Christmas Miracle in the Trenches (Plus GIVEAWAY!)

Ypres, Belgium, 1914. Just a few miles inland from the point where the English Channel meets the North Sea. Temperatures are in the forties—not much difference between day and night. You and your mates have been rotating through the trenches for five months. By some estimates, losses in battle have approached one in four. 

It’s wet, and night is falling.

Alfred Anderson, a Scottish veteran, recalls:

All I’d heard for two months in the trenches was the hissing, cracking and whining of bullets in flight, machinegun fire and distant German voices.

But on Christmas Eve a different sound, something like this, drifts across the frost-covered no-man’s land from the opposing trench, perhaps a hundred yards away:

Stille Nacht, heilige nacht, 

Alles schläft; einsam wacht 

Nur das traute hoch heilige Paar. 

Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar...

All is calm. Heavenly peace!

Private Cunningham of the Scottish Rifles remembered:

Through the night we sang carols to one another…. When dawn arrived we started putting our head above the parapet and waved to each other. On our left was a brewery occupied by the Germans and to our surprise we saw a German come out and hold his hand up; behind him were two rolling a barrel of beer. They came halfway across…

The beer was a gift, which British soldiers rolled to their trenches with glee.
Nineteen-year-old private Henry Williamson described the moment as he experienced it.

Dear Mother, I am writing from the trenches. It is 11 o'clock in the morning. Beside me is a coke fire, opposite me a 'dug-out' (wet) with straw in it. The ground is sloppy in the actual trench, but frozen elsewhere. In my mouth is a pipe presented by the Princess Mary. In the pipe is tobacco. Of course, you say. But wait. In the pipe is German tobacco. Haha, you say, from a prisoner or found in a captured trench. Oh dear, no! From a German soldier. Yes a live German soldier from his own trench. Yesterday the British & Germans met & shook hands in the Ground between the trenches, & exchanged souvenirs, & shook hands. Yes, all day Xmas day, & as I write. Marvelous, isn't it?

Williamson goes on to say how the interchange started on Christmas Eve. Both armies sang Christmas carols. Voices from the German trench called out to the British to come over and collect cigars, and vice versa. At last a lone British soldier took the risk of accepting the German invitation. A German soldier climbed out of his trench and shook his hand, then sixteen more Germans joined him in the middle of no-man’s land. And the miraculous “Christmas truce” began.

It’s estimated that 100,000 men took part in this grassroots truce. Combatants met in no-man’s land and exchanged cigarettes, schnapps, chocolate and mementos such as hats and buttons. They played impromptu soccer games.

According to Captain Robert Patrick Miles:

A sort of unarranged and quite unauthorized but perfectly understood and scrupulously observed truce exists between us and our friends in front. The funny thing is it only seems to exist in this part of the battle line–on our right and left we can all hear them firing away as cheerfully as ever. The thing started last night–a bitter cold night, with white frost–soon after dusk when the Germans started shouting 'Merry Christmas, Englishmen' to us…. Not a shot was fired all night…. They are distinctly bored with the war.... In fact, one of them wanted to know what on earth we were doing here fighting them.

Bruce Bairnsfather, a British cartoonist and humorist, reflected:

I wouldn’t have missed that unique and weird Christmas Day for anything…. The last I saw was one of my machine gunners, who was a bit of an amateur hairdresser in civil life, cutting the unnaturally long hair of a docile Boche, who was patiently kneeling on the ground whilst the automatic clippers crept up the back of his neck.

Commanders on both sides decried the grassroots truce and ordered the men back to their guns. They feared it would be hard to get them to resume shooting at fellows they’d exchanged gifts with the day before. And the brass made pointed efforts to forestall a re-occurrence in 1915, ordering raids and artillery barrages to ensure no-man’s land remained deadly. In one spot, a short pause to recover the dead between the lines resulted in a court-martial. 

Thus, the widespread truce of 1914 remained a singular event. It was back to war as usual immediately after. Still, it seems many of the men who experienced the moment remembered it all their lives. 

Praise God, it was just a tiny foretaste of the lasting peace our Prince of Peace will bring!

