@The Question Queens: Debbie, first, as a veteran, thank you for reacting to this, and keeping this story alive. It is important that stories of humanity such as this are not lost and forgotten, because this shows that even in the horrors of war, in the hell of a warzone, that men can keep their humanity -- something we all should aspire to never lose. That no matter how bleak things look, or how dark they may get, that the light of hope and goodwill may dim, but it will never go out, so long as we retain our humanity. And Debbie, the cross Joakim carries in the video actually exists outside of Ypres, Belgium, and still stands as a monument to the events of this day. And it reads, from top to left to right to bottom: Khaki Chums Christmas Truce 1914 Lest We Forget Lastly, this is the only Christmas song I prefer hearing outside of Belleau Wood by Garth Brooks and Snoopy and the Red Baron. Because Christmas, like many other times, should be a time not just of hope, but also of gratitude to show that we appreciate what we have, and what is important to us. For these men, it was the idea they wanted to be at home on Christmas, as they thought the war would be over by Christmas, as many, including the press, did. Relatedly, after the Christmas Truce of 1914, there was a German commander who had to move his men to another section of the line, after they refused to fight the men they had made friends with the previous day.
:nods: Aye, Isiah, I was going to say that stories have come out about how after that famous truce the men in the trenches across from each other would not fire *at* those that had talked and celebrated with - they would shoot high or give warnings. Even artillery crews would repeatedly fire at the same spot so their friends across the way could just avoid those areas. Whether the same could ever happen again, I don't know. World War One in particular was a war that from the start, pretty much, was not one that any ordinary person thought was justified. Now we have professional armies and the people in them, whilst not blood-thirsty monsters, are contracted to do as they are ordered and fight where they are told. And the conflicts are now framed ideologically, heavily politicised and propagandised to silence dissent. The other side is seen as The Enemy and automatically dehumanised whereas in The Great War, those fighting were very much the same in a lot of ways and it was easier to drop the farce of that sort of corrosive amorality.
This song should be played evrywhere that christmas is near n the war is evrywhere now..ukraije n russia n isreal n palestines..We r all brothers..that line really touches me..Thanks for letteing us know that the woman at the end is Floor ..she is awesome n i love amanda too..Greetings n Cheers to you.
The German soldier that is first out of the trench is Sabaton's drummer, Hannes Van Dahl. We guess that when wrapping the video up they talked about who to sing the ending credits .. and that Hannes may have said something like .."Well my wife sings a bit ......"
Sorry Debbie, but I had to add this. The long haired blond man who was first out of the trench is Hannes Van Dahl, Floor Jansen's husband. Also if you had run the credits to the end you would have noticed that the outro vocals were sung by Floor! FYI there are two memorials to this event: one in Ypres, Belgium and the other in the UK. The soldiers called a Christmas truce against the wishes of the high commands of both sides. High praise to Sabaton for composing this tribute and thank you again for a most emotional reaction. YC.
This imho is the best Christmas song ever. It tells the raw story of camradery amongst soldiers amidst the madness of war, any war. A story we should never forget... And with a beautiful ending by our dear Floor (did you notice?). This song gives me chills every time.
The last survivor of the Christmas truce, Alfred Anderson stayed a few miles from me and I play flowers of the forest on bagpipes every year on Remembrance Sunday stood in front of his memorial. If anyone says heavy metal is meaningless noise they should hear this song.
I read a story that took place maybe 2 years ago....the people, in their 20's maybe, were on line in a coffee shop in NYC and this song came up in conversation on line ...turns out the 2 people discussing the song both had grandparents in this event, who not only exchanged photos, but passed them down. BOTH of them actually had EACH OTHERS grandparents photos in their wallets! 😮
I can't remember whose reaction video it was, but there was a commenter who said that he wouldn't exist without the events of the Christmas Truce, as his grandfathers met each other on the battlefield that day. That would be one hell of a thing to find out about my family, that's for sure, because my mind would be blown.
The fact that Sabaton has chosen to take military history of every era, manner of conflict, events well-known or not so well-known, or the people and places involved, such as in No Bullets Fly, is an achievement unto itself and they do it to such great, great effect.
Thank you Debbie for posting this video. As a 20 year military Vet this song os near and dear to me. I lost my uncle (Namesake) in WW2. IMHO this is a real tribute to all veterans who served. A visit to Lorraine National Cemetary in France will always be on my "bucket list", as my uncle is interred there. Peace and long life to you and yours.
5 years ago we were with my school class on the former front line at a monument that commemorates this event. Our history teacher had a talent to describe the events so vividly that we all had real images in our heads.Although we lived in the border area of Germany and France and all the bunkers of the Maginot Line were right on the doorstep, and we always had the testimonies of the 2nd World War in mind, I will never forget this place and this day.
Joakim Broden was a keyboarder, when he joined the band. They asked him to sing until they find a singer and he is still doing nowadays a great job...👍💪 Although they have another great singer/guitarplayer 🎤🎸 in the band since a few years with Tommy. Oh yes, and it's Floor (wife of Hannes, the drummer) singing at the credits.
Dear Debbie In our small country we have a lot of refugees from Oekraïne, I can't imagine how they must feel not knowing if their relatives/husband's are still alive! We all do our best to make them feel at home and provide them with help, work, kids going to school but most importantly give them lots of love and understanding!!! When will this madness STOP!! Nobody knows!! Love to all of the Ukraine and all human beings around the world!! 💚🌍💚🌍💚
Very touching song about the madness of war. It goes on everyday. Now in Ukraine, tomorrow somewhere else. "Lest we never forget" echoes to deaf ears. Sabaton is a great band with their music.
