# Soccer between the trenches during WWI/II? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 27, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-between-the-trenches-during-wwi-ii/247431 "2004-05-27T22:40:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-between-the-trenches-during-wwi-ii/247431/1 "2004-05-27T22:40:00Z")
Is it true that on Christmas some year during one of the World Wars both sides (I’m guessing Britain and Germany) came out of the trenches and played soccer (or football, if you prefer)? Did anything remotely like this happen? ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-between-the-trenches-during-wwi-ii/247431/2 "2004-05-27T22:42:50Z")
Yes it did, during WW2 between the Brits and the Germans. They came out of their trenches for a couple days, the Germans making the first move I believe. Top brass was pissed and eventually said that anyone leaving the trenches will be shot on sight. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-between-the-trenches-during-wwi-ii/247431/3 "2004-05-27T22:44:08Z")
I just remembered-- the Germans started singing O Tanenbaum and brought over a Christmas tree. The truce eventually spanned for miles. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-between-the-trenches-during-wwi-ii/247431/4 "2004-05-27T22:45:19Z")
Here’s more: [http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/truce.asp](http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/truce.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-between-the-trenches-during-wwi-ii/247431/5 "2004-05-27T23:01:31Z")
That, of course would be WW1 not 2 ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-between-the-trenches-during-wwi-ii/247431/6 "2004-05-27T23:25:09Z")
damn that’s what I meant. Could of sworn I hit one. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-between-the-trenches-during-wwi-ii/247431/7 "2004-05-27T23:41:15Z")
[Here](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0452283671/qid=1085701186/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-8281129-9866312?v=glance&s=books) is an excellent recent book on the Christmas Truce, which I highly recommend. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-between-the-trenches-during-wwi-ii/247431/8 "2004-05-28T00:03:19Z")
Actually there were quite a few “informal” truces toward the end of WW2. Most were small scale, and the soldiers just sat in their positions and didn’t shoot at each other. There’s a book which tells of this, but I don’t remember the title. I’ll try to find it unless someboby else knows of it. I think it was by a combat journalist, and detailed a lot of the non-combat aspects of the war. Pretty good read, IIRC. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/soccer-between-the-trenches-during-wwi-ii/247431/9 "2004-05-28T01:16:45Z")
They even made a Hollywood movie out of the premise. It didn’t get good reviews, but I thought it was OK: > **[A Midnight Clear (1992) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102443/)** > > A Midnight Clear: Directed by Keith Gordon. With Peter Berg, Kevin Dillon, Arye Gross, Ethan Hawke. This WW2 psychological drama plays out at Christmas. US GIs hold an isolated cabin in the Ardennes against a handful of Germans cut off from their... Called: A Midnight Clear (1992, IIRC)