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Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce (Paperback)

~ (Author) "In December 1914, on both sides of the front lines in Flanders, astride the borders of Belgium and France, soldiers of two of Queen Victoria's..." (more)
Key Phrases: Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, London Rifles (more...)

3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

History is peppered with oddments and ironies, and one of the strangest is this. A few days before the first Christmas of that long bloodletting then called the Great War, hundreds of thousands of cold, trench-bound combatants put aside their arms and, in defiance of their orders, tacitly agreed to stop the killing in honor of the holiday.

That informal truce began with small acts: here opposing Scottish and German troops would toss newspapers, ration tins, and friendly remarks across the lines; there ambulance parties, clearing the dead from the barbwire hell of no man's land, would stop to share cigarettes and handshakes. Soon it spread, so that by Christmas Eve the armies of France, England, and Germany were serenading each other with Christmas carols and sentimental ballads and denouncing the conflict with cries of "Á bas la guerre!" and "Nie wieder Krieg!" The truce was, writes Stanley Weintraub, a remarkable episode, and, though "dismissed in official histories as an aberration of no consequence," it was so compelling that many who observed it wrote in near-disbelief to their families and hometown newspapers to report the extraordinary event.

In the end, writes Weintraub, the truce ended with a few stray bullets that escalated into total war, and that would fill the air for just shy of four more Christmases to come; further, isolated attempts at informal peacemaking would fail. But what, Weintraub wonders at the close of this inspired study, would have happened if the soldiers on both sides had refused to take up arms again? His counterfactual scenarios are intriguing, and well worth pondering. -- Gregory McNamee --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Popular historian Weintraub (MacArthur's War, etc.), emeritus professor of arts and humanities at Penn State, tackles a sober subject from WWI, when amid the millions of casualties in the obscene carnage of trench war, a mutual agreement arose for a cease-fire at Christmastime of the first year of conflict. Drawing from secondary sources as well as much archival research in a variety of languages, Weintraub has compiled a brief, anecdotal account that reveals his skill as a researcher and deftness as a narrator in chapters like "An Outbreak of Peace," "Our Friends, the Enemy" and "How It Ended." There are lively anecdotes, contemporary doggerel and some extraneous asides such as that "a Chinese fourth century B.C. military text mentions a primitive form of football." While succinctly conveying the mood and stakes of this unprecedented display of mutual trust during war, Weintraub's short book could help draw Malcolm Brown and Shirley Seaton's magisterial Christmas Truce back into print. In the meantime, and just in time for the holidays, we have this offering from one of our most patient chroniclers.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Plume (October 29, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0452283671
ISBN-13: 978-0452283671
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,589 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#35 in Books > History > Military > World War I

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First Sentence:
In December 1914, on both sides of the front lines in Flanders, astride the borders of Belgium and France, soldiers of two of Queen Victoria's grandsons, Kaiser Wilhelm II and George V, faced off from rows of trenches that augured a long war of attrition. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, London Rifles, Stille Nacht, The Times, Scots Guards, United States, God Save the King, Princess Mary, Queen Victoria, Phillip Maddison, Ploegsteert Wood, Buffalo Bill, Kaiser Wilhelm, Old Bill, Old Horseflesh, Sherwood Foresters, Western Front, Alfred Kornitzke, Auld Lang Syne, Eastern Front, Field Marshal Sir John French, Garhwal Rifles, Iron Cross, Lieutenant Hulse

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 36 books:

A Fox Under My Cloak (Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight Series) by Henry Williamson on page 21, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
War Letters of Fallen Englishmen (Pine Street Books) by Laurence Housman in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
Christmas Eve by James Fox on page 21, and Back Matter
Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon on page 171, and Back Matter
Merry Christmas! (Wee Pudgy Board Book) by Kelly Richards on page 81, and page 82

See all 36 books this book cites

14 books cite this book:

Let Go, Let Miracles Happen: The Art of Spiritual Surrender by Kathy Cordova on page 193, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
Iron Tears: America's Battle for Freedom, Britain's Quagmire: 1775-1783 by Stanley Weintraub in Front Matter, and Back Matter
Charlotte and Lionel: A Rothschild Love Story by Stanley Weintraub in Front Matter, and Index
General Washington's Christmas Farewell: A Mount Vernon Homecoming, 1783 by Stanley Weintraub in Front Matter, and Back Matter
Christmas in Belgium (Christmas Around the World) (Christmas Around the World from World Book) by Lucy Baker on page 11

See all 14 books citing this book

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	57% buy the item featured on this page: Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce 3.4 out of 5 stars (38) $10.20
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	3% buy Christmas in the Trenches 4.6 out of 5 stars (7) $13.57

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Customer Reviews

38 Reviews

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
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Average Customer Review

3.4 out of 5 stars (38 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At least for a brief time, "All is calm....", December 22, 2001

By	Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce (Hardcover)

I was curious to know why Weintraub wrote a book about a brief period prior to Christmas in 1914, on the battlefields of Flanders, when German and British soldiers spontaneously agreed to declare a truce and suspend fighting, thereby defying their commanding officers. The answer to that question, in my opinion, has profound significance 87 years later. No doubt the book's impact on me is explained, at least in part, by the fact that I read it during the holiday season, following the events of September 11th, as a war on terrorism continues. But also because, as an eager student of military history, I am intrigued by isolated situations in which humanity (for lack of a better term) at least temporarily prevails over death and destruction. Centuries ago, knights and their attendants would work with their enemies to clear a field for combat the next day. Such cooperation had an obvious practical value. That's not what interests Weintraub as he examines a temporary truce during one of the bloodiest wars ever fought. It had little (if any) practical or tactical value but it did (and does) suggest a human need which transcends military obligations.