As soon as I heard this song, it instantly became my favorite song of Sabaton. Joakim, the singer, has said that they've been wanting to write a song about the Christmas Truce for years but never got it right. Goes without saying that the waiting paid off. Brilliant song. It was so much fun singing it live when I went to see them last year
Very emotional song my great grandfather fought at the Somme he was wounded and sent back home lost his left eye never met him but I've 2 pictures of him in uniform. The funny thing being he was originally signed to a cavalry regiment but with massive losses he ended up with the Lancashire regiment who themselves took massive losses too. When I joined the British army at 17 I was assigned to the Royal tank regiment which is a transition from cavalry to tanks the first tank called big Willie which to this day is our Emblem and the motto has remained the same "fear nought" I feel honored that I was able to enlist in the same regiment shame being I never got to actually meet him
This song hits me hard my Great Grandfather served in WW1 he never ever talked about it when he came back he was never the same my father told us he had a bottle in his back pocket all the time. He died a very sad man. Thanks for the reaction Debbie .
Another wonderful and simultaneously heartbreaking masterpiece from Sabaton is "En livstid i krig", the live performance in Gothenburg. I would love to see you react to this - and if you do this: please make sure to read a bit about the background of the song in advance and to switch subtitles on as this song is in Swedish ... and it has to be!
Bless your heart Debbie for such a heart-felt reaction to this wonderful story. Yes, this really did happen right down to the football match and exchanging of gifts. Sabaton had been trying for years to produce this video and in 2021 it all came together, they put their heart and soul into this one. There is a video on RUclips of the making of the Christmas Truce so you might have a look at that. Also, You may have recognized the voice of who sang at the end for the credits. It was of course Floor Jansen, she did a beautiful solo. I think your next sabaton song should be "En Livstid I Krig" , a live concert in Gothenburg, Sweden. It's in Swedish so you will need the subtitles on. Next to Christmas Truce, this song is right up there with to grab your heart.
Check out their newest song "1916", a cover of a Motörhead song written by Lemmy Kilmister. Do the official video and make sure you watch till the end. Greets from Germany!
When released I was astounded - never expected such a powerful song. From that day it is my favourite christmas song that reminds me on the true meaning of christmas and keeps me believing in the good of us all. Knowing Sabaton for some years now I got the chance to see them live in my home country Germany in January 2020 and what should I say: their songs are live on stage at the same top level as on the records. 🤘
My great grandfather was a major in the German Army in WW1. He lived long enough to tell us his stories. This song reminds me of one of them. He gave orders to his men to never fire on Christmas Day. As he said "it was the only orders he gave. That he never regretted". Love this song. Great reaction. Sabaton has a history channel. If you're interested in more context.
Fantastic and heartfelt reaction. As a veteran myself I appreciate and really connect to this amazing piece of art. Sabaton has truly captured the brotherhood of arms that servicemembers feel, even with those we fight against. It is an unfortunate thing but evil exists in the world and sometimes it is necessary to go to war to defeat that evil. Thankfully we have people who take pride in stepping up and protecting friends, family, and fellow citizens. This song makes me very emotional every time I listen to it and when Floor comes in at the end with those soaring vocals, I just loose it! Thank you again for this.
This is an absolutely fantastic and emotional song, really a masterpiece. I wish people had gone easier on you for missing that it was Floor singing at the end. Many reactors miss that. I tried to give you a heads up about it in an earlier comment, but I think I was too late.
Went to the Flemish town of Ypres last year. They play 'Last Post' beneath the Menin Gate every single day, without fail at 8 PM since the war ended. Almost half a million soldiers died in Ypres alone, many of them never found. It was incredibly emotional.
So many reactors get very still, hold their breath, or visibly gasp when Hannes climbs over the trench with his hands up. It's a master class in story telling and conveying so much with so relatively little.
I'm very stoic by nature, but the one part of this video that finally broke me is the one where Par is carving "2021" into the cross instead of "1914." It immediately calls back into my memory the line from the chorus, "...in a war that never ends." It is Sabaton's poignant way of reminding us that that war STILL hasn't ended. The underlying message goes much deeper than simply a story about WWI. It is telling us a story about the human condition in general.... a deeper war that we all must face within ourselves: that the underlying reason for these conflicts persists still and always will. Our "moments of peace" grudgingly given to us by the war that never ends. 😢
Two things; when I first heard this song, two years ago and a few days before Thanksgiving in a local coffee shop, I wept unashamedly. It is still now one of the most beautiful songs that I have ever heard! And at 5:49 could you IMAGINE the COURAGE it would take to be the first man out of a trench, holding your hat by way of parley? I cannot even fathom what it would take to do that...
It is sad but true: the generals are sitting in their bunkers, commanding it and the genuine soldiers die on the battlefield. The german movie "Im Westen nichts Neues" (english title: all quiet at the western front), which recently won 4 Oscars 🏆 is also about the battle of Verdun in WW1 and patrotism in the beginning and the uglyness of war in the end. 🤓
The ending vocals by Floor Jansen, wife of the drummer of Sabaton, Hannes Van Dahl! Floor is the lead singer of Finish metal band Nightwish, from Finland 🇫🇮
This video is, in my opinion, one of the most important videos ever made. Everybody should see it. By now, you have probably realized that Floor is the one singing in the end and Hannes is her husband. Small metal world. ;-)
I'm not sure how many dozens of times I have heard this song/watched the video now; but every time, but two I have cried. It might be the imagery in this amazing production because, although I had insured I had a handkerchief in my pocket for the occasion, the only two times I didn't cry were when I saw them live in concert last October.
