Draft:1944 Easter Ceasefire
Submission declined on 15 September 2025 by Absurdum4242 (talk).
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Comment: You’ve made a great start on the article, and it has real promise - it’s a lovely piece of war history. At this stage though, there are not enough in the way of reliable independent secondary sources to support the notability of this article. The first source is a tour company, so fails reliable, the second I would accept, provisionally, but it’s a very brief passing mention, The third is instagram, but a shot of a newspaper article, which is a solid source, but the fourth source is basically a rehash of the article in the third. And then the fifth is a primary source if you are talking about the object, or a blog post if you’re talking about the actual source quoted. I would love it if you could come up with 2-3 more independent secondary sources which talk about the Easter truce in more than just a passing way, and then I would have no hesitation in passing the article. Keep up the good work 👍 Absurdum4242 (talk) 08:30, 15 September 2025 (UTC)
 | This is a draft article. It is a work in progress open to editing by anyone. Please ensure core content policies are met before publishing it as a live Wikipedia article. Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL Last edited by Absurdum4242 (talk | contribs) 14 days ago. (Update)
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On Easter Sunday, April 9, the Americans, fighting in the Garigliano sector, broadcast a Protestant and Catholic service on the Italian Cassino Front during the protracted Battle of Anzio. The forces had agreed to a one-hour truce.[1][2] Yet over the course of the nearly two-hour service, not a single shot fell in the immediate sector[3], though some German artillery barrages were fired elsewhere as the service was coming to a close. The idea of broadcasting to both Allied and German troops originated with the regimental commander and three U.S. chaplains.
Rev. Oscar Reinboth of Seward, NE opened (in German): "As an American chaplain I greet Protestants and Catholics, of the German army. Should not all Christendom be jubilant this day? Should not all people rejoice--now that Christ died and rose again for all men--for Germans and Americans alike? Therefore, I wish you also today, in the name of my soldiers, a happy Easter."[4] (The service was broadcast in both English and German.)
Reinboth's chaplain kit used for the sermon is on display at the National WWII Museum.[5] The regimental commander and Chaplains Hayes and Crowley also spoke.
See also
[edit]Christmas truce of World War I
References
[edit]- ^ Beaches of Normandy Tours, https://www.beachesofnormandy.com/articles/Easter_in_World_War_II/?id=9e574cff16
- ^ Kravat, Oy (Nordic Defense Review), https://nordicdefencereview.com/blood-and-resurrection-when-easter-turns-ugly/
- ^ Associated Press, https://www.instagram.com/p/C5KGQN5us1g/ (scan uploaded by Chaplains' Museum in Virginia)
- ^ David Lawrence, “A Nebraska Chaplain on the Cassino Front,” Nebraska History 25 (1944): 111 112, https://history.nebraska.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/doc_publications_NH1944NebrChaplain.pdf
- ^ National World War II Museum, “Capt. Oscar Henry Reinboth used this portable altar while serving as a chaplain with the 349th Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division. On Easter Sunday, April 9, 1944, Reinboth – who was fluent in German – delivered a sermon on the front lines over a loudspeaker in both German and English. During that time, the fighting ceased, but as soon as the sermon ended, shooting began again," https://travelingadventuresofafarmgirl.com/2018/03/06/the-national-world-war-ii-museum/
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