Christmas 2011, in a few short years we will be visiting the 100th anniversary of the Great War and now is the time for all good historians to point their research in this direction.  As a special Christmas gift, I am rerunning one of my favorite blog entries about the Christmas Truce of 1914.  Please take the time to listen to the music, and check out the excellent websites that are highlighted.  Be sure to listen to these moving songs in a place where no one can see you weep like a baby…or not, be proud of your tears and let the whole family see! 

As a World War One Historian, I would be remiss by not passing on the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914.   Although these truces have been observed throughout conflicts in history, the 1914 truce is unique in military history, due to the close proximity of the combatants in the trenches.  The  story of the World War One truce is noteworthy.   The Christmas Truce has been researched by WWI Historians trying to chronicle the true events and separating the myths.   In my Non Traditional Student History Major way, I was moved to publish this story by viewing a very emotional You Tube video posted by a friend on Facebook.   I urge you to take the few minutes to view this video called  “Christmas in the Trenches.” This song was written by a WWI soldier named Francis Tolliver, and it is very moving.  This started a research session as a History Major even during my Christmas Break from college.    My search also yielded a couple more  pieces dedicated to this Christmas event during the Great War.  “Christmas in no man’s Land” is another ballad about the Truce in 1914, well worth a listen.  And to my surprise, Paul McCartney wrote “Pipes of Piece” in 1983 and produced a wonderful video about the event.   Being a WWI historian,  and a child of the era, I still get a lump in my throat every Christmas when I hear “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron” by the Royal Guardsmen, I know, I’m a softie/geek!     These You Tube videos are my History Major gifts to all of you this season, I hope that they will make you stop and think of our troops in far away countries this holiday season.

The actual history of the Christmas Truce has been covered quite well on the internet.   I have found many wonderful sites that tell the story of this event.   Many of the sites have most of the information correct as we know it today.   One site in particular, “The Christmas Truce “ is probably the most complete and historically accurate.    Another description from a Scottish Blogger, Jimmy is well written and worth taking a look at:

The year is 1914 and World war 1 has been going on for 4 months,soldiers from Germany and Britain, living in mud filled trenches suffering from the cold weather,the chill of the icy rain pouring down on them, with the rain comes the constant shell bombardment from both sides,snipers picking off their targets death is everywhere hope is nowhere. Suddenly around 10pm after the guns had fallen silent,singing could be heard from the German trenches,

Christmas eve and the German soldiers were singing Carols,and after a while the British joined in singing in English, for the first time in four months there was hope in the air.  Day light came on Christmas morning, the soldiers from both trenches lay aside their arms got out of the trenches and walked into no man’s land, about half way between the trenches, they shook hands and exchanged cigarettes and chocolate whilst wishing each other a merry Christmas, a soccer ball was produced and both sides played soccer this went on for a while,slowly both sides dispersed back to their own respective trenches.  The next day the shelling started again and the war was back on. The miracle of peace and goodwill to all men never meant so much as it did on Christmas day 1914.

The website, “Eyewitness to History” has an excellent account by  British Soldier, Frank Richards of the events that day:

“On Christmas morning we stuck up a board with ‘A Merry Christmas’ on it. The enemy had stuck up a similar one. Platoons would sometimes go out for twenty-four hours’ rest – it was a day at least out of the trench and relieved the monotony a bit – and my platoon had gone out in this way the night before, but a few of us stayed behind to see what would happen. Two of our men then threw their equipment off and jumped on the parapet with their hands above their heads. Two of the Germans done the same and commenced to walk up the river bank, our two men going to meet them. They met and shook hands and then we all got out of the trench.