War is so senseless...but like it or not and I don't and that's the fact that we are a warrior mindset....it all boils down to if I can't have then you can't either....We need to grow up...and we need to evolve into what we could be....I'm 67 and I don't see that happening in by lifetime but I can dream..... Beautiful reaction Debbie....and a beautiful song... May I suggest "Brothers in Arms"? sung by home free...another beautiful and strong song...💙
I consider Sabaton the metal history band. They even have their own RUclips history channel. You can go to their channel and learn more. The outro with the woman singing was Floor Jansen, of Nightwish, who is married to the drummer of Sabaton, Hannes Van Dahl.
There is one song about one Person who saved a lot of lives, but instead of getting promoted or receiving a medal, he was a misfit when he made it back home....a sad story, but Sabaton told his deeds during the war in "The ballad of Bull"
Friendly reminder: Keep in mind, Deb is not familiar with songs as well as some of us are, so there may be times when it gets paused or stopped when you aren't expecting it.
Can you imagine, fighting "the enemy", then getting to know them and befriending them during this truce, and then having to go back to your trenches and fight against those you just befriended?
Well shoot, I guess I'm crying today... this is a joyful song to me, but the video is realistic, so I get it can be tough. I am a US Marine Corp widow. It wasn't the war he fought in Desert Storm that took my husband...it was the war that continued in his head for decades more...always boggled my mind how veterans of prior wars saw much worse and came home and built our country up, seemingly unscathed.... but really, no one connected to any war, soldier or civilian, is really unscathed.
it's songs like this and many others, and not just from Sabaton, that pay tribute to the men and women who serve in their respective country's military. And as far as why and how some returning vets can be seemingly OK and others clearly not, those of us who have never served or experienced what they have will never truly know. Much respect to your husband.
@Judah Stephens you, sir, are a gentleman, all around! Thank you. My husband had a tough job...Crash Crew. So that means fire, rescue and medic that respond to downed aircraft and bombed vehicles. He served on the El Toro (now defunct) Air Base made famous by the movie, Independence Day. I suppose I have the same nature, I never got upset that he would pull over on the highway for any car stopped...he wasn't much of a mechanic, but always being of service. I thought that he would go into the medical field as a civilian, but it was too tough...he became a gemologist and jewelry maker. Its nice to share w someone, that he was a good man...but haunted.
Sabaton are true masters of storytelling. Please more sabaton. Their song "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" are a great one. It tells the story of Lawrence of Arabia, a Brittish officer who led the arab revolt against the Turks during WW1.
Glad your find this one that mix joakim 's great voice with history AND emotions (and Floor's voice, of course). A perfect ride in Sabaton's work (I use this one every year with my 10 yo students to introduce WWI)
Tommy did his own version of this song during his December Advent Calendar of 24 songs. It's different in tone but equally magnificent. Highly recommend, and I know you're not one to miss a chance to make a Tommy video by now lol. ruclips.net/video/qYQus1gDimI/видео.html
Something else worth noting about this Sabaton video: almost everything you see in it, every tiny detail, is based on fact. Tommy shouting a warning to Hannes (the enemy) that a grenade was coming over - fact. Lifting a piano into no-man's land: fact (they'd stolen it from a mansion during the dead of night!) The way they stacked their rifles in that teepee shape - fact. The attention to detail is on another level, you just don't get that from other bands.
what a beautiful eye color wow. At the end when a member of the band carved the wooden cross 2021 it was as if they could see the future because only some time later there was war in Europe again. One would think that a few people just don't want to learn anything from history. Sad that the story is holding itself back.
Hey Debbie, another beautiful reaction to an amazing song. You are absolutely correct about soldiers not wanting to be there. Leaders declare war and send innocent people to do their fighting while they sit far away from the battles using the soldiers like chess pawns. It is heartbreaking. 🥺🥰
Actually, that was not really the truth in WW1 (and in a number of other wars). Driven by patriotism, soldiers on both sides joined willingly and marched off to war. Even as the war progressed, most felt that what they were doing was necessary. The one exception was Russia, where the soldiers revolted and overthrew the government (with a lot of help from the German intelligence agencies using Lenin as their tool).
@@alancarter41 Driven by patriotism, and by fear of what the other side would do to their families if they lost. Sadly, history has shown that such fears are often justified. The Sabaton song Uprising illustrates one example of this.
@@greensky3152 I would agree to a certain extent. Atrocities like those committed by the Germans on the eastern front were driven by a sense the culture was primitive and below the German culture. That is one reason you do not see the same level of atrocities in France, Norway, and the low countries, the Germans considered them as equals culturally. That is repeated throughout history, for example in the treatment of cultures by the Romans. people they considered barbarians were enslaved while those they considered their equals like the Greeks and Egyptians were often actually revered. I am not sure the young men enlisting in WW1, WW2, or the European wars in the 19th century thought about their families. Another Sabaton song, "En Livstid i Krig" illustrates that quite well, a young soldier going off to fight and die for his country.
If not for the World Leaders being such War Mongers, there would not be so much fighting. We fight over land, we fight over natural resources because each of us has the right to exist so we need to be fed and watered and sheltered. But profiteering from warfare? UN-FUCK the war mongers. Every one of them needs to be sent to the front lines. They want it so bad? THEY can do the fighting.
@@alancarter41 I'm sure most soldiers had more than one motivation. In addition to their other reasons for fighting, though, they would not have forgotten the devastation of the Napoleonic Wars, or the repeated devastation of Germany and Italy throughout the Middle Ages as France and Austria (as well as other powers) fought back and forth across those lands. Today, most people don't really know what the sack of a city entails. Back then, everyone knew. Most people had heard stories from relatives who had lived through such events. It's difficult for us to conceive of armies engaging in rape and murder for days on end, but it wasn't difficult for people who lived in the early 1900's to conceive of it. Even if we've read about such things, on an emotional level, we don't really think it could happen to us. They had no such illusions.
