[caldrail]

So I thought I would ask on here as some people seem to know a lot about WW1.

The questions;

1. Did the Christmas unofficial truce happen again or was it a one off ?

Just a one off at the end of 1914, though I imagine fighting was somewhat less consistent around the festive season as troops on both sides attempted to raise their morale. After it was obvious that the war wasn't going to end soon, not to mention the increasing indifference to suffering experienced by the troops, the urge to say hello to the enemy was considerably less advisable after.

2. Did unofficial truces or fighting stop in other places along the lines ? (I said I think so and that hey would send in sharpshooters to start the fighting back up again, but not shore)

There may have been localised lulls in fighting. I do know that toward the end of the war most armies tended to hang back and not worry too much with the end obviously in sight, apart from the americans whose commanders were keen to score victories before they went home. Allied losses in the last month of the war are heavily weighted toward american troops.

3. Would people get themselves captured on purpose to get out of fighting ? (I said I think so, depends how desperate you was)

Yes. That's inevitable in any war. There's always a small number who decide that the war isn't for them. Also, there's at least one recorded instance of a soldier (a british artilleryman) who couldn't stand the constant privations any more. He got up and walked into No Man's Land simply so a german sniper would shoot him dead. He got his wish. Rather more famous were the mutinies on the allied side. The french wobbled dangerously at one point while british soldiers who objected to continuing service in the trenches were lined up and shot after a court martial - though I should point out that the decision to execute was down to General Haig himself, and apparently he was suprisingly lenient, contrary to reputation.

4. Why didn't they just go round, like invade Denmark from Britain across the North Sea or invade Austro-Hungarian Empire from Italy across the Adriatic Sea ?

Amphibious operations weren't so easy then - the hardware wasn't available, and Churchills attempt to outflank the Central Powers in the Dardanelles proved that such operations were inherently risky. Both sides believed that sooner or later they would break out of the relatively static trench lines and be in the enemy capital shortly after. Of course that didn't happen, though the allies began to penetrate german lines in 1918 with some success as the central powers weakened., so on a smaller scale breakthroughs and encirclements were going on toward the end.