When europe marched to war in the summer of 1914, both sides thought the fighting would be over in a few weeks .. instead, by the close of december, world war l had already claimed close to a million lives, and it was clear the fighting would go on for a long time .. yet on dec. 24, much of the western front fell silent as ordinary soldiers made temporary peace with the enemy .. this was the remarkable Christmas Truce of 1914 .. it's estimated that about 100,000 men, mainly british and germans, took part .. in fact, the sheer magnitude of the event led many to doubt that it ever happened and as late as1983 one veteran called the truce a "latrine rumor." .. today, however, it is often seen as one of the few bright moments amid the slaughter of the Great War, in which 14 million people were killed .. the events of Christmas day 1914 would constitute one of the more remarkable events of world war one and remain as a testament to the desire for peace in the common soldier .. as contrasted by the desire for war from those in high places that are usually far away in safe locations .. both the british and german high commands were outraged by these activities for this was “fraternization with the enemy” .. a serious military offense that could mean the firing squad for any individual identified .. sensibly this was overlooked, although strict orders were issued forbidding any future repeats..