I come from an Anglo-French family and my French great grandfather was killed in action on the Western Front after already having been awarded the Croix de Guerre. He was barely 30, left behind a wife and two girls. Before World War One, he had been a pastry chef. Nothing much more peaceful than being a pastry chef...
Unfortunately, there are far too few such beautiful stories from the terrible time. In the Wehrmacht there were not only pigs and Nazis, there were also normal soldiers. Greetings from Germany.🤘👍👌💥
Awesome reaction as always... only the power of metal music can do something like this, Sabaton and the Siren at the end was spectacular... Miss Floor Jansen Queen of Metal a gift to Human Kind 🤘
Soldiers aren't actually enemies. World Leaders need to stop using civilians as pawns in their game of chess. If I am in a dispute, I don't send my children to fight for me. I act like an adult and keep peace.
I am off topic here but I wanted to share some other Home Free songs you might want to hear. When A Man Loves A Woman End Of The Road Nessum Dorma Amazed Drum Solo From Here To The Moon and Back Amazing Grace Tim Faust (Home Free Bass Singer) Misty Mountains Will You Still Love Me Tommorow/Stay
Some other songs to hear Jimmy Barnes singing Stone Cold So Hyang singing I Will Always Love You From the movie The Greatest Showman. The song. NEVER ENOUGH Here is another I think you'll really like Celtic Woman singing You Raise Me Up ruclips.net/video/Yfwlj0gba_k/видео.html
Hi Debbie, i thought what can i do that she is going to laugh again. I give you a song from way back in time 1973. The song is called Hocus Pocus and the band is called Focus. If you don't smile with this song than i will eat my shoe. But beside that. It is really a great song. Can someone give her the link pls
Haha, Tommy Johansson throws a grenade to Floor's husband, Hannes van Dahl. Nasty, l should say. Jokes aside, this is an excellent song, and based in a true story. And then there's Floor's majestic outro, which you unfortunately cut 💗👸. Peace!
Hi....The Actor Who Gets Hit By A Grenade Is The Band's Drummer And Is The Husband Of Nightwish's Vocalist ....Floor Jansen And It's She Who Sings At The End Of The Video.......
This truce wasn't authorized by the military command on either side in fact it was a spontaneous act where the German soldiers took the initiative. After the truce many soldiers refused to go back fighting which is very understandable but was far from popular with the commanders. Some soldiers were actually executed for disobeying orders.
Yea, that NE area with Donetsk plus Crimea is heavily ethnic Russian Ukrainians, so there's a high chance that's their relative. Praying for people all over. If you want a Sabaton song that is a bit more on the fun side I would say Livgardet ( The Swedish official with your subtitles on, cause if you go for the English version, you will be watching a really brutal sword fight. There's a live, but I like all the work they put into the other :) ) or Red Baron live where they have the mini plane on stage. oh....it was this video where I realized how frikken TALL Tommy is. Gentle giant :)
BTW if you had watched till the end you would know that Floor Jansen (Hannes wife) sung end title credits vocals. Hannes is drummer of Sabaton. Lest we forget seems to have been forgotten. Especially by the generals of the time did not like what happened in the Christmas of 1914. A truce was called by the soldiers of both sides not by the general staff of either side. And the drum of war continues in Ukraine as you stated. I think those in control and in charge of the military have forgotten this truce or if they remember it us with a sneer at piece.
Apart from the lead singer, Joakim, the other band members have long hair, all playing a part. The one with concussion, is Floors husband, that was her later, with the credits.
After the christmas truce how could they get back to killing each other? In fact many could not. A lot of soldier refused and got reassigned. Or so I heard. Please be sure to check out Tommys version of Christmas Truce. It is even more beautiful!
@The Question Queens: Debbie, first, as a veteran, thank you for reacting to this, and keeping this story alive. It is important that stories of humanity such as this are not lost and forgotten, because this shows that even in the horrors of war, in the hell of a warzone, that men can keep their humanity -- something we all should aspire to never lose. That no matter how bleak things look, or how dark they may get, that the light of hope and goodwill may dim, but it will never go out, so long as we retain our humanity.
And Debbie, the cross Joakim carries in the video actually exists outside of Ypres, Belgium, and still stands as a monument to the events of this day. And it reads, from top to left to right to bottom:
Khaki Chums
Christmas Truce
1914
Lest We Forget
Lastly, this is the only Christmas song I prefer hearing outside of Belleau Wood by Garth Brooks and Snoopy and the Red Baron. Because Christmas, like many other times, should be a time not just of hope, but also of gratitude to show that we appreciate what we have, and what is important to us. For these men, it was the idea they wanted to be at home on Christmas, as they thought the war would be over by Christmas, as many, including the press, did. Relatedly, after the Christmas Truce of 1914, there was a German commander who had to move his men to another section of the line, after they refused to fight the men they had made friends with the previous day.
Thank you for your service Isaiah
cheers from a german vet
:nods: Aye, Isiah, I was going to say that stories have come out about how after that famous truce the men in the trenches across from each other would not fire *at* those that had talked and celebrated with - they would shoot high or give warnings. Even artillery crews would repeatedly fire at the same spot so their friends across the way could just avoid those areas.
Whether the same could ever happen again, I don't know. World War One in particular was a war that from the start, pretty much, was not one that any ordinary person thought was justified. Now we have professional armies and the people in them, whilst not blood-thirsty monsters, are contracted to do as they are ordered and fight where they are told. And the conflicts are now framed ideologically, heavily politicised and propagandised to silence dissent. The other side is seen as The Enemy and automatically dehumanised whereas in The Great War, those fighting were very much the same in a lot of ways and it was easier to drop the farce of that sort of corrosive amorality.