Buffalo Bill [the Company Commander] rushed into the trench and endeavoured to prevent it, but he was too late: the whole of the Company were now out, and so were the Germans. He had to accept the situation, so soon he and the other company officers climbed out too. We and the Germans met in the middle of no-man’s-land. Their officers were also now out. Our officers exchanged greetings with them. One of the German officers said that he wished he had a camera to take a snapshot, but they were not allowed to carry cameras. Neither were our officers”

As a History Major and a Non Traditional Student, I never seem to stop researching.   My new focus on becoming a Public Historian directly relates to this posting.   Sharing history with the everyday viewer is what public history is all about.  I vow to be more diligent in my postings this coming year with updates on my Non Traditional Student journey.  I will finally reach a lifelong goal this Spring as I finally achieve the college degree that has evaded me all these 35+ years of working life.    I wish everyone peace and a happy holiday season.

As a World War One Historian, I would be remiss by not passing on the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914.   Although these truces have been observed throughout conflicts in history, the 1914 truce is unique in military history, due to the close proximity of the combatants in the trenches.  The  story of the World War One truce is noteworthy.   The Christmas Truce has been researched by WWI Historians trying to chronicle the true events and separating the myths.   In my Non Traditional Student History Major way, I was moved to publish this story by viewing a very emotional You Tube video posted by a friend on Facebook.   I urge you to take the few minutes to view this video called  “Christmas in the Trenches.” This song was written by a WWI soldier named Francis Tolliver, and it is very moving.  This started a research session as a History Major even during my Christmas Break from college.    My search also yielded a couple more  pieces dedicated to this Christmas event during the Great War.  “Christmas in no man’s Land” is another ballad about the Truce in 1914, well worth a listen.  And to my surprise, Paul McCartney wrote “Pipes of Piece” in 1983 and produced a wonderful video about the event.   Being a WWI historian,  and a child of the era, I still get a lump in my throat every Christmas when I hear “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron” by the Royal Guardsmen, I know, I’m a softie/geek!     These You Tube videos are my History Major gifts to all of you this season, I hope that they will make you stop and think of our troops in far away countries this holiday season.

The actual history of the Christmas Truce has been covered quite well on the internet.   I have found many wonderful sites that tell the story of this event.   Many of the sites have most of the information correct as we know it today.   One site in particular, “The Christmas Truce “ is probably the most complete and historically accurate.    Another description from a Scottish Blogger, Jimmy is well written and for the most part accurate:

The year is 1914 and World war 1 has been going on for 4 months,soldiers from Germany and Britain, living in mud filled trenches suffering from the cold weather,the chill of the icy rain pouring down on them, with the rain comes the constant shell bombardment from both sides,snipers picking off their targets death is everywhere hope is nowhere. Suddenly around 10pm after the guns had fallen silent,singing could be heard from the German trenches,

Stille Nacht! Heil’ge Nacht!

Christmas eve and the German soldiers were singing Carols,and after a while the British joined in singing in English, for the first time in four months there was hope in the air.  Day light came on Christmas morning, the soldiers from both trenches lay aside their arms got out of the trenches and walked into no man’s land, about half way between the trenches, they shook hands and exchanged cigarettes and chocolate whilst wishing each other a merry Christmas, a soccer ball was produced and both sides played soccer this went on for a while,slowly both sides dispersed back to their own respective trenches.  The next day the shelling started again and the war was back on. The miracle of peace and goodwill to all men never meant so much as it did on Christmas day 1914.

The website, “Eyewitness to History” has an excellent account by  British Soldier, Frank Richards of the events that day:

“On Christmas morning we stuck up a board with ‘A Merry Christmas’ on it. The enemy had stuck up a similar one. Platoons would sometimes go out for twenty-four hours’ rest – it was a day at least out of the trench and relieved the monotony a bit – and my platoon had gone out in this way the night before, but a few of us stayed behind to see what would happen. Two of our men then threw their equipment off and jumped on the parapet with their hands above their heads. Two of the Germans done the same and commenced to walk up the river bank, our two men going to meet them. They met and shook hands and then we all got out of the trench.

Buffalo Bill [the Company Commander] rushed into the trench and endeavoured to prevent it, but he was too late: the whole of the Company were now out, and so were the Germans. He had to accept the situation, so soon he and the other company officers climbed out too. We and the Germans met in the middle of no-man’s-land. Their officers were also now out. Our officers exchanged greetings with them. One of the German officers said that he wished he had a camera to take a snapshot, but they were not allowed to carry cameras. Neither were our officers”

As a History Major and a Non Traditional Student, I never seem to stop researching.   This topic should come in handy next term at OSU.   I will be taking a class in 20th Century European History.   But for now, it is time to focus on family and friends.    I wish everyone peace and a happy holiday season.