Giveaway

My debut novel inspired by the Doolittle Raid is finally here! And to celebrate, I'm conducting my Grand Launch Giveaway (details here). The drawing will take place on December 31, so it's not too late to join the action!

The Plum Blooms in Winter

“A taut, crisp debut achievement that colorfully evokes the Pacific theater of WWII. Start this one forewarned: it's a stay-up-all-night read."

-Jerry B. Jenkins--21-time New York Times bestselling author (Left Behind, et al)

A Prostitute Seeks Her Revenge--In 1942, Miyako Matsuura cradled her little brother as he died on the sidewalk, a victim of the first U.S. bombing raid on Japan. By 1948, the war has reduced her to a street-hardened prostitute consumed by her shame.

A Doolittle Raid Hero Finds His True Mission--Dave Delham makes aviation history piloting a B-25 in the audacious Doolittle Raid. Forced to bail out over occupied China, he and his crew are captured by the Japanese and survive a harrowing P.O.W. ordeal. In 1948, he returns to Japan as a Christian missionary, determined to showcase Christ's forgiveness.

Convinced that Delham was responsible for the bomb that snuffed out her brother's life, Miyako resolves to restore her honor by avenging him--even if it costs her own life. But the huntress soon becomes hunted in Osaka's treacherous underworld. Miyako must outmaneuver a ruthless brothel owner, outwit gangs with competing plans to profit by her, and overcome betrayal by family and friends--only to confront a decision that will change everything.

I stepped away from a marketing career that spanned continents to write what I love: stories of reckless faith that showcase God's hand in history. I'm so excited to work with the all-star team at Mountain Brook Ink to launch my debut novel, The Plum Blooms in Winter, on December 1! Inspired by a remarkable true story from World War II's pivotal Doolittle Raid, The Plum Blooms in Winter is an American Christian Fiction Writers' Genesis Contest winner. The novel follows a captured American pilot and a bereaved Japanese prostitute who targets him for ritual revenge. Please also feel free to check out my blog, Five Stones and a Sling, which hovers in the region where history meets Bible prophecy meets current events. It's rich ground--we live in a day when prophecies are leaping from the Bible's pages into the headlines!

I live outside Phoenix with my husband, a third-generation airline pilot who doubles as my Chief Military Research Officer. We share our home with two mostly-grown-up kids and a small platoon of housecats. When I'm not writing, you'll find me rollerblading--yes, I know that makes me a throwback 😊--or catching a moonrise, or dreaming of my next trip. Next up: Wales, then Israel.

The Stage Door Canteen

By Marilyn Turk

In my next book, Shadow of the Curse, one of my characters plays in a band at The Stage Door Canteen. I thought you might like to know a little bit about the place ahead of time.

The first Stage Door Canteen opened on March 2, 1942, in the basement of the 44^th Street Theatre in the heart of New York‘s theater district. Started and directed by the American Theatre Wing, War Service, Inc., the canteen offered servicemen entertainment, refreshments, and dancing. The canteen provided civilians in the entertainment industry with a way to “do their part” for the war effort and repay servicemen for the sacrifice they were making.

Capacity for the Canteen was 500, but tickets were issued to servicemen for one hour each, so in one night, as many as 2000 servicemen might pass through the doors. On opening night, entertainers included a comedian, ballet dancers and several popular actors of the era. The canteen was so popular, servicemen, many who had left home for the first time, stood in long lines outside the building waiting for their turn to enter.

Bette Davis serving at the Stage Door Canteen

The G.I.’s were allotted one sandwich, one dessert, and one drink (tea, coffee or milk). No alcoholic beverages were allowed. The main draw was the entertainment, not only on the stage, but the servers were often stars from the theatre or movies. Only at the Canteen could a serviceman see someone like Red Skelton, Marlene Dietrich or Bette Davis in person for free.

Another attraction of the canteen was the young hostesses. These young women were selected to socialize and dance with the servicemen. They were identified by the red, white and blue aprons worn over their sensible dresses. 

Hostesses were not allowed to date any of the servicemen and were supposed to ration their time with each, not spending too much time with one man. They were also expected to be friendly and dance with any serviceman who asked, regardless of age, rank, or race, showing equal treatment to all.

The Stage Door Canteen received favorable publicity in newspapers and magazines across the United States as the place where stars of stage and screen did their humble best to support servicemen.

