It was an unusually warm and wet November, with rain pouring "incessantly from above." Conditions for those in the trenches were abysmal. Rats, lice, and fleas "made their lives miserable, while great clouds of black flies nipped at their faces and got into their nostrils and food."
The war dragged along into December with both sides making numerous raids and both sides taking heavy losses. Already, more than one million soldiers had been killed, with many more wounded. Worse still, there was no end to the war in sight. As Valentine Fleming remarked at the time, "It's going to be a long war in spite of the fact that on both sides every single man in it wants it stopped at once."
The men were ready for a respite, and Christmas celebrations seemed to be the answer. Packages from home contained goodies for sharing with comrades, familiar seasonal songs and hymns were sung, and somehow, in many places along the Western Front, a ceasefire was agreed upon. One man reported that just ten minutes after the temporary peace was declared, "the ground between the two lines of trenches was swarming with men and officers of both sides, shaking hands and wishing each other a happy Christmas."
British and German soldiers meet in No Man's Land.
"There's someone coming toward us!" the front line sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one long figure trudging from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shown on that plain so bright
As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night
Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell
We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men.*
Not everyone was behind the idea of a Christmas truce. Officers issued orders, and threatened court martial for those caught fraternizing with the enemy. One young German corporal by the name of Adolph Hitler refused to take part saying, "Such a thing should never happen in wartime. Have you no German sense of honor at all?" But for those that did participate, there was a realization on both sides that something truly extraordinary had taken place. A German soldier wrote home that "it was a Christmas celebration in keeping with the command 'Peace on earth' and a memory which will stay with us always." His view was echoed by a British soldier; "This experience has been the most practical demonstration I have seen of 'Peace on earth and goodwill towards men.'"
Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wonderous night
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"*
Though aimed at middle-grade readers, Murphy's book provides quite a detailed look at the causes and consequences of the war. Detailed maps are included, and many, many photographs, most of which I'd never seen before. A word of caution for younger readers - some of the pictures feature dead soldiers and horses.
After word of the truce reached England, the Herald newspaper's editor rejoiced that peace could win out, even if only for a few days. "It is especially saddening," the editorial lamented, "that such soldiers are not in charge of the affairs of Europe instead of the diplomats and potentates. If they were we would have a natural and human Europe."
My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same.*
* from Christmas in the Trenches
by John McCutcheon
December 10, 2009
If your history classes in school were anything like mine, then this is how a typical year would go: Lots of Revolutionary War, lots of Civil War, oh no it's almost the end of the year so let's just skip to WWII, and finally a brief smattering of Vietnam. WWI got the short end of the stick year after year after year when I was growing up. In fact, by the time I graduated from high school I associated only a couple vague images with it: mustard gas, red poppies, and . Now mine was a particularly silly education, but I worry about kids today. Surely I'm not the only person who went through this. So what do you hand a ten-year-old who wants a really good book on WWI, and also wants it to explain how it happened? There are full-fledged adults operating in the world right now that haven't a clue about who or what Franz Ferdinand was (aside from a contemporary band). I guess what I love so much about Jim Murphy's Truce is that it not only talks about the famous and spontaneous truce between two opposing sides that happened around Christmas Day in 1914, but the author also takes the time to put the whole war into context without wasting so much as a word. This can only be described as senselessness synthesized.
It was considered a bit of a Christmas miracle at the time. A sprawling war, two sides taught to hate one another, and then . . . peace. Apropos of nothing, troops put down their weapons and met in No Man's Land to exchange gifts, sing songs, and play games. But how did it happen? To understand that is to understand WWI within context. Its causes, key players, and ultimately how it ended. Jim Murphy, historian extraordinaire, breaks it down for the kids and delivers a painful but ultimately strangely hopeful encapsulation of a moment in time that was admirable in its unlikelihood. A Time Line, Notes and Sources, additional bibliography, and index are included.
If WWII is "the good war" then WWI's the one we like to try to surreptitiously slip behind our backs. It doesn't have any of the iconography of its successor, nor the sheer black and white of the good and evil of the time. Maybe that's why there aren't that many children's books about it. Truce works as well as it does because it not only clarifies the confusing details (Franz Josef knowing full well that the Serbs weren't behind the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, for example) but also because he's created a narrative for the war. It was dumb as all get out. Not a reason in the world to justify it, really, and the sheer amount of blood spilt is enough to turn your head. Truce is history plus interest for the middle grade non-fiction reader not yet ready for three hundred page tomes.
Even the chapter headings are interesting. They have great titles like "Those Stupid Kings and Emperors" and "Things Were Beginning to Look Unpleasant" which more often than not come from direct quotes of the time. Murphy also gives a human face to the drama. I like to think that he also does a great job of showing how similar the two sides were, particularly when it comes to their commanding officers. When the truce broke out, commanders on both sides were livid. The English would avoid similar Christmas truces in the future with continual artillery barrages. Corporal Adolf Hitler said of it, "Such a thing should never happen in wartime. Have you no German sense of honor left at all?" I think that part of the reason Truce stands out amongst its fellows is that it shows both sides continually. The photographs are taken by both sides. The quotations and memories too. And we even see how nasty propaganda demonizing the enemy was used by opposing countries prior to the war to get the populace involved.
The natural fictional pairing with this book is Michael Foreman's . A less immediate association, but no less apt, is Scott Westerfeld's . Though ostensibly a kind of Steampunk novel, Westerfeld's book would be a great read after Truce once kids understand the characters and want to hear about them in a fictional setting. Plus, now that they have the rudimentary causes of the war under their belts, they'll be able to better understand historical fiction novels about that time period.
The fact of the matter is, it was a stupid war that killed a lot of people. Murphy even goes so far as to show how it helped sow the seeds that led to WWII. That makes it all the crazier that it was started by just a few guys, and could have been cut off if personalities had been different or if they'd listened to their enlisted men and stopped it after that first Christmas. Truce, when you get right down to it, is a sad story. One of the most touching moments in the book is when you read the words of a British private who greeted a German in No Man's Land. "The first man I came to was an old man, and when we shook hands I thought he was not going to let my hand go. The tears came rolling down his cheeks, and I felt sorry for him as he was so old, and wanted to go home." He could have. As Major Murdoch McKenzie Wood would later say, "it was only the fact that we were being controlled by others that made it necessary for us to start trying to shoot one another again." A great introduction to WWI and undeniably the best book for kids on the subject I've ever seen. And it'll break your heart in the bargain.
Ages 8-12.