I was not able to fit this experience into one blog posting.   Today I would like to share my post 1920 aircraft loves.   Perhaps the most exciting aspect of my air museum experiences this vacation was to see both B-29 aircraft that ended WWII.   The USAF Museum houses the Nagasaki bomber “Bockscar” and I was able to see the Enola Gay at this museum.   Both of these aircraft are important pieces of aviation and military history. Putting all of the horrible devastation caused by these airplanes aside,  I looked at them for their overall historical value.   Singular in their place in history, seeing both of these aircraft was special to me.   I spent the time to contemplate the ramifications on world history, post 1945 that seem to hang in the air around these two planes and was deeply moved.   Thinking in terms of the historical significance surrounding the sights and experiences of this vacation keeps my History Major mind spinning.   Of course, the other aircraft on display were just waiting for me to absorb them as well.   Udvar Hazy has some unique aircraft from WWII and one of my favorites is the Dornier Do-335 A-0 “Pfiel”.    Two powerful engines with a propeller on each end of the plane!    Captured at the end of WWII this aircraft was sent back to the USA for testing.   It was sent back to Germany for restoration at the Dornier factory.   Men who worked on the plane when it was built helped with the restoration.   They were amazed to find the explosive bolt charges for dropping the bottom rudder were still in place and active 30 years later!    I enjoyed the display of German experimental aircraft and of note was the remains of the Horten Ho III h flying wing glider.   The artifact is being conserved rather than restored due to the fact that there are no drawings or other information to complete a restoration.   It does not look like much, but it is another rare piece of aviation history and I was excited to see it.   The airplane/spacecraft  geek in me got all weepy in viewing some of the most mundane artifacts of the space race of the 1960s.   I was glued to the TV for every launch and recovery of the Gemini and Apollo programs (I was just a little too young for Mercury) so seeing this gallery was really special.   There were artifacts such as camera lenses used to photograph the moon’s surface on Apollo 11 and being a photographer, well, I should have brought a bib for my drooling…   The photo of the Apollo capsule (right) may not look that remarkable, but being the geek I am, I was all choked up  to see an actual artifact from the Apollo 11 Moonshot,  the flotation ring used in the recovery after splashdown.   I know, it is a rubber ring and some beach balls attached to a mock-up capsule, but my memories of the end of the first moon landing mission got the better of me.    I am the ultimate history geek.   I own this, and apologize not one bit for my fervor overflowing.   The Mercury program was represented by Astronaut Allen Shepard’s Freedom 7II capsule.   This is the only orbit configured Mercury Capsule left.   Shepard was to fly this spacecraft in a long duration orbital mission in late 1963.   Due to the success of Gordon Cooper’s flight, the mission was cancelled so NASA could move on to the Gemini program. It is displayed just as it would have been in orbit with the retro package still attached.    This was really special to behold.   The Udvar Hazy facility will be getting one of the decommissioned shuttles soon, replacing the Enterprise  on display now.   The Evergreen Air Museum in McMinnville Oregon (where I hope to intern this summer) will possibly get this spacecraft, or quite possibly the remaining shuttle that has flown in space that will be coming to the west coast.  The artifacts and significant space program memorabilia on display were a real treat for me.   The Udvar Hazy Center is huge and has the capacity to house the Shuttle and the Concorde.    But it was the special items in the collection that drew me near.   The WWII Japanese Kamikaze Ohka (cherry blossom) type 22 is unique as it was jet powered.   This suicide weapon was to be carried under the wing of a “Betty” bomber and launched at the US Navy warships.   This is the only remaining thermojet powered Bakka Bomb.   Japanese WWII aircraft are rare and the NASM has the only remaining examples of some of these on display.   Another interesting WWII Japanese plane was the Aichi M6A1 Seiran (Clear Sky Storm) float plane.  These aircraft were  designed to attack the Panama Canal.   They were to be carried on special submarines  and launched when in range of the strategic target.   This is the only remaining Seiran and is brilliantly restored. This museum was the final stop on my History Major’s Dream Vacation. I was very sad for it to end, but after 12 days of Planes, Trains and Museums I was  ready to get home and sleep in my own bed.   I plan to wrap up my reflections on this experience in my final posting for this series.   It was a lot to process, both mentally and photographically and two months later I still am deeply effected by this trip.   Vacations are meant to be relaxing, this one turned out to be so much more.

