The War to End All Wars Quotes

“In this sunshine,” wrote Max Plowman in his memoir of the war, “it seems impossible to believe that at any minute we in this trench, and they in that, may be blown to bits by shells fired from guns at invisible distances by hearty fellows who would be quite ready to stand you a drink if you met them face to face.”
― Russell Freedman, The War to End All Wars: World War I

“In Belgian Flanders, the scene of savage fighting since October, the year 1914 ended with a remarkable display of fellowship and goodwill. On Christmas morning near the ruins of Ypres, German troops in their trenches opposite the British began to sing carols and display bits of holiday evergreen. The British soldiers replied by singing in return. Gradually, unarmed soldiers from either side began to show themselves atop their trenches, and cautiously, one by one, then in groups, soldiers from both sides walked out into no man’s land and exchanged gifts of food and cigarettes. “I think I have seen one of the most extraordinary sights today that anyone has ever seen,” Second Lieutenant Dougan Chater wrote to his mother from his trench on the Western Front. “About 10 o’clock this morning I was peeping over the 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.” Christmas 1914 brought a temporary lull in the fighting on the Western Front. This German snowman is equipped with a spiked helmet and a Mauser 98 rifle. For the rest of the day, not a shot was fired, and similar scenes were repeated in a number of places along the front. The British commander, Sir John French, was not pleased. “I issued immediate orders to prevent any recurrence of such conduct,” he wrote, “and called the local commanders to strict account.” A general order was issued, directing that “such unwarlike activity must cease.” It did not happen again.”
― Russell Freedman, The War to End All Wars: World War I

“Batteries of machine guns firing point-blank at assaulting troops could turn an infantry attack into a mass suicide.”
― Russell Freedman, The War to End All Wars: World War I

“By the end of 1914, after less than five months of combat, more than 600,000 soldiers on both sides had been killed on the Western Front.”
― Russell Freedman, The War to End All Wars: World War I

“In the first days of mobilization there was of course a lot of enthusiasm,” recalled Robert Poustis, who was a French student at the time.”
― Russell Freedman, The War to End All Wars: World War I

“Germany was an ambitious young nation.”
― Russell Freedman, The War to End All Wars: World War I