"Between minefields and barbed-wire fences, millions of soldiers faced each other in trenches along the Western Front, sometimes only some 30 meters apart. The combat zone stretched from the English Channel through Belgium and France to the Swiss border. As the war dragged on, soldiers huddled in their dugouts, where rats, lice, the cold and poor food wore them down, and death hung over them."
"Many German soldiers had charged into battle, believing victory was within sight. They thought they would be home with their families by Christmas at least that was what German Emperor Wilhelm II had promised. The French and British had also believed their leaders when they said the troops would return home quickly. But disillusionment soon set in at the front. Every day, the men looked death in the face, even on December 24."
By December 1914, trench warfare on the Western Front inflicted massive suffering and casualties as soldiers faced minefields, barbed wire, mud, rats, lice, cold, and poor food. Front lines extended from the English Channel through Belgium and France to the Swiss border, with no man's land separating the enemy. Many troops had entered battle expecting quick victory and a Christmas return home after promises from leaders, including German Emperor Wilhelm II, but relentless combat and heavy losses produced disillusionment. On Christmas Eve near Ypres, a German soldier began singing "Silent Night," which prompted hesitant British responses, applause, and joint singing across no man's land.
Read at www.dw.com
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