My last stop on this History Major’s Dream Vacation journey came on our drive back to Maryland and the Washington DC area.   The National Air & Space Museum has a huge facility in Chantilly VA known as the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.   Opened in 2003, this state of the art air museum houses some of the larger aircraft that the Mall location does not have room for.   There are some extremely significant aircraft on display and this visit was another major “Bucket List” item.   I have wanted to see this museum since I learned about it as it was being built.    It was added to my bucket list much later than the prior items that I was able to check off on this trip.    This “rush of history” was so grand that I will have to break this post into two parts also.    First,  Pioneer and Great War aircraft.   This is my first love in aviation and there are some very important artifacts on display at Udvar-Hazy.   At left is one of the few remaining Halberstadt CL.IV German 2 seater.   Three of these aircraft were purchased by WWI ace Paul Strähle after WWI for use as a civilian air transport business.   This aircraft was restored in 1991.   I have always wanted to see it in person.   The restoration was flawless, I was again back in my History Major lump in the throat mode!    The colorful wing fabric is called “lozenge” and was applied to many German Great War aircraft.    Along with this famous German aircraft, the NASM has restored a late war Nieuport 28 which was pieced together from a number of parts of original aircraft.   This type was flown by the US Army Air Corps pilots upon our entrance into the war in 1917.  Volunteers from the USA had been fighting in the skies over Europe since the early days of the war in the Lafayette Escadrille (subject for a history post in the future…)   This aircraft is suspended from the ceiling and can be viewed up close from the 2nd floor walkway, and yes, this was a real treat as well.    For my Senior Thesis at Oregon State University, my interests have been channelled toward the pioneers of aviation in the United States and how our country was ill-equipped in the aviation field by the time we entered the war.   My research will look at how Woodrow Wilson’s neutrality policies hampered the development of military aviation in the USA during the years leading up to 1917.   My research into this topic is just beginning and I have been looking at early 1910-1915 aircraft types.   ooh, shiny objects…always seem to make my History Major mind go astray.  The new thesis idea has been rattling around for a while now, and a chapter I read in Harry Woodman’s Early Aircraft Armament highlighted the disparity with European military aircraft development and the US efforts.   Besides, these Pioneer airplanes are really cool!!   Talk about rickety stringbags.   Of course, being so moved by standing before the Wright Flyer at the NASM on the mall got those History Major juices boiling. The early aviation gallery at the Udvar Hazy Center also has some interesting artifacts of the Great War.   I was thrilled to see Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker’s WWI uniform. The collection also has one of the oldest surviving bomber aircraft from WWI.   The Caudron G-4 is in original condition and has not been restored to pristine museum quality status.   This is a real treat in itself as the old  varnish and original markings are still intact.

The Udvar- Hazy  facility is quite huge, with some really impressive aircraft on display.   I was in hog-heaven, and my camera was blazing away.   Patty was a real trooper and followed me around the museum for quite a while.   I think she absorbs history through osmosis by being with me.   I went back to get some final shots of the Enola Gay B-29 (a major event for me…see tomorrow’s posting) and Patty retired to the on-site McDonald’s for a rest.   My main interest in aviation is WWI, but I am a total airplane geek for all other eras.   I will continue my posting about my last Bucket List experience for this History Major’s Dream Vacation tomorrow.   With only hours left on our vacation, I wanted to absorb as much History Major mojo that I could before we boarded a plane for Oregon Tuesday morning.

