The harshness of the Holidays
Many will know what happened at the Western Front during Christmas of 1914. German and British soldiers would lay down their weapons and celebrate the holidays together. But how was spending Christmas on the Eastern Front? That’s a little more complicated than you might think…
This has to do with the different calendars used. Nowadays, we mostly refer to the Gregorian calendar. However, the Russians still used the Julian calendar. There are a few reports that Germans would seek out a truce during Christmas, but these aren’t as widely spread or well known as what occurred in 1914. For soldiers in the trenches of the Eastern Front, it would have been ‘business as usual’, although that is a weird statement considering they were at war...
One of the important Russian offensives is named the ‘Christmas Battles’ and took place on the second and third weeks of January 1917, if we go by our current calendar. The battle took place in a swampy, frozen landscape and stood out because of the partial victory for the Russian Empire. In particular the Latvian Riflemen earned their reputation as very capable combatants based on this offensive.
The Christmas Truce in Verdun
In Verdun, our WW1 Game that takes place on the Western Front, the Christmas Truce event returns! From December 22nd 2020 until January 5th 2021, you can join the Christmas Truce and even win a special medal for doing so! Jump into a special map where all players have the same loadout. Stories to tell, snowballs to pick up and a football to kick. Celebrate Christmas in a unique way with your fellow soldiers and earn the Christmas Truce medal by participating in the festivities.
https://youtu.be/LqSbWDa-RyU
What makes a truce?
Co-founder of M2H Studios and developer of the WW1 Game Series, Mike Hergaarden, has written an interesting behind the scenes article about including different truces and other lesser known historic events in games. “The common factor in these truces is a shared human experience.”
To get some more insights, read the article here.
A cold winter sale
If you are looking to enlist on the battlefields of World War I, now is the perfect time! Tannenberg is -60% off and could be gifted to a fellow soldier. Looking to head over to the Western Front and join the Christmas Truce? Verdun is -70% off as well!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/242860/Verdun/
From the development team of the WW1 Game Series, we wish you a merry Christmas and a healthy new year!
