The Warring States of NPF - The Spirit of the Season

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The Spirit of the Season

This was inspired by SAAM's thread.

There has been a bit of complaining about the holiday season on this board, namely by those of us who have jobs in retail. So, to help lighten the mood and to get into the spirit of the season, I would like to submit this story I heard on Sunday to you.

Note: I don't have the story word-for-word, so I am paraphrasing, and as such, I am missing some points. I will keep an eye open for the whole story and post it if it comes up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whoever told this story

Circa: Decemeber 24, 1944

An American transport is in the Mediterrian(sp), heading back to the states with a load of soldiers who have completed their tours.

It is a windy night. The sea is covered with whiteheads. The crew and passengers are tense, as the whiteheads will make it almost impossible to spot the tell-tale white plume that comes up behind the periscope of a U-boat. Still, the mood is light. It is Christmas eve, and they will soon be home.

Suddenly, the watch give a cry. They have spotted a periscope. Even as the men scramble to battle stations, they know it is useless. The u-boat has them cold. The men on board the transport prepare themselves for death.

Suddenly, light appears from the periscope. A message is flashed out in morse code:

-- . .-. .-. -.-- / -.-. .... .-. .. ... - -- .- ...

The men onboard the transport can't believe what they see. The message reads:

Merry Christmas.

As quickly as it appeared, the u-boat vanishes without firing a shot. After a few moments of stunned silence, the men on the transport start to cheer out of relief and out the fact they have been given the ultimate gift: mercy and life.

I tip my hat to the commander of that u-boat for feeling the spirit of the season and letting those men go.

Anyone else got stories like this?

Ah, those Nazis...that didn't come out right...

Nazis are terrible, terrible people, but at least they celebrate X-mas.

Edit: And with that, I go...

That is a totally sweet story. Very cool, glad they were feeling the spirit. Saved a lot of christmas grief for a lot of families.

Quote:

Originally Posted by icythaco

Ah, those Nazis...that didn't come out right...

Nazis are terrible, terrible people, but at least they celebrate X-mas.

Edit: And with that, I go...

To (try to) quote Final Fantasy VI: "The Empire is evil, but not all of it's citizens are."

actually there was another incident like that that i read about.

on christmas day during the war germans and i think allied troops played a game of friendly football.

What Dac was thinking of was the "Christmas Truce".

Quote:

The Christmas truce of 1914 really happened. It is as much a part of the historical texture of World War I as the gas clouds of Ypres or the Battle of the Somme or the Armistice of 1918. Yet it has often been dismissed as though it were merely a myth. Or, assuming anything of the kind occurred, it has been seen as a minor incident, blown up out of all proportion, natural fodder for sentimentalists and pacifists of later generations.

But the truce did take place, and on some far greater scale than has been generally realised. Enemy really did meet enemy between the trenches. There was for a time, genuine peace in No Man's Land. Though Germans and British were the main participants, French and Belgians took part as well. Most of those involved agreed it was a remarkable way to spend Christmas. "Just you think," wrote one British soldier, "that while you were eating your turkey, etc, I was out talking and shaking hands with the very men I had been trying to kill a few hours before! It was astounding!"

"It was a day of peace in war," commented a German participant, "It is only a pity that it was not decisive peace."

But, the article continues.

Appearently, unofficial cease-fires aren't a unique event.

Quote:

This was not, however, a unique occurrence in the history of war. Though it surprised people at the time - and continues to do so today - it was a resurgence of a long established tradition.

Informal truces and small armistices have often taken place during prolonged periods of fighting and the military history of the last two centuries, in particular, abounds with incidents of friendship between enemies.

In the Peninsula War British and French Troops at times visited each others lines, drew water at the same wells and even sat around the same campfire sharing their rations and playing cards.

In the Crimean War British, French and Russians at quiet times also gathered around the same fire, smoking and drinking. In the American Civil War Yankees and Rebels traded tobacco, coffee and newspapers, fished peacefully on opposite sides of the same stream and even collected wild blackberries together. Similar stories are told of the Boer War, in which on one occasion, during a conference of commanders, the rank and file of both sides engaged in a friendly game of football.

The article ends with:

Quote:

In a century in which our conception of war has changed fundamentally, from the cavalry charge and the flash of sabres to the Exocet, the cruise missile and the Trident submarine, the fact that in 1914 some thousands of the fighting men of the belligerent nations met and shook hands between their trenches strikes a powerful and appealing note. It is perhaps the best and most heartening Christmas story of modern times.

::Sigh:: Makes me feel bad for all the soldiers who are away from home right now. It has to be rough, especially during this time of year.

Merry Christmas to our guys and gals in uniform out there, at home or abroad. Stay safe out there.

Cloud sent me a poem of this nature, but he accidently deleted it. So I'll be posting it up. Here it is:

Quote:

Christmas Poem
TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
"SANTA DON'T CRY
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."

This poem was written by a Marine stationed in Okinawa Japan.

Ah, truly touching stories and poems. Not often I hear these kind of things but I wish they circulated around more often.
Thanks for sharing these, I liked them a lot. I know I've got one like it, so if I find it I'll post it up here.

How can you make casual conversation, share tobacco and food, and play cards with someone one night/day and fire upon them with the intent to kill the next? I would consider that worse than not ever meeting them.

I know it's not quite the same, but the idea of a murderer fraternizing with his target a few hours/a day prior came into my mind.
"Hey, Bob, good to see you again."
"Yeah, thanks for that tip about my car insurance!"
"Well, I'm really glad I had the chance to meet you."
"Thanks! So did I. Oh, GOD, that knife sure hurts...."

Quote:

How can you make casual conversation, share tobacco and food, and play cards with someone one night/day and fire upon them with the intent to kill the next?

I guess thats why most people don't believe these stories. Given the things we hear about war, it seems pretty implausible on the surface. I guess its just a sign that people, no matter how dumb we can get, can still see the common bonds between us even through the worst. I mean, hell, very few people grow up thinking, "I'd love to spend the rest of my life running around killing people." It just doesn't happen, and when it does we get people like Chucky Manson. Maybe the men there, fighting, decided enough was enough, and that perhaps for one day there could be peace.