Friday, December 26, 2008

THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

It must be said with courage and character. Since this incident has now become a famous truce in the midst of the slaughter of World War One - the Great War.

What was so great about it except the millions of corpses- mutilated, torn to pieces, burnt and charred like logs in a furnace, blind young men in their prime, crippled forevermore, emotionally and spiritually scarred beyond redemption here on earth.

Who dared call it the Great War? Most probably the Victors. But we now know as some discerning folk knew even then that in War, EVERYONE IS A LOSER. WE ARE ALL DEFEATED.

Recently a team of scientists and military experts availing themselves of the state of the art technology in underwater discovery, photography and exploration aided by robots reached the wreckage of the Lusitania.

Remember this name. In Latin it means Light - Lucis. The irony is that the bombing of the so called civilian ship Lusitania by German warships led to the death of 1,600 people, a 160 of them carried American passports.

This "vile and heinous act by the Germans" led President Woodrow Wilson, hitherto reluctant to enter the war because the American people simply had no penchant for Death and Destruction.
So, they had to be pushed and manipulated into it. Hence the Lusitania.

" The Lusitania was so pregnant with ammunition and armaments she was forced to sail slowly. We knew that for a fact," replied the Germans.

"You are all liars and murderers," screamed the headlines of American and British newspapers. Jingoism was on and it has not gone out of style. I doubt it ever will be. We are calling it by different names. Try love of the Homeland, of Freedom and of Patriotism.

Back to those men of Science and Technology pursuing Knowledge in the dark waters of the Atlantic. What did their robots and fine instruments and cameras uncover?

The Truth at last.

That the Lusitania was stuffed to the gazoo with cannon, bombs, bullets and rifles just as the Germans claimed. By the way, they never wavered from this opinion. Time has proved them right.

Given the duplicity of Winston Churchill, then Secretary of the Navy and of Colonel House, the Adviser ( more properly the handler of President Woodrow Wilson) I don't think my credibility will be taxed if I presume that those unfortunate 1,600 people on board the Lusitania made up the sacrificial victims. Nothing else.

It is worth noting that Germany extended peace gestures towards Britain, France and Russia in 1916. The Germans could afford to be generous. Victory was theirs on at all fronts.

In the year 2008 it is even more vital than ever before to publish the Christmas Truce and the man - General Reinhard Heydrich, who reminded his Brain Stormers within the SS that Peace was the ultimate goal.

I wish you a Happy Yuletide.

1 comment:

  1. My dear Isabel,

    I concur with you for the most part, and I dissent in part:

    1. I disagree with you about Churchill being "duplicitous". I think you are unfair to Churchill, for forgivable reasons, but I think your (well-founded in many ways) personal biases have made you blinkered about Churchill.

    2. I share your contempt for Woodrow Wilson, and I think the Great War would have ended sooner, and in a better way, if America had not become involved.

    3. I agree with you that Heydrich's reputation deserves major reconsideration.

    4. Here is a clip from the BEAUTIFUL jointly made French-British-German movie, "Joyeux Noel", about the Christmas Truce of 1914: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=c5iDz8Ul_AQ

    ReplyDelete

Isabel Van Fechtmann

Create Your Badge