Weintraub draws upon a wealth of primary sources (e.g. letters and diaries) in which firsthand accounts comment on the shared misery created by "shells, bombs, underground caves, corpses, liquor, mice, cats, artillery, filth, bullets, mortars, fire, and steel." I am reminded of movies such as All's Quiet on the Western Front and Paths of Glory in which the human misery portrayed is almost unbearable to watch. I had the same reaction when seeing more recent movies such as Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down.

As Weintraub explains in this book, at least some of the opposing forces decided to call what we today would describe as a "time out." Several displayed signboards and banners which said "You no fight, we no fight" (by the Germans) and "Merry Christmas" (by the British). Messages and holiday greetings were exchanged, sometimes conveyed by trained dogs serving as intermediaries. Weintraub credits the Germans with taking the initiative but not all of the German soldiers and few of their officers condoned the truce. (The choice of the book's title is apt. More than 200 years ago, Joseph Mohr wrote the lyrics and Franx X. Gruber the music of "Stille Nacht," a German carol.) Nor did all of the Allied forces. Everyone involved correctly understood that battle would soon resume but at least for a very brief time, everyone involved (to varying degrees) experienced "peace on earth, good will toward man." For many of them, death had merely been delayed. How welcome it must have been to have a silent night or two after enduring deafening bombardments. And no doubt an opportunity to reflect upon loved ones far away and to recall happier Christmases in the past.

It is possible but highly unlikely that there will ever again be a land war of the nature and to the extent of the two World Wars. Never again will opposing warriors in near proximity exchange Christmas greetings and gifts. This is part of the significance of what Weintraub has recreated in his book: Warfare in the 21st century will mostly be waged by high-tech systems to deliver weapons of mass destruction to achieve global and regional military objectives. At least to this reader, Weintraub seems to ask: Why not eliminate war in any form so that the world can have a "silent night" every night? Why not indeed?

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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting topic, flawed presentation, January 2, 2003

By	R. Whitaker "rjwhit" (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce (Hardcover)

I must agree with other reviewers who commented that the rather extensive re-telling of fictional accounts of the truce do little to portray the events as they actually happened. Perhaps the author borrowed from the fictional accounts because he himself was not able to adequately describe the events of the Christmas truce from an ordinary soldier's point of view? I wonder if a lack of primary source material could have caused the author to rely significantly on fictional accounts?

While I find the topic quite fascinating, unfortunately the author's disjointed presentation of the subject matter did little to provide the reader with comprehensive insight into the historical event.

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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, July 11, 2003

By	Nicholas M. Lamarca "Book & Movie fan" (West Seneca, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce (Hardcover)

Let me open by saying that the book is not all that well written. However the story is amazing. I am shocked that I have never really heard about this prior to reading this book. Everyone should read this book especially those who think peace will never happen. Very good lesson.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars silent night
There is a great story here. Unfortunately, it is not in this book. It feels like the author did a huge amount of research, and then just put it in order and published it... Read more

Published 10 months ago by J. Wadsworth

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Not Always?
The book was, in my opinion, well written and thoroughly researched. Much of it included letters home written by soldiers of both sides, which I found interesting to read... Read more

Published 14 months ago by Andy

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard to put the book down
Three or four years ago there were a number of features on NPR and elsewhere about The Christmas Truce of 1914. The story is amazing and simple at the same time. Read more

Published 17 months ago by Philip J. Bohlken

5.0 out of 5 stars Silent night
On Christmas day our Pastor included parts of this book in his sermon.
He did not have all the facts, so as a present we sent him this book. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Colin Baker

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you
I saw a thing on the history channel, and it was breif, and at the end so I didn't get the whole story, so I hope this books helps.

Published 22 months ago by Jessie T. Schager

4.0 out of 5 stars fascinating
This book gave me for the first a real understanding of the Christmas Truce in No Man's Land in 1914. To see details of the events from all sides was great. Read more

Published on March 14, 2007 by J. Slattery

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Christmas read, not a great book.
The book does prove that it is politics and governments who want and pursue war, not the fighting men on the front. Read more

Published on January 2, 2006 by Martin Mulcahey

5.0 out of 5 stars War is a failure of civilization
Another eloquent and well-documented proof that war is a failure of civilization. A wonderful story of humanity and hope. Read more

Published on July 23, 2005 by Klausica

2.0 out of 5 stars Great story, but book is hard to follow
This is a great story for the holiday season and is a great anomaly in what was a horrible war of attrition. Read more

Published on December 28, 2004 by Matthew Smith

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring, Disorganized, and Highly Repetitive
I have read over 40 books about World War I, and this is the worst book I've ever read on the subject. Read more

Published on August 12, 2004 by George Coppedge

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