It was considered a bit of a Christmas miracle at the time. A sprawling war, two sides taught to hate one another, and then . . . peace. Apropos of nothing, troops put down their weapons and met in No Man's Land to exchange gifts, sing songs, and play games. But how did it happen? To understand that is to understand WWI within context. Its causes, key players, and ultimately how it ended. Jim Murphy, historian extraordinaire, breaks it down for the kids and delivers a painful but ultimately strangely hopeful encapsulation of a moment in time that was admirable in its unlikelihood. A Time Line, Notes and Sources, additional bibliography, and index are included.
If WWII is "the good war" then WWI's the one we like to try to surreptitiously slip behind our backs. It doesn't have any of the iconography of its successor, nor the sheer black and white of the good and evil of the time. Maybe that's why there aren't that many children's books about it. Truce works as well as it does because it not only clarifies the confusing details (Franz Josef knowing full well that the Serbs weren't behind the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, for example) but also because he's created a narrative for the war. It was dumb as all get out. Not a reason in the world to justify it, really, and the sheer amount of blood spilt is enough to turn your head. Truce is history plus interest for the middle grade non-fiction reader not yet ready for three hundred page tomes.
Even the chapter headings are interesting. They have great titles like "Those Stupid Kings and Emperors" and "Things Were Beginning to Look Unpleasant" which more often than not come from direct quotes of the time. Murphy also gives a human face to the drama. I like to think that he also does a great job of showing how similar the two sides were, particularly when it comes to their commanding officers. When the truce broke out, commanders on both sides were livid. The English would avoid similar Christmas truces in the future with continual artillery barrages. Corporal Adolf Hitler said of it, "Such a thing should never happen in wartime. Have you no German sense of honor left at all?" I think that part of the reason Truce stands out amongst its fellows is that it shows both sides continually. The photographs are taken by both sides. The quotations and memories too. And we even see how nasty propaganda demonizing the enemy was used by opposing countries prior to the war to get the populace involved.
The natural fictional pairing with this book is Michael Foreman's . A less immediate association, but no less apt, is Scott Westerfeld's . Though ostensibly a kind of Steampunk novel, Westerfeld's book would be a great read after Truce once kids understand the characters and want to hear about them in a fictional setting. Plus, now that they have the rudimentary causes of the war under their belts, they'll be able to better understand historical fiction novels about that time period.
The fact of the matter is, it was a stupid war that killed a lot of people. Murphy even goes so far as to show how it helped sow the seeds that led to WWII. That makes it all the crazier that it was started by just a few guys, and could have been cut off if personalities had been different or if they'd listened to their enlisted men and stopped it after that first Christmas. Truce, when you get right down to it, is a sad story. One of the most touching moments in the book is when you read the words of a British private who greeted a German in No Man's Land. "The first man I came to was an old man, and when we shook hands I thought he was not going to let my hand go. The tears came rolling down his cheeks, and I felt sorry for him as he was so old, and wanted to go home." He could have. As Major Murdoch McKenzie Wood would later say, "it was only the fact that we were being controlled by others that made it necessary for us to start trying to shoot one another again." A great introduction to WWI and undeniably the best book for kids on the subject I've ever seen. And it'll break your heart in the bargain.
Ages 8-12.
August 14, 2013
While this book is in the Juvenile section of the library, I have to say it's the best book on WWI (or any war) that I've ever read. The causes and consequences of WWI are so much clearer to me; I could probably even carry on a lengthy discussion about it. I have read textbook chapters about WWI both in high school and college, and once I started this text, I felt like I didn't know a THING about it. So, I do recommend this to adults who love history but don't necessarily love reading adult nonfiction books about history.
As for the targeted audience: this book will be just right for someone who is at a solid middle school reading level. The vocabulary is 7-9th grade (according to Oxford-Sadlier), and it is extremely well written and totally fascinating. The reader learns how the public was misled to support the war, how the leaders blundered here and there, how the war defied expectations and how it led to trench warfare, what the Western Front was actually like, and how the miraculous Christmas truce came about and how it was forcefully ended. The author even provides commentary in the Epilogue on how there are similar issues with the Iraq war. Definitely the author is anti-war but very interested in it, and he succeeded in educating me without boring me; war is my least favorite historical topic.
Well, I recommend it!
As for the targeted audience: this book will be just right for someone who is at a solid middle school reading level. The vocabulary is 7-9th grade (according to Oxford-Sadlier), and it is extremely well written and totally fascinating. The reader learns how the public was misled to support the war, how the leaders blundered here and there, how the war defied expectations and how it led to trench warfare, what the Western Front was actually like, and how the miraculous Christmas truce came about and how it was forcefully ended. The author even provides commentary in the Epilogue on how there are similar issues with the Iraq war. Definitely the author is anti-war but very interested in it, and he succeeded in educating me without boring me; war is my least favorite historical topic.
Well, I recommend it!
March 12, 2010
Truce isn't primarily a book about World War I. As is often the case in Jim Murphy's books, Truce explains the essential facts that led to the war, but then zeroes in on one unusual section of the war that was strikingly memorable, and makes it the focus of the book. In this case, the unusual occurrence is the almost unexplainably widespread truce between the British and German soldiers which took place in the battle zone of the Western Front on Christmas Eve and Day of 1914.
I knew a fair amount about World War I before reading this book, but reacquainting myself with the facts of how it started equipped me with a lot of new information. To think that a war ending with the worldwide deaths of eight million soldiers and twenty-one million suffering ghastly wounds was based on a lack of information on the part of Austro-Hungarian leader Franz Josef is nearly beyond comprehension. Is it possible that "The War to End All Wars" could have even been prevented were it not for the hasty decision of Franz Josef to attack Serbia, or would war have eventually broken out between the two contentious nations at some point anyway, on some prefix or another? It's hard to say for sure, but the possibilities are worth a bit of ponderance.
As the metaphoric dominoes fell and nation upon nation found itself pulled into the heart of war, the encroaching German troops and defending British found themselves facing each other in a sort of Mexican standoff at the Western Front, each firmly entrenched in the ditches dug for their side with the expansive "No Man's Land" plain spread before them to prevent a successful overtake by one side or the other. In their home countries, both British and German had been whipped into a frenzy of disgust for the other by the propaganda machines of their respective governments, hardly regarding the opponent anymore as better than subhuman. It was on this chess board of battle that the sides settled in to wait, and wait, and wait for the chance to launch an attack to defeat the hated opposition.