You stopped without realizing that the woman singing at the end was Floor. And the guy in the beginning that got blown up is her husband!
This song should be played evrywhere that christmas is near n the war is evrywhere now..ukraije n russia n isreal n palestines..We r all brothers..that line really touches me..Thanks for letteing us know that the woman at the end is Floor ..she is awesome n i love amanda too..Greetings n Cheers to you.
The German soldier that is first out of the trench is Sabaton's drummer, Hannes Van Dahl. We guess that when wrapping the video up they talked about who to sing the ending credits .. and that Hannes may have said something like .."Well my wife sings a bit ......"
Sorry Debbie, but I had to add this. The long haired blond man who was first out of the trench is Hannes Van Dahl, Floor Jansen's husband. Also if you had run the credits to the end you would have noticed that the outro vocals were sung by Floor! FYI there are two memorials to this event: one in Ypres, Belgium and the other in the UK. The soldiers called a Christmas truce against the wishes of the high commands of both sides. High praise to Sabaton for composing this tribute and thank you again for a most emotional reaction. YC.
This imho is the best Christmas song ever. It tells the raw story of camradery amongst soldiers amidst the madness of war, any war. A story we should never forget... And with a beautiful ending by our dear Floor (did you notice?). This song gives me chills every time.
Yes, i concur
I concur.
I concur
The last survivor of the Christmas truce, Alfred Anderson stayed a few miles from me and I play flowers of the forest on bagpipes every year on Remembrance Sunday stood in front of his memorial.
If anyone says heavy metal is meaningless noise they should hear this song.
Very well said 💙
I read a story that took place maybe 2 years ago....the people, in their 20's maybe, were on line in a coffee shop in NYC and this song came up in conversation on line ...turns out the 2 people discussing the song both had grandparents in this event, who not only exchanged photos, but passed them down. BOTH of them actually had EACH OTHERS grandparents photos in their wallets! 😮
I can't remember whose reaction video it was, but there was a commenter who said that he wouldn't exist without the events of the Christmas Truce, as his grandfathers met each other on the battlefield that day.
That would be one hell of a thing to find out about my family, that's for sure, because my mind would be blown.
The song debuted on Halloween on 2021 so maybe a little over a year ago. Amazing story though. What are the odds that would happen. 😊
wait didnt the last soldier to take part of ww1 die like 2012?
@@fredriknybacka676 very possible, but the 20 year old would not have been in ww1
The fact that Sabaton has chosen to take military history of every era, manner of conflict, events well-known or not so well-known, or the people and places involved, such as in No Bullets Fly, is an achievement unto itself and they do it to such great, great effect.
A moment in history that proves that humanity can bury its anger and hatred.
OMG Sitting in here in tears. many tears. Life is so precious. So many take it for granted. Hugs.
Thank you Debbie for posting this video. As a 20 year military Vet this song os near and dear to me. I lost my uncle (Namesake) in WW2. IMHO this is a real tribute to all veterans who served. A visit to Lorraine National Cemetary in France will always be on my "bucket list", as my uncle is interred there. Peace and long life to you and yours.
5 years ago we were with my school class on the former front line at a monument that commemorates this event. Our history teacher had a talent to describe the events so vividly that we all had real images in our heads.Although we lived in the border area of Germany and France and all the bunkers of the Maginot Line were right on the doorstep, and we always had the testimonies of the 2nd World War in mind, I will never forget this place and this day.
Joakim Broden was a keyboarder, when he joined the band. They asked him to sing until they find a singer and he is still doing nowadays a great job...👍💪 Although they have another great singer/guitarplayer 🎤🎸 in the band since a few years with Tommy. Oh yes, and it's Floor (wife of Hannes, the drummer) singing at the credits.
Always full body chills with this one, especially when the piano starts and Floor sings the outro.
Dear Debbie
In our small country we have a lot of refugees from Oekraïne, I can't imagine how they must feel not knowing if their relatives/husband's are still alive!
We all do our best to make them feel at home and provide them with help, work, kids going to school but most importantly give them lots of love and understanding!!!
When will this madness STOP!!
Nobody knows!!
Love to all of the Ukraine and all human beings around the world!!
💚🌍💚🌍💚
If only more people listened to Sabaton the world would be a better place..
Very touching song about the madness of war. It goes on everyday. Now in Ukraine, tomorrow somewhere else. "Lest we never forget" echoes to deaf ears. Sabaton is a great band with their music.
Sabaton at their very best. Telling stories of sad but true events that must never be forgotten. Truly awsome band. ❤
Took them 6 years to write it and film it to make it this perfect. And its a perfect song.
As soon as I heard this song, it instantly became my favorite song of Sabaton. Joakim, the singer, has said that they've been wanting to write a song about the Christmas Truce for years but never got it right. Goes without saying that the waiting paid off. Brilliant song. It was so much fun singing it live when I went to see them last year
Very emotional song my great grandfather fought at the Somme he was wounded and sent back home lost his left eye never met him but I've 2 pictures of him in uniform.
The funny thing being he was originally signed to a cavalry regiment but with massive losses he ended up with the Lancashire regiment who themselves took massive losses too.
When I joined the British army at 17 I was assigned to the Royal tank regiment which is a transition from cavalry to tanks the first tank called big Willie which to this day is our Emblem and the motto has remained the same "fear nought" I feel honored that I was able to enlist in the same regiment shame being I never got to actually meet him
This song hits me hard my Great Grandfather served in WW1 he never ever talked about it when he came back he was never the same my father told us he had a bottle in his back pocket all the time. He died a very sad man. Thanks for the reaction Debbie .