Stage Door Canteen, U.K.

Other Stage Door Canteens opened in Hollywood, Boston, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Cleveland, San Francisco and Newark. Before the war ended, Canteens also opened in London and Paris.

Stage Door Canteen Radio Showwith Shirley Temple

The Canteen was also the subject of a popular radio variety show, and a successful musical film in 1943, “Stage Door Canteen.”

The Canteens closed at the end of war, but the National WWII Museum in New Orleans has revived their tradition with a replica Stage Door Canteen, with food and entertainment of the era.

Have you ever heard of the Stage Door Canteen? Did you have any relatives who either went to them or worked at them? I'd love to hear your story.

Marilyn Turk loves to study history, especially that of lighthouses and the coast of the United States. She is the author of Rebel Light, a Civil War love story set on the coast of Florida, The Gilded Curse, a historical suspense novel set on Jekyll Island, Georgia, in 1942, and Lighthouse Devotions - 52 Inspiring Lighthouse Stories, based on her popular lighthouse blog. (@ http://pathwayheart.com) Shadow of the Curse, the sequel to The Gilded Curse, will be published in 2018.

The Christmas Truce of 1914

Merry Christmas to you from Jennifer Uhlarik! I hope you all are having a wonderful day with family and friends, and remembering the true meaning of this blessed season.

Perhaps some of you have already heard of the Christmas Truce of 1914, but I was so taken with the story that I thought I would share it with you. It’s such a wonderful piece of history, you can’t help but enjoy it, even if it’s not “new” to you. The story goes like this:

On Christmas Eve, just five months after the start of World War I, soldiers from both sides sat shivering in their respective trenches along the Western Front when the Germans began to sing Christmas carols. The familiar songs carried across the distance to the English, and they also began to sing. It’s said that in some places, soldiers brought out instruments to accompany the singing. Through the night, both German and English troops sang in their respective languages.

Soldiers mingling during the Christmas Truce of 1914.

By dawn on Christmas morning, a few brave Germans ventured out of their trenches to cross into no-man’s land and approach the Allied forces. At first, the English soldiers were wary, expecting a trick, but they saw that none of the opposing troops carried weapons. Only then did they crawl out of their trenches and step out to meet their fellow man.



Enjoying a moment of peace in the thick of war.

These troops converged between their respective sides, shook hands, talked, and even played a friendly game of soccer together. Having nothing other than what little they could carry with them, they exchanged cigarettes and chocolate as gifts. For a brief time, Allied and German soldiers met together in order to celebrate Christmas. It mattered not that later that day or the next they would return to fighting. For that one moment, they were at peace, staring into the eyes of their avowed enemies in order to experience a moment of true peace and harmony.

Please enjoy this brief depiction of the Christmas Truce of 1914 which I found online.

My wish for you this Christmas is that you will also experience true peace as you contemplate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. May you all be blessed today and all year through! Merry CHRISTmas!

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and finaled in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.

CHRISTMAS DURING WORLD WAR II

ANNE GREENE here.

Here is part of how Americans celebrated Christmas during the war years. 

Christmas has always been a major holiday in the United States, but during World War II (1941-45) the holiday took on special meaning as most families had a loved one serving in the military who could not be home for Christmas. Peace on Earth was not just a nice phrase found on Christmas cards, but the number one prayer of Americans everywhere. The Christmas season gave hope that while this year many were away, maybe next year the war would be over and missing family members would return home. 

Americans tried their best to celebrate Christmas. Families on the Home Front dealt with painful separations and lost loved ones which the holiday made agonizing. But those keeping the home front fires burning worked hard at making Christmas merry for the children. 

Before the war, America was still recovering from the great depression when money and jobs were scarce. Shoppers were often limited to window shopping, not having any extra money to purchase anything. When the war began, war production went into high gear bringing good-paying jobs and additional income. But, there was little to buy as rationing and priorities in war production left few goods on the shelves. Metal toys nearly disappeared as did automobiles, radios, bicycles, typewriters, and other goods. 