It appears that one reason for so many deaths in World War I can be attributed to the transitional period that fighting strategies were experiencing. Modern artillery was becoming a mainstay of every nation's army, with tanks, machine guns, grenades and other high-power weapons staking claim to the vanguard, yet combat styles had not sufficiently changed to address the horrifying dangers of such devastating weaponry. In many cases, war strategy was leading soldiers right into the heart of combat zones that were sure to completely overwhelm them, against firepower that was certain to rip them to pieces. How must it feel to dash across an open field directly into the teeth of machine gun fire, knowing that you don't really stand a chance of survival but also knowing that one's commanding officer must be obeyed? I can't imagine something like that.
It turns out that such antiquated fighting methods cost both the British and German forces shockingly high numbers of casualties as they faced each other down on the Western Front. The problem was that neither side was comfortable with the stalemate they were facing, and the commanders repeatedly ordered massive numbers of their soldiers to conduct "raids" on the opponent, running madly across No Man's Land despite the fact that such maneuvers could never work when faced with the kind of heavy artillery possessed by both sides, and ordering those mad dashes was only going to get more soldiers killed. This was a new type of war, though, one that commanders were not used to, and the price of their experience was paid in the blood of their men.
Despite the fact that the German and British governments had created so fierce of propaganda against the opposing side that the armies regarded each other as something less than human, as the two militias warily sat for so long watching each other from their trenches, a remarkable thing happened. At night, through the whelming quiet of No Man's land, sliced the sounds of conversation and even laughter between soldiers on the other side. There may have been differences in language, but it was easy for the soldiers to see that the people in ditches on the other side were having the same kinds of discussions that they were having with people in their own trenches. The soldiers they were fighting didn't seem like the monsters they had been told they were; they were just like real...people.
As time continued to crawl along, the British and German armies began to occasionally call out to each other, sometimes even tossing a package of new food over to the other side. Relations between the divided soldiers began to warm and the hatred to dissipate, until the unforgettable night of Christmas Eve, when simultaneously all along the Western Front divide, German and British came together in No Man's Land for a quiet temporary truce to observe Christmas as friends. Amazingly, as the enemy came into view of each other, shaking hands and even exchanging gifts, the cacophony of shots being fired that had been the audio backdrop for so long receded into the night, and British and German became friends on the bloody field of battle.
The truce lasted all through Christmas Day and was spread across almost the entire Western Front, all of which really is amazing when one considers that the commanding officers on both sides were dead set against the truces, and in many cases even ordered their men not to take part in them at the risk of court martial. It seems that one reason the troops on both sides were so agreeable to a Christmas truce, even to the point of openly defying their commanding officers, is that the men were just totally sick of fighting. They didn't want to watch their comrades losing their lives in No Man's Land anymore, dying in ill-advised raids that were destined for failure. Since they had come to see the opposition as real, amiable human beings they no longer wanted to be killing them, either. In this one place, at least, at this one time, soldiers just decided that they had experienced enough death and destruction. They didn't want to fight anymore.
In fact, along many places on the Western Front the truce lasted longer than just Christmas day. One British officer later said that the soldiers in his area (and the Germans across the way) didn't relinquish the last vestiges of the truce until Spring thaw had begun. Whatever kind of miracle it was that led to the widespread Christmas truce, it was clear that this miracle changed people, and at least that it had briefly given them a respite from the monstrously rising death tolls that were such a constant part of World War I.
So, what was the major lesson to be learned in all of this? I don't know if there necessarily was one, but it's heartening to think that people who had been trained to despise each other and who had seen that reason for hate bolstered by the sight of their friends being gunned down by the enemy could still have minds open enough to perceive the humanity in the opposing forces, and could in the interest of all present lay aside the rules of engagement in war and take a day to show respect for each other regardless of nationality, and to learn that neither side really wanted at all to be doing battle in these trenches. When it came down to it, virtually every soldier on either side would have much rather been at home with their families, living peacefully together without the imminent specter of death hanging over their heads like the scythe of the grim reaper. In short, they all just wanted to go home, and the miraculous truce on Christmas of 1914 allowed them at least a short break from the horrors of war.
The entry of the United States into World War I, along with their three million fresh soldiers to aid the Allies, was a huge decisive factor in turning the tide of success toward the Allies. By 1918 the war was over, but it would never be forgotten by the families of the nearly thirty million (!!!!!) soldiers estimated to have been killed or injured, worldwide. Here was a war that many historians say never should have been fought at all, and the death tolls had reached such astronomical numbers that the world would be forever changed. All over Europe, fields of rich crops had been blown to bits and replaced by solemn little white crosses to commemorate the fallen. Winners and losers of the war were all affected beyond what anyone could have imagined when the first shot was fired between Austria-Hungary and Serbia.
As always, Jim Murphy has written a book featuring some unusually poetic language for a non-fiction tome, and has unerringly researched and explained a small corner of world history that should have a lasting impact on his readers. I would give two and a half stars to Truce.
I knew a fair amount about World War I before reading this book, but reacquainting myself with the facts of how it started equipped me with a lot of new information. To think that a war ending with the worldwide deaths of eight million soldiers and twenty-one million suffering ghastly wounds was based on a lack of information on the part of Austro-Hungarian leader Franz Josef is nearly beyond comprehension. Is it possible that "The War to End All Wars" could have even been prevented were it not for the hasty decision of Franz Josef to attack Serbia, or would war have eventually broken out between the two contentious nations at some point anyway, on some prefix or another? It's hard to say for sure, but the possibilities are worth a bit of ponderance.
As the metaphoric dominoes fell and nation upon nation found itself pulled into the heart of war, the encroaching German troops and defending British found themselves facing each other in a sort of Mexican standoff at the Western Front, each firmly entrenched in the ditches dug for their side with the expansive "No Man's Land" plain spread before them to prevent a successful overtake by one side or the other. In their home countries, both British and German had been whipped into a frenzy of disgust for the other by the propaganda machines of their respective governments, hardly regarding the opponent anymore as better than subhuman. It was on this chess board of battle that the sides settled in to wait, and wait, and wait for the chance to launch an attack to defeat the hated opposition.
It appears that one reason for so many deaths in World War I can be attributed to the transitional period that fighting strategies were experiencing. Modern artillery was becoming a mainstay of every nation's army, with tanks, machine guns, grenades and other high-power weapons staking claim to the vanguard, yet combat styles had not sufficiently changed to address the horrifying dangers of such devastating weaponry. In many cases, war strategy was leading soldiers right into the heart of combat zones that were sure to completely overwhelm them, against firepower that was certain to rip them to pieces. How must it feel to dash across an open field directly into the teeth of machine gun fire, knowing that you don't really stand a chance of survival but also knowing that one's commanding officer must be obeyed? I can't imagine something like that.