Another wonderful and simultaneously heartbreaking masterpiece from Sabaton is "En livstid i krig", the live performance in Gothenburg. I would love to see you react to this - and if you do this: please make sure to read a bit about the background of the song in advance and to switch subtitles on as this song is in Swedish ... and it has to be!
Bless your heart Debbie for such a heart-felt reaction to this wonderful story. Yes, this really did happen right down to the football match and exchanging of gifts. Sabaton had been trying for years to produce this video and in 2021 it all came together, they put their heart and soul into this one. There is a video on RUclips of the making of the Christmas Truce so you might have a look at that. Also, You may have recognized the voice of who sang at the end for the credits. It was of course Floor Jansen, she did a beautiful solo. I think your next sabaton song should be "En Livstid I Krig" , a live concert in Gothenburg, Sweden. It's in Swedish so you will need the subtitles on. Next to Christmas Truce, this song is right up there with to grab your heart.
Check out their newest song "1916", a cover of a Motörhead song written by Lemmy Kilmister. Do the official video and make sure you watch till the end. Greets from Germany!
When released I was astounded - never expected such a powerful song.
From that day it is my favourite christmas song that reminds me on the true meaning of christmas and keeps me believing in the good of us all.
Knowing Sabaton for some years now I got the chance to see them live in my home country Germany in January 2020 and what should I say: their songs are live on stage at the same top level as on the records. 🤘
My great grandfather was a major in the German Army in WW1. He lived long enough to tell us his stories. This song reminds me of one of them. He gave orders to his men to never fire on Christmas Day. As he said "it was the only orders he gave. That he never regretted".
Love this song. Great reaction. Sabaton has a history channel. If you're interested in more context.
If this broke you....then please listen to their new song " 1916 "
Love you!! 💚💚💚💚💚💚
Fantastic and heartfelt reaction. As a veteran myself I appreciate and really connect to this amazing piece of art. Sabaton has truly captured the brotherhood of arms that servicemembers feel, even with those we fight against. It is an unfortunate thing but evil exists in the world and sometimes it is necessary to go to war to defeat that evil. Thankfully we have people who take pride in stepping up and protecting friends, family, and fellow citizens. This song makes me very emotional every time I listen to it and when Floor comes in at the end with those soaring vocals, I just loose it! Thank you again for this.
Thank you for your service ❤️
Sabaton is on my bucket list of concerts ... Saw Band Maid (Outstanding show )
This is an absolutely fantastic and emotional song, really a masterpiece. I wish people had gone easier on you for missing that it was Floor singing at the end. Many reactors miss that. I tried to give you a heads up about it in an earlier comment, but I think I was too late.
This actually happened.
Went to the Flemish town of Ypres last year. They play 'Last Post' beneath the Menin Gate every single day, without fail at 8 PM since the war ended. Almost half a million soldiers died in Ypres alone, many of them never found.
It was incredibly emotional.
Floor sang the outro
Thanks for your reaction Debbie. Your reaction alone shows that your a good person, this song always brings tears to my eyes aswell ❤️…
So many reactors get very still, hold their breath, or visibly gasp when Hannes climbs over the trench with his hands up. It's a master class in story telling and conveying so much with so relatively little.
I'm very stoic by nature, but the one part of this video that finally broke me is the one where Par is carving "2021" into the cross instead of "1914." It immediately calls back into my memory the line from the chorus, "...in a war that never ends." It is Sabaton's poignant way of reminding us that that war STILL hasn't ended. The underlying message goes much deeper than simply a story about WWI. It is telling us a story about the human condition in general.... a deeper war that we all must face within ourselves: that the underlying reason for these conflicts persists still and always will. Our "moments of peace" grudgingly given to us by the war that never ends. 😢
Two things; when I first heard this song, two years ago and a few days before Thanksgiving in a local coffee shop, I wept unashamedly. It is still now one of the most beautiful songs that I have ever heard! And at 5:49 could you IMAGINE the COURAGE it would take to be the first man out of a trench, holding your hat by way of parley? I cannot even fathom what it would take to do that...
Great reaction to a very emotional song 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
A true reaction you have heart ❤️ thank you x
It is sad but true: the generals are sitting in their bunkers, commanding it and the genuine soldiers die on the battlefield. The german movie "Im Westen nichts Neues" (english title: all quiet at the western front), which recently won 4 Oscars 🏆 is also about the battle of Verdun in WW1 and patrotism in the beginning and the uglyness of war in the end. 🤓
The ending vocals by Floor Jansen, wife of the drummer of Sabaton, Hannes Van Dahl! Floor is the lead singer of Finish metal band Nightwish, from Finland 🇫🇮
This video is, in my opinion, one of the most important videos ever made. Everybody should see it. By now, you have probably realized that Floor is the one singing in the end and Hannes is her husband. Small metal world. ;-)
100% agreement. EVERYBODY should see it.
I'm not sure how many dozens of times I have heard this song/watched the video now; but every time, but two I have cried. It might be the imagery in this amazing production because, although I had insured I had a handkerchief in my pocket for the occasion, the only two times I didn't cry were when I saw them live in concert last October.
One of the most emotional songs ever 😢💔❤
War is so senseless...but like it or not and I don't and that's the fact that we are a warrior mindset....it all boils down to if I can't have then you can't either....We need to grow up...and we need to evolve into what we could be....I'm 67 and I don't see that happening in by lifetime but I can dream.....
Beautiful reaction Debbie....and a beautiful song...
May I suggest "Brothers in Arms"? sung by home free...another beautiful and strong song...💙
I consider Sabaton the metal history band. They even have their own RUclips history channel. You can go to their channel and learn more. The outro with the woman singing was Floor Jansen, of Nightwish, who is married to the drummer of Sabaton, Hannes Van Dahl.
