End of 1914 and the beginning of 1915

Aside from the supply problems faced by army commanders on both sides, another unusual problem emerged during the first Christmas of the war. On the night of December 24, 1914, a temporary cease-fire took place. The next day, Christmas day, at various points along the British, French, Belgian and German lines, opposing forces gathered in the areas between the trenches. At these gatherings in "no man's land" men exchanged food and gifts.

Some sang Christmas carols and helped bury each other's dead.

Allied generals were not impressed by this outburst of friendless between warring solders. Orders were quickly sent out to front line commanders forbidding these gatherings. The General Staff of the British 7th Division issued the following order about the unauthorized meetings "Such unwarlike activity must cease."

Eyewitness Account

"I think I have seen one of the most extraordinary sights today that anyone has ever seen. About 10 o'clock this morning I was peeping over a parapet when I saw a German, waving his arms, and presently two of them got out of their trenches and some came towards ours. We were just going to fire on them when we saw they had no rifles so one of our men went out to meet them and in about two minutes the ground between the two lines of trenches was swarming with men and officers of both sides, shaking hands and wishing each other a happy Christmas.
Letter Home
Second Lieutenant Dougan Chater

The effects of winter, upon the trench life on the Western Front limited activities. Some small offensives by both sides only gained a few kilometers in either direction. The biggest problem facing each army was the supply of ammunition. All sides were low on reserves of bullets and shells.