It turns out that such antiquated fighting methods cost both the British and German forces shockingly high numbers of casualties as they faced each other down on the Western Front. The problem was that neither side was comfortable with the stalemate they were facing, and the commanders repeatedly ordered massive numbers of their soldiers to conduct "raids" on the opponent, running madly across No Man's Land despite the fact that such maneuvers could never work when faced with the kind of heavy artillery possessed by both sides, and ordering those mad dashes was only going to get more soldiers killed. This was a new type of war, though, one that commanders were not used to, and the price of their experience was paid in the blood of their men.
Despite the fact that the German and British governments had created so fierce of propaganda against the opposing side that the armies regarded each other as something less than human, as the two militias warily sat for so long watching each other from their trenches, a remarkable thing happened. At night, through the whelming quiet of No Man's land, sliced the sounds of conversation and even laughter between soldiers on the other side. There may have been differences in language, but it was easy for the soldiers to see that the people in ditches on the other side were having the same kinds of discussions that they were having with people in their own trenches. The soldiers they were fighting didn't seem like the monsters they had been told they were; they were just like real...people.
As time continued to crawl along, the British and German armies began to occasionally call out to each other, sometimes even tossing a package of new food over to the other side. Relations between the divided soldiers began to warm and the hatred to dissipate, until the unforgettable night of Christmas Eve, when simultaneously all along the Western Front divide, German and British came together in No Man's Land for a quiet temporary truce to observe Christmas as friends. Amazingly, as the enemy came into view of each other, shaking hands and even exchanging gifts, the cacophony of shots being fired that had been the audio backdrop for so long receded into the night, and British and German became friends on the bloody field of battle.
The truce lasted all through Christmas Day and was spread across almost the entire Western Front, all of which really is amazing when one considers that the commanding officers on both sides were dead set against the truces, and in many cases even ordered their men not to take part in them at the risk of court martial. It seems that one reason the troops on both sides were so agreeable to a Christmas truce, even to the point of openly defying their commanding officers, is that the men were just totally sick of fighting. They didn't want to watch their comrades losing their lives in No Man's Land anymore, dying in ill-advised raids that were destined for failure. Since they had come to see the opposition as real, amiable human beings they no longer wanted to be killing them, either. In this one place, at least, at this one time, soldiers just decided that they had experienced enough death and destruction. They didn't want to fight anymore.
In fact, along many places on the Western Front the truce lasted longer than just Christmas day. One British officer later said that the soldiers in his area (and the Germans across the way) didn't relinquish the last vestiges of the truce until Spring thaw had begun. Whatever kind of miracle it was that led to the widespread Christmas truce, it was clear that this miracle changed people, and at least that it had briefly given them a respite from the monstrously rising death tolls that were such a constant part of World War I.
So, what was the major lesson to be learned in all of this? I don't know if there necessarily was one, but it's heartening to think that people who had been trained to despise each other and who had seen that reason for hate bolstered by the sight of their friends being gunned down by the enemy could still have minds open enough to perceive the humanity in the opposing forces, and could in the interest of all present lay aside the rules of engagement in war and take a day to show respect for each other regardless of nationality, and to learn that neither side really wanted at all to be doing battle in these trenches. When it came down to it, virtually every soldier on either side would have much rather been at home with their families, living peacefully together without the imminent specter of death hanging over their heads like the scythe of the grim reaper. In short, they all just wanted to go home, and the miraculous truce on Christmas of 1914 allowed them at least a short break from the horrors of war.
The entry of the United States into World War I, along with their three million fresh soldiers to aid the Allies, was a huge decisive factor in turning the tide of success toward the Allies. By 1918 the war was over, but it would never be forgotten by the families of the nearly thirty million (!!!!!) soldiers estimated to have been killed or injured, worldwide. Here was a war that many historians say never should have been fought at all, and the death tolls had reached such astronomical numbers that the world would be forever changed. All over Europe, fields of rich crops had been blown to bits and replaced by solemn little white crosses to commemorate the fallen. Winners and losers of the war were all affected beyond what anyone could have imagined when the first shot was fired between Austria-Hungary and Serbia.
As always, Jim Murphy has written a book featuring some unusually poetic language for a non-fiction tome, and has unerringly researched and explained a small corner of world history that should have a lasting impact on his readers. I would give two and a half stars to Truce.
November 14, 2017
Reading a nonfiction book when you’re already familiar with much of the content can sometimes grate. I found the manner in which Murphy presented the subject to be engaging and informative. Although there were some points where I felt facts were simplified in ways that left out an important nuance of the events, in general the author presents a balanced depiction of the pressures and prejudices working against Europe at the time. The facts are not dumbed down, but some are slightly simplified for young readers.
Although by necessity for a writer working in English, many of his original sources are British soldiers, he is careful to also include the words of French and German soldiers in both his explanations of the early days of fighting and the actual events on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. He does not fall into the trap that some American writers do of portraying the English as heroes while neglecting the German point of view.
By providing this balanced description of the subject, Murphy furthers central idea of the text. He emphasizes the fact that neither side was right in the conflict, and that soldiers on both sides were the victims of, not one another, but the ambition, narrow thinking and misunderstanding of the impacts of modern warfare of their leaders.
Murphy’s use of photographs and eyewitness accounts enables the reader to see the war not is something that happened a long time ago, but something that impacted real individuals like themselves. I found myself wondering about the young man whose names appeared in the text. I wondered what happened to them. If they survive the war. Making that kind of an emotional connection helped the facts of the book stay with me. There is inherent drama in the horrors of trench warfare, and Murphy captures it without being gruesome.
The story of the Christmas truce on the Western Front continues, more than one hundred years later, to be captivating. The fact that these truces came about, independent of one another, up-and-down the Western Front, without, and in fact in spite of orders from above, make them all the more remarkable
Although by necessity for a writer working in English, many of his original sources are British soldiers, he is careful to also include the words of French and German soldiers in both his explanations of the early days of fighting and the actual events on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. He does not fall into the trap that some American writers do of portraying the English as heroes while neglecting the German point of view.
By providing this balanced description of the subject, Murphy furthers central idea of the text. He emphasizes the fact that neither side was right in the conflict, and that soldiers on both sides were the victims of, not one another, but the ambition, narrow thinking and misunderstanding of the impacts of modern warfare of their leaders.
Murphy’s use of photographs and eyewitness accounts enables the reader to see the war not is something that happened a long time ago, but something that impacted real individuals like themselves. I found myself wondering about the young man whose names appeared in the text. I wondered what happened to them. If they survive the war. Making that kind of an emotional connection helped the facts of the book stay with me. There is inherent drama in the horrors of trench warfare, and Murphy captures it without being gruesome.
