The celebration of Christmas during wartime has always been a bittersweet experience, no less so than during the First and Second World Wars. We offer this collection of Christmas-themed photos from the two world wars that show the full spectrum of the human experience, from friendship and love to hatred and barbarity.
(Click to enlarge)
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British Soldiers Bringing in Holly for Christmas. First World War. Source: The Literary Digest History of the World War, Vol. 2; Funk & Wagnalls Co.; New York, London; 1919.
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Wounded German Soldiers at Christmas. First World War. Source: Library of Congress
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German soldiers celebrating Christmas in a trench in the First World War. Source: New York Times, 01/31/1915
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French soldiers preparing for dinner at the front. First World War. Source: The Literary Digest History of the World War, Vol. 2; Funk & Wagnalls Co.; New York, London; 1919.
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Finnish Army unit holding a Christmas service near the Kollaa River, Finland, 12/24/1939. Source: WWII Database
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Personnel of USS LEXINGTON celebrate Christmas, 12/1944. Source: U.S. National Archives, Dept of the Navy.
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US Army soldier dressed as Santa Claus at Camp Lee, Virginia, 12/1941. Source: U.S. Army Signal Corps
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Christmas Dance for African-American soldiers of 1323rd Engineers, Camp Swift, Texas, 12/23/1943. Source: U.S. National Archives
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Actor Mickey Rooney eating in the USS Intrepid crews mess during a Christmas visit in California, 12/1943. Source: U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation
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A Christmas tree standing in front of Block 15 in Auschwitz I Concentration Camp, date unknown. Source: Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum Archives
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Sgt. Hiram Prouty of US 175th Infantry Regiment dressed as Santa Claus, arriving on a M3 medium tank, Perham Down, England, 12/1942. Source: United States Army Signal Corps
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US 5th Armored Regiment tankers gathering around a fire and opening Christmas presents, near Eupen, Belgium, 12/30/1944. Source: U.S. Army Center of Military History
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US Army Sgt. Edward F. Good feeding Pfc. Lloyd Demin during the Christmas dinner at a field hospital in the Philippine Islands, 12/25/1944. Source: U.S. Army Signal Corps
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Man stands next to pile of dead bodies, Christmas wreaths in background, at Buchenwald Concentration Camp
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US Army soldiers sharing care package sent by one of their wives for Christmas, somewhere in Europe, 11/18/1944. Source: U.S. Army Signal Corps
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Members of the 101st Airborne Division walk past dead comrades killed during the Christmas Eve bombing of Bastogne, Belgium, 12/25/1944
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M-51 Anti aircraft Battery looking up at a Christmas Day dog fight near Puffendorf Germany, 12/25/1944. Source: U.S. National Archives, Department of the Army.