Nice. You are becoming more and more a Metal Queen. 🙂 Next one Epica please.
There is one song about one Person who saved a lot of lives, but instead of getting promoted or receiving a medal, he was a misfit when he made it back home....a sad story, but Sabaton told his deeds during the war in "The ballad of Bull"
Friendly reminder:
Keep in mind, Deb is not familiar with songs as well as some of us are, so there may be times when it gets paused or stopped when you aren't expecting it.
on the end is floor jansen sing
Can you imagine, fighting "the enemy", then getting to know them and befriending them during this truce, and then having to go back to your trenches and fight against those you just befriended?
Actually, one German commander had to move his men to another part of the line, because his men refused to fight after doing exactly that.
Well shoot, I guess I'm crying today... this is a joyful song to me, but the video is realistic, so I get it can be tough. I am a US Marine Corp widow. It wasn't the war he fought in Desert Storm that took my husband...it was the war that continued in his head for decades more...always boggled my mind how veterans of prior wars saw much worse and came home and built our country up, seemingly unscathed.... but really, no one connected to any war, soldier or civilian, is really unscathed.
it's songs like this and many others, and not just from Sabaton, that pay tribute to the men and women who serve in their respective country's military. And as far as why and how some returning vets can be seemingly OK and others clearly not, those of us who have never served or experienced what they have will never truly know. Much respect to your husband.
@Judah Stephens you, sir, are a gentleman, all around! Thank you. My husband had a tough job...Crash Crew. So that means fire, rescue and medic that respond to downed aircraft and bombed vehicles. He served on the El Toro (now defunct) Air Base made famous by the movie, Independence Day. I suppose I have the same nature, I never got upset that he would pull over on the highway for any car stopped...he wasn't much of a mechanic, but always being of service. I thought that he would go into the medical field as a civilian, but it was too tough...he became a gemologist and jewelry maker. Its nice to share w someone, that he was a good man...but haunted.
The cruelty of wars, but also the hope brillant explained in this stunning video. Still sooo actual....
Sabaton are true masters of storytelling. Please more sabaton.
Their song "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" are a great one.
It tells the story of Lawrence of Arabia, a Brittish officer who led the arab revolt against the Turks during WW1.
Glad your find this one that mix joakim 's great voice with history AND emotions (and Floor's voice, of course). A perfect ride in Sabaton's work (I use this one every year with my 10 yo students to introduce WWI)
My favorite Christmas Song
Tommy did his own version of this song during his December Advent Calendar of 24 songs. It's different in tone but equally magnificent. Highly recommend, and I know you're not one to miss a chance to make a Tommy video by now lol.
ruclips.net/video/qYQus1gDimI/видео.html
Something else worth noting about this Sabaton video: almost everything you see in it, every tiny detail, is based on fact. Tommy shouting a warning to Hannes (the enemy) that a grenade was coming over - fact. Lifting a piano into no-man's land: fact (they'd stolen it from a mansion during the dead of night!) The way they stacked their rifles in that teepee shape - fact. The attention to detail is on another level, you just don't get that from other bands.
"The human heart is an evil thing, who can understand this?" (Jeremiah)
All true , the cross is still there in the fields in Ypres France
what a beautiful eye color wow. At the end when a member of the band carved the wooden cross 2021 it was as if they could see the future because only some time later there was war in Europe again. One would think that a few people just don't want to learn anything from history. Sad that the story is holding itself back.
coming back to this after the ceasefire in Hamas. Moving it was ALSO during the Christmas Season
Another great song for me is "Soldier Of Heaven" from them.
Your voice is so sweet to hear ❤
Hey Debbie, another beautiful reaction to an amazing song. You are absolutely correct about soldiers not wanting to be there. Leaders declare war and send innocent people to do their fighting while they sit far away from the battles using the soldiers like chess pawns. It is heartbreaking. 🥺🥰
Actually, that was not really the truth in WW1 (and in a number of other wars). Driven by patriotism, soldiers on both sides joined willingly and marched off to war. Even as the war progressed, most felt that what they were doing was necessary. The one exception was Russia, where the soldiers revolted and overthrew the government (with a lot of help from the German intelligence agencies using Lenin as their tool).
@@alancarter41 Driven by patriotism, and by fear of what the other side would do to their families if they lost. Sadly, history has shown that such fears are often justified. The Sabaton song Uprising illustrates one example of this.
@@greensky3152 I would agree to a certain extent. Atrocities like those committed by the Germans on the eastern front were driven by a sense the culture was primitive and below the German culture. That is one reason you do not see the same level of atrocities in France, Norway, and the low countries, the Germans considered them as equals culturally. That is repeated throughout history, for example in the treatment of cultures by the Romans. people they considered barbarians were enslaved while those they considered their equals like the Greeks and Egyptians were often actually revered. I am not sure the young men enlisting in WW1, WW2, or the European wars in the 19th century thought about their families. Another Sabaton song, "En Livstid i Krig" illustrates that quite well, a young soldier going off to fight and die for his country.
If not for the World Leaders being such War Mongers, there would not be so much fighting. We fight over land, we fight over natural resources because each of us has the right to exist so we need to be fed and watered and sheltered. But profiteering from warfare? UN-FUCK the war mongers. Every one of them needs to be sent to the front lines. They want it so bad? THEY can do the fighting.