The story of the Christmas truce on the Western Front continues, more than one hundred years later, to be captivating. The fact that these truces came about, independent of one another, up-and-down the Western Front, without, and in fact in spite of orders from above, make them all the more remarkable
November 5, 2018
This is a Non-Fiction book about the 1914 Christmas Truce in World War One. This book was wrote by Jim Murphy in 2009. There are many surprising and interesting facts that are in the book. Some are funny and some are sad but they are facts. The First World War is a great topic to read and learn about. The title of the book hints at what the book will mainly be about. The author gave great and clear details about specific things such as what they wore and what they did down the fronts. Here is a short summary. On June 28th ,1914 Europe was shocked, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was murdered in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Later on July 29th 1914, European peace was shattered as the artillery of the Austro-Hungarian Empire began shelling the troops of the country to its south. What followed was like a row of falling dominoes as one European country after another rushed into war. Soon a majority of Europe was fighting in this deadly war that could have been avoided. This was, of course, the First World War. But who could have guessed that on December 25, 1914 the troops would openly defy their commanding officers by stopping the fighting and having a spontaneous celebration of Christmas with their enemies?
February 12, 2024
Set in Europe. 128 pp. I didn't realize this was geared for Middle Grades until I finished the book. It was a good, basic introduction to WWI and the Christmas truce that came about in 1914. Its simple style served to truly drive home the statistics of the total dead and wounded from that war and how utterly pointless it was.
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January 28, 2019
Truce by: Jim Murphy is a non-fiction book that was published in 2009. This book is about World War I and how the truce actually started. It is a short book and not very interesting until the end of the book when the truce actually started. The soldiers from Germany and United Kingdom are the main characters in the book. The main conflict of the book is the war because the truce would have never happened if the war never happened. The main plot line is when the truce started, as it was going on and when the soldiers were wanting the war to end. In the book Truce, The soldiers were singing to each other from opposite sides of the trench on Christmas . The soldiers wanted the war to end. The setting of the book is in Ypres, Belgium in 1914. I recommend this to fifth through eighth grade because there are a lot of pictures and is easy to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2020
This is a nonfiction book that takes place on Christmas 1914. I found this book really clear and it seemed like Jim murphy really oversimplified things for me so I could understand. But the book really did not keep me interested. I recommend if you're into world war 2 and 1 then there is a good chance you will like this book. The main reason why I found this book was not the best was that war does not interest me when reading.
December 11, 2022
I had no idea that in some instances a truce went on for as long as two weeks.
January 1, 2024
Maybe my favorite book of 2023. Read to my son before bedtime. Soo good! Powerful stories and I realized my WW1 history wasn’t as strong.
December 11, 2012
Truce is a wonderful book that not only tells the story of the unofficial Christmas Truce of 1914 during World War I, but also gives a coherent, thorough history of the events leading up to the hostilities and just what those terrible first months of war was like in the trenches.
The fact is that most of us don't really remember World War I from our high school history days. And I know I never learned that World War I could have and almost was prevented. So I can honestly say that I (re)learned a lot reading Truce. Jim Murphy has a real gift for explaining history in his well-researched, totally accessible book about how the enemy soldiers stopped fighting in the middle of a war and celebrated Christmas together. And as he points out, the truce wasn't quite as spontaneous as we have been led to believe.
Murphy explains that there are two sides to trench warfare - the fighting side and the boring side. The fighting side was basically barbaric, with soldiers charging across a No Man's Land towards the enemy and the enemy mowing them down with all kinds of artillery, including machine guns. The boring side was waiting in the trenches for the next charge or counter charge. But, although carnage was taking place on the battlefield, newspapers were publishing stories about victory, causing enlistment offices to be packed with men want to enlist.
The fighting was horrible as were the conditions in the trenches. The soldiers were plagued not only by bullets and grenades, but also by "nonmiliitary dangers," like swarms of hungry rats, lice and fleas in their clothing, bedding and food. And sometimes these can be just a bad.
But sometimes, Murphy writes, when it was quite the soldiers of one side could hear the soldiers on the other side talking, singing, playing music. Then they began to contact each other from across No Man's Land, exchanging greetings, remarks, even food.
And so, when Christmas came and the men received cards and parcels from home, on both sides of No Man's Land, they were feeling mellow and friendly. The rest is history...
While the main focus of Truce is on the events leading up to war and the truce of Christmas 1914, Murphy also includes a brief history of the rest of the war and the subsequent conditions Germany was subjected to when they surrendered. Murphy has written a nicely detailed, well-rounded history, just graphic enough for the intended middle grade reader. It will hold their interest without turning them off. Truce is very well documented, and includes maps, photographs, a timeline, notes and sources - in other words, all those things that make an informational text really creditable and user-friendly. I particularly liked the list of books, poetry, movies and websites where the reader can go to learn more about World War I.
One of the things I have always wondered about was why the unofficial Christmas Truce of 1914 during World War II has become the subject for lots of fiction. Well, I found my answer in this well-researched, well-written book. The Western Front was a lot longer than I had ever imagined - two parallel trenches ran 475 miles from the North Sea to the Swiss border, separated by a No Man's Land tangled up with barbed wire. On the eastern side of the front was the German trench, on the western side were the Allied troops from Britain, France and Belgium. 475 miles means that not everyone could have experienced the truce in the same way, leaving it wide open to the imagination.
What a great book!
This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was purchased for my personal library
The fact is that most of us don't really remember World War I from our high school history days. And I know I never learned that World War I could have and almost was prevented. So I can honestly say that I (re)learned a lot reading Truce. Jim Murphy has a real gift for explaining history in his well-researched, totally accessible book about how the enemy soldiers stopped fighting in the middle of a war and celebrated Christmas together. And as he points out, the truce wasn't quite as spontaneous as we have been led to believe.
Murphy explains that there are two sides to trench warfare - the fighting side and the boring side. The fighting side was basically barbaric, with soldiers charging across a No Man's Land towards the enemy and the enemy mowing them down with all kinds of artillery, including machine guns. The boring side was waiting in the trenches for the next charge or counter charge. But, although carnage was taking place on the battlefield, newspapers were publishing stories about victory, causing enlistment offices to be packed with men want to enlist.
The fighting was horrible as were the conditions in the trenches. The soldiers were plagued not only by bullets and grenades, but also by "nonmiliitary dangers," like swarms of hungry rats, lice and fleas in their clothing, bedding and food. And sometimes these can be just a bad.
But sometimes, Murphy writes, when it was quite the soldiers of one side could hear the soldiers on the other side talking, singing, playing music. Then they began to contact each other from across No Man's Land, exchanging greetings, remarks, even food.
