British and German Troops Reenact Christmas Truce Match

British and German forces held a football match on December 24 to commemorate the centennial of a Christmas truce during World War I. The story goes that British and German soldiers played the game after singing Silent Night together on the battlefield.

The friendly match also gave both sides the opportunity to jest about the modern-day rivalry between the English and German national teams.

German Lt. Gen. Carsten Jacobson said, "Germany versus England is the football game. It is a very serious game. It has been battled over in numerous World Cups, Euro Cups, and it is always a big event when England plays Germany.

“The [last] couple of World Cups, they seem to do better than us. But hopefully we’ll claw back a bit of national pride,” said British Brigadier James Stopford.

Great Britain won 3-0. Credit: YouTube/NATO