The Real News Podcast The 1914 Christmas Truce: Resisting on the Front Lines of WWI
Dec 22, 2025
06:40
It's late 1914. December cold in the trenches of the Western Front of World War I.
Rations are in short supply. Men shiver… dreaming of home. Wishing they were far away. For months, here in the trenches, the sounds of the machine gun fire have peppered every waking moment. The whining of the bullets. The hissing and the cracking. But this morning — Christmas morning — the guns stop. It’s not planned. It’s spontaneous. But it happens all along the front. And over hundreds of miles of trenches. Silence… And then singing. Soft at first and then louder. Carols. Christmas songs. First one side sings in German. And then the other in French or English. It’s the beginning of the Christmas Truce. 100,000 soldiers would participate in the temporary ceasefire. It remains a testament to the humanity in us all. A reminder of the resistance from men on the front lines to the savages of war. Resistance to the orders from above.
Written and produced by Michael Fox.
BIG NEWS! This podcast has won Gold in this year’s Signal Awards for best history podcast! It’s a huge honor. Thank you so much to everyone who voted and supported.
And please consider signing up for the Stories of Resistance podcast feed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, or wherever you listen. And please take a moment to rate and review the podcast. A little help goes a long way.
The Real News’s legendary host Marc Steiner has also won a Gold Signal Award for best episode host. We are so excited. You can listen and subscribe to the Marc Steiner Show here on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Please consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox’s reporting on his Patreon account: patreon.com/mfox. There you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews.
Resources:
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.
Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.
Follow us on:
Bluesky: @therealnews.com
Facebook: The Real News Network
Twitter: @TheRealNews
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Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!
Rations are in short supply. Men shiver… dreaming of home. Wishing they were far away. For months, here in the trenches, the sounds of the machine gun fire have peppered every waking moment. The whining of the bullets. The hissing and the cracking. But this morning — Christmas morning — the guns stop. It’s not planned. It’s spontaneous. But it happens all along the front. And over hundreds of miles of trenches. Silence… And then singing. Soft at first and then louder. Carols. Christmas songs. First one side sings in German. And then the other in French or English. It’s the beginning of the Christmas Truce. 100,000 soldiers would participate in the temporary ceasefire. It remains a testament to the humanity in us all. A reminder of the resistance from men on the front lines to the savages of war. Resistance to the orders from above.
Written and produced by Michael Fox.
BIG NEWS! This podcast has won Gold in this year’s Signal Awards for best history podcast! It’s a huge honor. Thank you so much to everyone who voted and supported.
And please consider signing up for the Stories of Resistance podcast feed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, or wherever you listen. And please take a moment to rate and review the podcast. A little help goes a long way.
The Real News’s legendary host Marc Steiner has also won a Gold Signal Award for best episode host. We are so excited. You can listen and subscribe to the Marc Steiner Show here on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Please consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox’s reporting on his Patreon account: patreon.com/mfox. There you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews.
Resources:
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.
Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.
Follow us on:
Bluesky: @therealnews.com
Facebook: The Real News Network
Twitter: @TheRealNews
YouTube: @therealnews
Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork
Become a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!