And so, when Christmas came and the men received cards and parcels from home, on both sides of No Man's Land, they were feeling mellow and friendly. The rest is history...
While the main focus of Truce is on the events leading up to war and the truce of Christmas 1914, Murphy also includes a brief history of the rest of the war and the subsequent conditions Germany was subjected to when they surrendered. Murphy has written a nicely detailed, well-rounded history, just graphic enough for the intended middle grade reader. It will hold their interest without turning them off. Truce is very well documented, and includes maps, photographs, a timeline, notes and sources - in other words, all those things that make an informational text really creditable and user-friendly. I particularly liked the list of books, poetry, movies and websites where the reader can go to learn more about World War I.
One of the things I have always wondered about was why the unofficial Christmas Truce of 1914 during World War II has become the subject for lots of fiction. Well, I found my answer in this well-researched, well-written book. The Western Front was a lot longer than I had ever imagined - two parallel trenches ran 475 miles from the North Sea to the Swiss border, separated by a No Man's Land tangled up with barbed wire. On the eastern side of the front was the German trench, on the western side were the Allied troops from Britain, France and Belgium. 475 miles means that not everyone could have experienced the truce in the same way, leaving it wide open to the imagination.
What a great book!
This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was purchased for my personal library
November 17, 2014
Truce: The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting by Jim Murphy is a non-fiction book about the Christmas Truce of 1914 during World War One. Jim Murphy starts the book by writing about how the war started and showing how the whole conflict could've been avoided. The anger that lead to the war started when an Austrian-Hungarian Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand when assassinated by a Serbian National. Now this was especially bad because he was the heir to the throne and the Austrian-Hungarians already hated the Serbians. However the Emperor of Austria-Hungry Franz Josef disliked the Arch Duke and was pleased with the assassination but his advisors were outraged so they convinced the emperor to send an unreasonable list of demands to the Serbians in order to avoid war but before they did this they mobilized there army and made an alliance with Germany. The Serbians agreed to all of the demands except for one that was fairly on important to the Austrian-Hungarians. However when Franz Josef heard they denied the demands he sent the order to strike when he received the exact details he regretted the choice but it was too late World War One had started. Christmas arrived that year and by that many soldiers on both sides didn't see the point to the war. They were tired of fighting and wanted desperately to go home. So on Christmas of 1914 both sides had a cease fire to celebrate Christmas with one another. It was a celebration unimaginable. Armies who yesterday were killing each other were now exchanging gifts. The truce didn't last long because the next day when high ranking officers heard of the phenomena they were outraged and demanded the resuming of fighting. Jim Murphy writes in Truce “What would happen if both sides just laid down their weapons� The Christmas Truce answers that question.
I would recommend this book to my friends because it provides many perspectives on World War One and provides historical information in an interesting and organized way.
Me: Franz Josef do you feel that World War One was necessary?
Franz Josef: That is an interesting question I feel that the conflict could have been avoided if my advisors would have been more reluctant to attack the Serbs.
Me: How do you feel about the Christmas Truce of 1914?
Franz Josef: It is outrageous the solders never should have disobeyed their officer’s orders.
Me: What was the point of World War One?
Franz Josef: To prove to the Serbians and the rest of the world the might of Austria-Hungry
December 8, 2009
I've never known much about WWI. I liked this book - a children's book, so it was in layman's terms and easy to understand - but it gave a feel for the horrors of war without being graphic. I am going to share some quotes from the book that impacted me. I guess I should say *spoiler alert* in case I'm giving something away.
The story of the Christmas truce is one I was vaguely familiar with, but I didn't realize that the truce didn't end on Dec. 26. In some areas, it continued for months. In one area, the German soldiers were so reluctant to start fighting again that their commanding officers threatened them with, "Fire, or we do -- and not at the enemy!" So, even though no shots had been fired from the British, "at last we fired, and an answering fire came back, but not a man fell. We spent that day and the next wasting ammunition in trying to shoot the stars down from the sky." One soldier who had been serving in a part of the line where the truce lasted over two weeks said, "I...came to the conclusion...that if we had been left to ourselves there would have never been another shot fired. For a fortnight that truce went on. We were on the most friendly terms, and it was only the fact that we were being controlled by others that made it necessary for us to start trying to shoot one another again."
The story of the Christmas truce is one I was vaguely familiar with, but I didn't realize that the truce didn't end on Dec. 26. In some areas, it continued for months. In one area, the German soldiers were so reluctant to start fighting again that their commanding officers threatened them with, "Fire, or we do -- and not at the enemy!" So, even though no shots had been fired from the British, "at last we fired, and an answering fire came back, but not a man fell. We spent that day and the next wasting ammunition in trying to shoot the stars down from the sky." One soldier who had been serving in a part of the line where the truce lasted over two weeks said, "I...came to the conclusion...that if we had been left to ourselves there would have never been another shot fired. For a fortnight that truce went on. We were on the most friendly terms, and it was only the fact that we were being controlled by others that made it necessary for us to start trying to shoot one another again."
November 21, 2017
I have never been one to enjoy history books. Although this may have been mostly because of the texts that were presented to me in my K-12 days, it has stuck with me through the majority of college. Truce, however, was a history book that I finally found myself completely intrigued by. This book is the story of Christmas in World War One. Men on both sides were miserably fighting and circumstances were getting worse and worse. The war was gory and each side had leaders that wanted it to continue on. However, many men were over it. They started to slowly communicate each other, beginning with finishing each other’s songs in the night. It When Christmas eve finally came and care packages arrived with all of the men, the battle grounds suddenly fell silent on both ends. I find this story extremely beautiful. I think this would be an excellent story to bring into the classroom around the holiday season. For all of the students who don’t necessarily enjoy reading about history, this would be a great book to have them read and likely enjoy.
November 6, 2018
I've never done a review for nonfiction before, so apologies if this turns out really, really bad.
I never read much nonfiction, and this was hard for me to read. The first half was so boring, and I found it very hard to read because it was just spewing facts after facts, and there was nothing to grab attention (for me, at least). Then, when the Christmas Truce came, it really picked up, and I found myself sort of liking hearing about the soldier's lives and all.
If you wary about this book, just give it a shot. The first half is quite boring, but if you are truly interested, keep reading, because it does get better.
I never read much nonfiction, and this was hard for me to read. The first half was so boring, and I found it very hard to read because it was just spewing facts after facts, and there was nothing to grab attention (for me, at least). Then, when the Christmas Truce came, it really picked up, and I found myself sort of liking hearing about the soldier's lives and all.