@@alancarter41 I'm sure most soldiers had more than one motivation. In addition to their other reasons for fighting, though, they would not have forgotten the devastation of the Napoleonic Wars, or the repeated devastation of Germany and Italy throughout the Middle Ages as France and Austria (as well as other powers) fought back and forth across those lands. Today, most people don't really know what the sack of a city entails. Back then, everyone knew. Most people had heard stories from relatives who had lived through such events. It's difficult for us to conceive of armies engaging in rape and murder for days on end, but it wasn't difficult for people who lived in the early 1900's to conceive of it. Even if we've read about such things, on an emotional level, we don't really think it could happen to us. They had no such illusions.
I come from an Anglo-French family and my French great grandfather was killed in action on the Western Front after already having been awarded the Croix de Guerre. He was barely 30, left behind a wife and two girls. Before World War One, he had been a pastry chef. Nothing much more peaceful than being a pastry chef...
So young to have lived through so much and have his life end too soon. 💙
Unfortunately, there are far too few such beautiful stories from the terrible time. In the Wehrmacht there were not only pigs and Nazis, there were also normal soldiers. Greetings from Germany.🤘👍👌💥
You probably already know this now but the opera voice at the end was none other than our Valkyrie Queen Floor!🌹
Awesome reaction as always... only the power of metal music can do something like this, Sabaton and the Siren at the end was spectacular... Miss Floor Jansen Queen of Metal a gift to Human Kind 🤘
R.I.P , all soldiers and civilians of all nations
Soldiers aren't actually enemies. World Leaders need to stop using civilians as pawns in their game of chess. If I am in a dispute, I don't send my children to fight for me. I act like an adult and keep peace.
I am off topic here but I wanted to share some other Home Free songs you might want to hear.
When A Man Loves A Woman
End Of The Road
Nessum Dorma
Amazed
Drum Solo
From Here To The Moon and Back
Amazing Grace
Tim Faust (Home Free Bass Singer)
Misty Mountains
Will You Still Love Me Tommorow/Stay
❤️
Thanks!
another good sabaton songs are night witches,bismark,solider of heaven
am i a bad person for finding absolute joy from watching people cry to these videos
don't worry you missed Floor. some people are just rude. you can hear her again on your own. the final part is so beautiful and so emotional. 🥰
Some other songs to hear
Jimmy Barnes singing Stone Cold
So Hyang singing I Will Always Love You
From the movie The Greatest Showman. The song. NEVER ENOUGH
Here is another I think you'll really like
Celtic Woman singing You Raise Me Up
ruclips.net/video/Yfwlj0gba_k/видео.html
Great reaction and such a powerful story. If you have time you should react to Sabatons cover of 1916
Didn't know if you knew but the long blonde hair guy is the drummer and he is married to Floor. Floor also does the out tro
Nightwish Army Northern Germany greets the Sabaton family.
Hi Debbie, i thought what can i do that she is going to laugh again. I give you a song from way back in time 1973. The song is called Hocus Pocus and the band is called Focus. If you don't smile with this song than i will eat my shoe. But beside that. It is really a great song. Can someone give her the link pls
Oh it says the video is no longer available
So I looked it up and found another video and saved it. Thank you so much.
@@thequestionqueens It have to be the one from october 1973 live in America
@@louisminten7889 I concur...that video is classic!
Haha, Tommy Johansson throws a grenade to Floor's husband, Hannes van Dahl. Nasty, l should say.
Jokes aside, this is an excellent song, and based in a true story. And then there's Floor's majestic outro, which you unfortunately cut 💗👸. Peace!
Stop it! now you are making me cry!
The Christmas Truce ocrurred duing World War I, and yes both sides were actually close enough to through grenades in the other side's trenches.
By the way, the first to step out of the trench is Hannes the drummer and Floor Jansen's husband.
Hi....The Actor Who Gets Hit By A Grenade Is The Band's Drummer And Is The Husband Of Nightwish's Vocalist ....Floor Jansen And It's She Who Sings At The End Of The Video.......
❤
next "must see" from sabaton is "En livstid i krig" live from Gothenburg.
This truce wasn't authorized by the military command on either side in fact it was a spontaneous act where the German soldiers took the initiative. After the truce many soldiers refused to go back fighting which is very understandable but was far from popular with the commanders. Some soldiers were actually executed for disobeying orders.
Hi Debbie. The soldier walking with his hands up is Floors husband. I love this video. Have a wonderful day.
Yea, that NE area with Donetsk plus Crimea is heavily ethnic Russian Ukrainians, so there's a high chance that's their relative. Praying for people all over. If you want a Sabaton song that is a bit more on the fun side I would say Livgardet ( The Swedish official with your subtitles on, cause if you go for the English version, you will be watching a really brutal sword fight. There's a live, but I like all the work they put into the other :) ) or Red Baron live where they have the mini plane on stage. oh....it was this video where I realized how frikken TALL Tommy is. Gentle giant :)
BTW if you had watched till the end you would know that Floor Jansen (Hannes wife) sung end title credits vocals. Hannes is drummer of Sabaton.
Lest we forget seems to have been forgotten. Especially by the generals of the time did not like what happened in the Christmas of 1914. A truce was called by the soldiers of both sides not by the general staff of either side.
And the drum of war continues in Ukraine as you stated. I think those in control and in charge of the military have forgotten this truce or if they remember it us with a sneer at piece.
The cross stands there to this day at the site of the Christmas truce
omg husky eyes
the soldier Hannes is Hannes Van Dahl, the drummer of Sabaton and the husband of Floor Jansen....that's Floor singing on the ending credits
Apart from the lead singer, Joakim, the other band members have long hair, all playing a part.
The one with concussion, is Floors husband, that was her later, with the credits.
After the christmas truce how could they get back to killing each other? In fact many could not. A lot of soldier refused and got reassigned. Or so I heard. Please be sure to check out Tommys version of Christmas Truce. It is even more beautiful!
If it had been left up to those men, that war would have ended that day.