Wartime production priorities greatly restricted the presents that children could receive for Christmas. Who better to tell the kids than St. Nick? Santa Claus had to lower children’s expectations when they came to sit on his lap. Santa explained that a particular toy had too much steel in it - and that steel was needed for the war. If a child seemed disappointed, Santa told the child that some children living in the countries where the war was being fought would have no Christmas. With the shortage of men, Santa was often a woman. 

The song, White Christmas, debuted in 1942. Sung by Bing Crosby it became an instant success as its peaceful feeling hit home with those on the home front and those on the battle front. I’ll Be Home for Christmas debuted in 1943. The words touched the hearts of separated loved ones. Both songs are still classics sung at Christmas. 

For the soldiers, sailors and airmen overseas, military necessity and lack of accommodations forced them to have minimal celebrations. Many of the boys serving overseas got the blues. But presents from home cheered them. 

Do you have a Christmas story from the World War II years that you’d like to share? Maybe a soldier or someone in your family shared his or her experience. Maybe you have a story of how a child at home felt during those years at Christmas from 1941 to 1945. I’d love to hear your stories. Please leave a comment. 

ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. Her second novel, a Scottish historical, Masquerade Marriage, won three prestigious book awards. The sequel Marriage By Arrangement, finalled in a number of contests. A Texas Christmas Mystery also won several awards. Look for Anne’s new World War II historical romance, Angel With Steel Wings, early in 2015. The first book in Anne’s lady detective series, Holly Garden, PI, Red is for Rookie, débuts later in 2015. Anne’s highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to awesome new worlds and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus. Anne makes her home in McKinney, Texas. She loves to talk with her readers. Buy Anne’s books at http://www.Amazon.com. Talk with Anne on twitter at @TheAnneGreene. View Anne’s books, travel pictures and art work at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com.

Learn more about Anne as well as gain tips on writing award-winning novels at http://www.anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com.

VISIT WITH ANNE here at Heroes, Heroines, & History every 14^th day of every month.

 

Granny's Zippers - Rationing in WWII

 

By Marilyn Turk

Leave comment at end for chance to win!

The bombing of Pearl Harbor not only brought the United States into World War II, it created a wave of patriotism not since experienced. The day after the “day of infamy,” millions of American men lined up outside recruiting offices to sign up for the military.

 But citizens at home wanted to contribute to the war effort as well, and eagerly sought ways to help “our boys overseas.” Shortages of materials soon appeared as factories shifted production from consumer goods to military supplies. People learned to do without or make personal sacrifices of goods, knowing that soldiers were supplied first.

 

So when the government issued “War Ration Book One” in May 1942, most citizens willingly complied and adjusted their lives accordingly. Every man, woman and child in the U.S. was issued a book with rationing stamps through the schools. Sugar was the first food item rationed, followed by coffee. “War Ration Book Two” came out in February 1943, limiting amounts of meats, cheese and processed foods.

 

However, with dwindling supplies at the grocery stores, the food was sold on a first-come, first-served basis, resulting in long lines waiting for stores to open. Once the store’s inventory was sold, there was no more to buy regardless of possessing a stamp or not. In some communities, this dilemma fostered a barter system. The person lucky enough to get their allotted amount of sugar, for example, soon had neighbors at their door, offering a variety of goods in exchange.

 The first non-food item to be restricted was rubber, since 90 per cent of it came from areas overseas where the Japanese had taken control. Rubber was essential for tires for all military vehicles. On the home front, that meant rubber elastic was no longer available, so clothes such as underwear were made with drawstrings instead.

 As a result of American oil tankers being sunk by German submarines, gasoline became scarce. Since the government needed to cut down on rubber use as well, they issued gas ration tickets. Many gas stations closed for lack of supply, and those open often had lines 300 cars long. People were known to follow tanker trucks to their destination to get gas. Consequently, many cars ran out of gas and were abandoned on the roads.

 The other precious commodity to be restricted was metal. No longer were consumer goods made of metal available. People began to reuse what they already had, such as metal zippers, often removing them from old clothes to reuse in new, homemade clothes.

The habit of saving and reusing stayed with the people of that era even after the war ended. Later generations would find boxes of buttons, safety pins, and zippers and wonder why Granny saved them.

 

Did you have a family member from the WWII era who saved something? Did you hear stories about rationing?

Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul – Devotional Stories for Wives.