If you wary about this book, just give it a shot. The first half is quite boring, but if you are truly interested, keep reading, because it does get better.
June 1, 2019
I've never done a review for nonfiction before, so apologies if this turns out really, really bad.
I never read much nonfiction, and this was hard for me to read. The first half was so boring, and I found it very hard to read because it was just spewing facts after facts, and there was nothing to grab attention (for me, at least). Then, when the Christmas Truce came, it really picked up, and I found myself sort of liking hearing about the soldier's lives and all.
If you wary about this book, just give it a shot. The first half is quite boring, but if you are truly interested, keep reading, because it does get better.
I never read much nonfiction, and this was hard for me to read. The first half was so boring, and I found it very hard to read because it was just spewing facts after facts, and there was nothing to grab attention (for me, at least). Then, when the Christmas Truce came, it really picked up, and I found myself sort of liking hearing about the soldier's lives and all.
If you wary about this book, just give it a shot. The first half is quite boring, but if you are truly interested, keep reading, because it does get better.
August 21, 2013
Usually, when I read non-fiction I don't do it willingly. This book was different. I never knew that the famous 1st World War had a good, touching, part to it. I think everyone should read this book, because I believe that peace is the answer instead of war. I also believe that everyone has a good part to them, just waiting to shine. This book taught not only about climax of the war, but also the little steps that built up to WW1. I might take up some more non-fiction after this great piece of literature.
December 4, 2011
great young people's book about World War one and especially about the truce that happened on Christmas. It really shows how most people wouldn't even fight if they really knew each other and were left to themselves. That war is a result of power hungry leaders. It also made me really want to read a book about Winston Churchill who sounded like the only sensible one of the bunch!
March 30, 2014
An excellent book about the Christmas truce of 1914. Confirms my belief that most people want to live in peace if you can keep the leaders/governments out of it. Very well-written.
December 6, 2017
We gained so much understanding from this book. Using many firsthand accounts derived from diary entries and other written sources, this book tells the story of the events leading up to the Great War and the miraculous Christmas truce of 1914.
How tragic, and how senseless, this loss of life and destruction of villages, landscapes, families, generations, and nations. How horrifying to be forced to fight an enemy you have learned is just like you--a human being, with thoughts and feelings and family and home--who doesn't want to fight, who just wants the war to end, who would rather shake hands and share food rations than kill you.
To be ordered upon threat of court-martial or spontaneous execution to attack the enemy--which has become your friend...to be punished by superior officers for participating in a cease-fire...to be pressured into callous killing...for what? What was the purpose? What was accomplished by this?
I understand a bit about how the war began, how a handful of nations were thrust into conflict because of the thirst for power or a promise to aid allies, but I fail to see why leaders thought the senseless five years in the trenches were accomplishing anything other than wanton loss for both sides. Perhaps these commanders would have done better to experience the front lines with their troops, and see for themselves the waste.
This book makes me so sad. While it tells the beautiful story of camaraderie and goodwill among enemies (who really didn't have any personal reasons to be enemies), it exposes the heartrending effects of nations ploughing along in a rut of anger, hatred, and retaliation.
How tragic, and how senseless, this loss of life and destruction of villages, landscapes, families, generations, and nations. How horrifying to be forced to fight an enemy you have learned is just like you--a human being, with thoughts and feelings and family and home--who doesn't want to fight, who just wants the war to end, who would rather shake hands and share food rations than kill you.
To be ordered upon threat of court-martial or spontaneous execution to attack the enemy--which has become your friend...to be punished by superior officers for participating in a cease-fire...to be pressured into callous killing...for what? What was the purpose? What was accomplished by this?
I understand a bit about how the war began, how a handful of nations were thrust into conflict because of the thirst for power or a promise to aid allies, but I fail to see why leaders thought the senseless five years in the trenches were accomplishing anything other than wanton loss for both sides. Perhaps these commanders would have done better to experience the front lines with their troops, and see for themselves the waste.
This book makes me so sad. While it tells the beautiful story of camaraderie and goodwill among enemies (who really didn't have any personal reasons to be enemies), it exposes the heartrending effects of nations ploughing along in a rut of anger, hatred, and retaliation.
January 9, 2023
This book tells of an amazing event in the history of warfare. However it also does much more than just that. It gives a clear and concise history of what lead up to World War I, and the different governments' plans to achieve a quick victory, none of which worked. What ended up happening was a long brutal war, with new technology of mass destruction and no new tactics. Hundreds of thousands died uselessly, because of these outdated tactics combined with new weapons, and a belief that each side thought they were superior and in the right.
What ended up happening was a giant standoff - trench warfare that had trenches that ran from the North Sea Coast all the way to the Swiss border, with the trenches being from 50 to 1000 yards apart. The Germans were on one side of the trench and the French, English and Belgians were on the other. Originally both sides thought the war would be over by Christmas, each side shelling, bombing and launching raids on the other. Massive losses on both sides contributed to doubt among those on the front lines. Then on Christmas Eve of 1914, a miracle happened. Almost all the way along the lines a spontaneous peace erupted; for more than 24 hours no fighting took place, the soldiers met in the middle of no-man's land between the trenches and exchanged gifts and songs and Christmas greetings and wishes.
This book masterfully tells this story of politicians and military leaders who wanted to continue fighting and soldiers who did not obey orders and had a Christmas miracle. The book is full of historical photographs, illustrations and quotes from those in the events. The special features at the end of the book will be great for educators, students, or students of history alike. It has a great timeline, extensive notes and sources, and a section with more references for World War I resources, from books, movies and on the web.
What ended up happening was a giant standoff - trench warfare that had trenches that ran from the North Sea Coast all the way to the Swiss border, with the trenches being from 50 to 1000 yards apart. The Germans were on one side of the trench and the French, English and Belgians were on the other. Originally both sides thought the war would be over by Christmas, each side shelling, bombing and launching raids on the other. Massive losses on both sides contributed to doubt among those on the front lines. Then on Christmas Eve of 1914, a miracle happened. Almost all the way along the lines a spontaneous peace erupted; for more than 24 hours no fighting took place, the soldiers met in the middle of no-man's land between the trenches and exchanged gifts and songs and Christmas greetings and wishes.
This book masterfully tells this story of politicians and military leaders who wanted to continue fighting and soldiers who did not obey orders and had a Christmas miracle. The book is full of historical photographs, illustrations and quotes from those in the events. The special features at the end of the book will be great for educators, students, or students of history alike. It has a great timeline, extensive notes and sources, and a section with more references for World War I resources, from books, movies and on the web.
