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The Christmas Mutiny: A story of war and peace, of what happened and what could have happened Paperback – January 12, 2014

4.4 out of 5 stars 6

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"What would happen, I wonder, if the Armies suddenly and simultaneously went on strike and said some other method must be found of settling the dispute?" --Winston Churchill, November 1914 In December of 1914, soldiers along the battlefront laid down their arms and observed a Christmastime truce. That much is true. They buried their dead, sang and drank together, roasted pigs and rabbits they had caught, and had bicycle races. And there was more than one football game. The first part of The Christmas Mutiny is as close as I can manage to what really happened, allowing for dramatic license. I wanted to have a diverse cast of young characters, so I allowed an American pilot to be forced down near the front, a Turkish observer to be present among the Germans, and so on – they weren’t there, but they could have been. The second part of the book is something very different. It tells a story of what might have happened. It’s not the only way things might have happened, and maybe I’m wrong and it couldn’t possibly have happened the way I describe. You may certainly feel free to disagree. If you feel so strongly that you want to write your own version, I’d be very happy to read it.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John M. Burt has been a human since 1960, a veteran since 1982, married since 1984, a college graduate since 1985, a massage therapist since 1985, a father since 1988, a published author since 1996. He has been a U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman, a Certified Nursing Assistant, a house cleaner, a telephone interviewer, a census taker, a security guard, a middle-school history teacher and a farm laborer. He lives in a decrepit but beloved Victorian house which is known all over Corvallis, Oregon, for its cedar tree whose branches overhang the sidewalk (people stop almost every day to take their pictures under it). He walks out with his wife every day, always wearing a striped engineer's cap and almost always wearing his garish sweater (he's owned The Sweater since 1987 and has been mending it ever since, and it has its own web site: http: //the-sweater.tumblr.com/). He has raised four children and is contributing to the maturation of another.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 12, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 226 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1490903747
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1490903743
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.18 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.48 x 11.02 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 6

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John Merritt Burt
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
6 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2017
This was an outstanding little book. The characters are nicely developed the historical 1st section well researched. In the "What would happen if" 2nd section of the book I really liked Lady Lucille. A woman for all seasons, intelligent, independent, outspoken & just a bit off beat. Mr. Burt did a decent connection between the historic & the alternate world by killing off all the historical characters but Alfred, who is the only one who dies in the alternate. Also thanks very much for having Hitler captured by what would have been his beloved brown shirts, irony-it's wonderful.

On the minus side,explaining the character names & using different typefaces for the different languages probably didn't need to be done.These are minor items though & don't really detract from the story.
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2014
This work of fiction begins with events in "the real world" up to the day after Christmas, 1914--and then presents an alternate history.

In the "real world" revolutionary war-fighting technology resulted in stalemate along the heavly-populated Western Front. By mid-October 1914 a thin line of field fortifications, anchored here and there by fixed fortifications, stretched from the English Channel to the Alps. Both the "Allies" and the "Central Powers" (modern terms) had exhausted their standing armies and were building new armies. For example, the small British Expeditionary Force began with 100,000 soldiers and suffered 90% casualties by December.
John Burt's story is told from the viewpoints of six characters: a British private soldier, a British woman driving an ambulance for the Red Cross, an American serving in the French Air Service, a French farm girl, a diplomat's aid from the Ottoman Empire and a private German soldier. I found the description of trench warfare anachronistic--the equipment and techniques ascribed to 1914 were more like 1916. On the other hand, this is an ALTERNATE history and certain liberties are necessary. For example, most Americans are unaware that the Turkish nation didn't exist until 1922--and would be at a loss to place the Ottoman Empire. Calling that empire "Turkey" works.
Atypical for historical fiction is a reference section with links to samples of period music and to real-world histories. I am an amateur SECOND World War historian, and few Americans realize that in 1920 the Great War was less popular than America's Vietnam participation was in 1968--the latter tore this country apart. The Christmas Mutiny's events take place during the period when the United States was disinterested in that "European family squabble." Henry Ford's famous Peace Ship didn't launch for nearly a year after the Christmas Mutiny.
The main "left turn" from "real world" history is that the Christmas Truce didn't expire on the Western Front, but lead to a soldier's revolt against war. The ending of "the Christmas Mutiny" demonstrates the truth that politics is like making sausages: they ain't pretty! It is a well-told "what if" alternate history and I enjoyed reading it--nits and all.
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012
Honestly, I wasn't sure how I would like The Christmas Mutiny as I'm usually not big reader of war stories, yet I really enjoyed reading this book. It was interesting, easy-to-read and the characters pulled me in as any good novel should do. Afterwards, I couldn't help but wonder "what if this had really happened?" The list of material at the end of the book for further reading is excellent. Kudos, Mr. Burt, for an great read!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2017
The Christmas Mutiny is an entertaining and thought-provoking tale of what might have been if the two-day Christmas Mutiny of 1914 hadn't ended. Burt tells the story from multiple perspectives, using real Individuals as characters in the first half of the book. In the second half, these individuals are given the opportunity to live and influence the dawn of a new post-war era in Europe. Recommend for history buffs, especially so for those who love an infusion of everyday people into known historical events. 4.5 stars.
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2012
"The Christmas Mutiny" is packed with interesting historical details, illustrations, and stories that bring the times to life.

The Christmas Truce really happened. Author John Burt has carefully and painstakingly researched the true events of 1914, both on the battlefield and behind the scenes. Tens of thousands of young men voluntarily climbed out of their trenches, shook hands, and celebrated a higher truth.

What if... and it's not as far-fetched as you might think... the troops had simply turned around and acted on that truth? The "truce" would have been called a "mutiny" but if all the troops simply turn around and go home, is "mutiny" the right word?

In 1914, many thought the war would be over in months at most. Many of the young men from France, Germany, Britain, and the lands within their respective colonial reach who faced each other across no-man's-lands knew something of each others' traditions and languages. The horrible technology of killing an enemy at a distance had only begun to be experienced, and for those who fought, the truth of battle had just become stranger than the most bitter science fiction.

Leaving aside the question of what awaited the troops after their about-face and a long walk back to Paris, or Berlin, London, or Istanbul, John Burt's fundamental premise is that we are all capable of putting first things first. Refusing to obey when our sense of right tells us we should not obey. Shaking hands instead of punching faces.

What if the boys on the battlefield had led with their boots and turned around, instead of sacrificing their principles and their lives for a bit of ribbon? What if a precedent had been set in 1914 that would affect history thereafter? What if we knew what moral power we have when we act together? What if?
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Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2014
A book of how a terrible war could have stopped on it's own. It had it's own truth and part of it really happened. The people who kept the war going were the staff officers and politicians. Improbable though the outcome of this book is the actual 1914 Christmas Truce was even more improbable and amazing. if only it had happened we would be living in a very different world right now.