For our last weekend on the East Coast we visited family in a wonderful small town called Oley, Pennsylvania.   Patty’s sister, Jennifer and her Husband Brian moved there a number of years ago.   My 10-year-old nephew, Rafael was a treat for Patty and I to visit.   He is quite the young man nowadays and really kept Patty going with conversations about online gaming.   Jennifer is a professor at Kutztown University which is about a half an hour away.   Being the history geek I am, this small town did not disappoint me.   The town of Oley is about 10 miles Southeast of Reading, PA.   It was founded in the early 1700s by German and French Huguenots seeking religious freedom.   One of the early settlers in the area was Mordecai Lincoln, great-grandfather of the 16th President Abraham Lincoln.   Oley’s big claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of Daniel Boone in 1734.   The Oley Valley played an important role in the Revolutionary War by sending food and cannon balls to George Washington’s encampment at Valley Forge.  The original name for this town was “Friedensburg” but that was changed after WWII as the name was often confused with a similar Friedensburg located farther North in Pennsylvania. Walking up and down the main street where Jennifer and Brian live I was enjoying all of the Victorian homes.   I found one home that was built in 1814 and is still occupied today.   Wonderful architecture and history just by walking a few blocks in either direction.  Wonderful details of these homes were a photographer’s dream as the cast iron fence to the right shows.   I did stroll through the town cemetery and was fascinated by the oldest tombstones dating back to the beginning of the 1800s.  Of special note was the grave of a Revolutionary War Soldier from the town.   Jacob Reppert, PVT Continental Line, Revolutionary War,  Born 1762, Died 1837.   To think of the history this man experienced.   I put my Historian Hat on and thought of what an excellent research paper this story could be.    This term at OSU, am taking a class called “The Historian’s Craft”    HST 310.   My professor specializes in the Revolutionary War period.   He gave me some guidance on how one would go about researching this man’s history.   During the 1830s, Revolutionary War Veterans made petitions to the US Government for a pension.   These records vary from just some info about dates  served, to complete diaries of the soldier’s service during the war.   I’m not a 18th Century Historian, as I specialize in WWI Aviation, but I somehow feel a connection with this soldier.   Maybe it was just another “rush of history” clouding my sensibilities, but I have filed this info away for a future research paper about this individual’s service history and story.   I am sure that it will come in handy for some History Class in the next couple of years.

A family treat for Patty and I was being able to attend our nephew’s first soccer game of the season.   The Oley Valley team won decisively!   Being the good Uncle, I documented the game for History!!   Rafe’s team was in Blue.   I was really impressed with the athletic prowess of their team and was as proud as I could be of my nephew!   After a nice BBQ lunch back in Oley,  the entire family group took a road trip to visit Jennifer’s Kutztown University campus.    So now this Oregon State Beaver has set foot on two colleges in the East, Univ. of Maryland and Kutztown U.   Huzzah for the Golden Bears and Terps!!    I really enjoyed this visit, Kutztown University, first established in 1866 is a little older than Oregon State.   Some great old buildings, and the Administration Building has the distinction as having a “screaming chicken” bell tower.   In the photo at left, you can see that when viewed from a corner angle, the two clocks are the eyes, and the peaks of the roofs look like an angry beak!!   I’ll have to wander around the OSU campus to see if we have a “screaming BEAVER” building!   We drove around the small village of Kutztown and I enjoyed the historical look of the main street.   It seemed like everywhere we went in this area of Pennsylvania, I was treated to cool old buildings.    This is one thing that I noticed about our visit to the East Coast, History is everywhere.   No wonder I considered this a dream vacation.   We enjoyed a fine meal at one of the “college kid” hangouts and made our way back to Oley for an evening of gaming with Rafe.  This vacation and all of the museums have really been “all about me”, finally this weekend of our trip was “all about Patty”.   The plan for Sunday was to take our Nephew to the sweetest place in the world….Hershey Pennsylvania!!    Tomorrow’s post is all about my wife’s dream vacation, CHOCOLATE WORLD!!!