May 17, 2018
It has been said that politics makes strange bedfellows, and sadly, war makes enemies out of individuals who might otherwise have found some commonalities had they met under different circumstances. It is no great secret that the men who enlist or are drafted during wartime often serve their countries out of a desire to defend their nation and its causes, but that sometimes it isn't clear just why they are fighting. So it was in WWI, the war that was supposed to end all others. The death toll in that war, that began in 1914 and ended in 1918 with 8 million military men killed, was horrific, raging all across Europe. This was a war fought with great trenches dug into the ground and gas warfare. But in the event described here, for a brief few hours, the troops on both sides of the conflict, chose to cease fighting and celebrate Christmas in no man's land, the territory between the two armies. I loved the fact that these men were able to forget that they were enemies who had been shooting at each other earlier and would resume shooting at each other later, declaring an unofficial truce despite the wishes of their commanding officers and remembering their humanity for a short time.
April 19, 2021
What if the soldiers refused to fight? If they rise from their trenches, shake hands, exchange a toast, and exchange Christmas presents? What then?
It happened in WWI. German and British soldiers met in "No Man's Land" and celebrated the holidays together, in the middle of the war. Their commanding officers were not too happy. How can you shoot at somebody you've become friends with? For some weeks after, and in some places into March, they hesitated to shoot at each other, and in many cases purposely shot over the heads of their enemy. In the end, commanders got their way and the killing resumed for several more years.
This is one of those well-researched Jim Murphy books that hones in on a specific historical event in detail. It includes photos and maps and is around 100 pages. Although this is a young adult read, it is also a good way to find out about a historical event quickly. Additional resources are listed in the back. An index is included and useful.
It happened in WWI. German and British soldiers met in "No Man's Land" and celebrated the holidays together, in the middle of the war. Their commanding officers were not too happy. How can you shoot at somebody you've become friends with? For some weeks after, and in some places into March, they hesitated to shoot at each other, and in many cases purposely shot over the heads of their enemy. In the end, commanders got their way and the killing resumed for several more years.
This is one of those well-researched Jim Murphy books that hones in on a specific historical event in detail. It includes photos and maps and is around 100 pages. Although this is a young adult read, it is also a good way to find out about a historical event quickly. Additional resources are listed in the back. An index is included and useful.
November 28, 2018
Truce: the day the soldiers stopped fighting is a chapter book that describes what led to the escalation and what eventually led to the conflict of World War I. It zeros in on one specific event that occurred around Christmas time of 1914. This book is written in the third person point of view which takes a bit of credibility away since it is not written by a person who actually experienced the events that are presented in the book. However, there are a few primary accounts scattered around the book which adds an element to the book that is welcoming. Adding to that there are also quite a bit of pictures all throughout the book which add to the depth of the book since it is sometimes hard to visualize such a bizarre topic. This would be a great addition to any classroom since it allows students to know about WWI.
December 26, 2020
A succinct account (under 100 pages) of the Christmas truce of 1914 along the Western Front. Murphy's writing is clear-cut but interesting enough to keep you reading. He essentially summarizes the lead-up to the war, as well as its first five months when soldiers on both sides "dug in" to the trenches that would become their homes for the next four years. A quote that stood out (from an English lieutenant): "The situation seems absurd- 2 huge armies sitting & watching each other like this." WW1 in a nutshell.
But on Christmas Day, 1914 fighting was replaced with festivities as the Germans and Allies came together to celebrate "peace on earth and goodwill to men" in No Man's Land all across Western Europe. I enjoyed learning how German families sent their soldiers Christmas trees to spruce up the gloomy trenches, and how English/German regiments would take turns serenading one another with Christmas carols!
But on Christmas Day, 1914 fighting was replaced with festivities as the Germans and Allies came together to celebrate "peace on earth and goodwill to men" in No Man's Land all across Western Europe. I enjoyed learning how German families sent their soldiers Christmas trees to spruce up the gloomy trenches, and how English/German regiments would take turns serenading one another with Christmas carols!
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September 26, 2017Everyone has heard about WWI but, the story of when the fighting stopped shows a side of war often forgotten for those who have been distanced from it. Truce is set during WWI but the main story is set at the trenches bordering No Mans Land, Christmas of 1914. Truce has won: 2010 Notable Book for a Global Society, Editor’s Choice, ALA Notable Book for Children, ALA’s BBYA Best Book for Young Adults, NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Title, Junior Literary Guild Selection, Booklist Best Books of 2009, SLJ Best Books of 2009, and BCCB Blue Ribbon Book. This book can be used in a classroom to teach about the multiple causes of WWI and because of its story-like format it will be easier and more interesting for students to read.
February 23, 2025
Excellent. Not a comprehensive telling of the Great War but great for students to get a sense of conditions, and a sense of the humanity of those who were directed by those in command.
“In order to provide a clear route across No Man’s Land, the barbed wire had to be cut days in advance of the raid and the path marked with white ribbons. Then, on the morning of the attack, artillery would pound away at the section of enemy trench that was about to be stormed. As one British soldier remarked sarcastically, “The advertisement of the attack on our front was absurd� Small wonder the machine-gun fire was directed with such fatal precision.�
Heartbreaking.
“In order to provide a clear route across No Man’s Land, the barbed wire had to be cut days in advance of the raid and the path marked with white ribbons. Then, on the morning of the attack, artillery would pound away at the section of enemy trench that was about to be stormed. As one British soldier remarked sarcastically, “The advertisement of the attack on our front was absurd� Small wonder the machine-gun fire was directed with such fatal precision.�
Heartbreaking.
June 2, 2017
I rate this book 5/5 because it talks about how world war one started. And people who love history and wars should give this book. A try the book talks about how people died in the trenches and the struggles people went through during the war. And how they tired to survive in the trenches and getting shot at. And more about world war 1 I liked this Book because i'm a guy who loves history and big events that happened in the world.And I was really interested in this book because I wanted to know more about world war 1.
November 30, 2017
Non-fiction children's book about the various truces during Christmas 2014, WWI. Murphy does a nice job setting up the reasons (or lack of them) for the war. The direct quotes from soldiers lend authenticity and immediacy to the story. If only the regular soldiers and not the commanders were in charge, the world might be a different place.
Quotes:
But most higher-ranking officers felt the business of war had to go on.
The peace was indeed a very fragile one.
Recommend for: non-fiction readers, people wanting hope for humanity, WWI and history fans
Quotes:
But most higher-ranking officers felt the business of war had to go on.
The peace was indeed a very fragile one.
Recommend for: non-fiction readers, people wanting hope for humanity, WWI and history fans
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