A classical Christmas story

World War I (WW I) lasted from 1914 to 1918 and although the weapons of destruction were not as powerful as they are now, thousands or perhaps millions of people died on the battlefields.

Two nations -- France and Germany -- were eternally fighting each other since time immemorial.

It was Dec. 25, 1918, Christmas night; French and English troops on one side and German troops on the other, facing each other across no man's land, a bleak stretch of land which was full of potholes caused by incessant bombardments by both sides.

It was during WW I that trench warfare was applied for the first time. Intensive bombing raids by so-called flying fortresses (big aircraft) were unknown at that time, so if both sides were standing in the trenches they were relatively safe from being knocked down by a bullet, except by a direct hit by a mortar-shell.

It was a moonlit night and the moon seemed to gaze benevolently at those earthly latent creatures, who were bent on annihilating each other. It was perhaps due to the sacred silence of a moonlit peaceful night that a feeling of homesickness began to overwhelm the soldiers on both sides.

They imagined how happy they would be if they could be with their families in front of the hearth, especially on that cold Christmas night. And in order to vent their homesickness, the English and French soldiers began to sing Silent night, Holy night in their respective languages. The German soldiers, who were favorably surprised at the sudden outburst of their enemy's feelings, also gave way to their emotions and began to sing Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht.

And the solemn atmosphere that followed made almost all of those warring soldiers have a hard time keeping back their tears. Automatically, as if by command, the hardy soldiers on both sides got out of their trenches and met in the center of no man's land. Perhaps it was God's will that the antagonists who were after all His children made peace with each other not long thereafter.

WW I became history when the Peace Treaty in Versailles was signed by the Allies and Germany.

A. DJUANA

Jakarta