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Ernst Jünger

Michael Hofmann

Storm of Steel Paperback – October 20, 2009

by Ernst Junger (Author)

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Jünger's great book matter-of-factly conveys the mysterious glamour of war, the exhilaration of its excess and intensity and, not least, the undeniable glory of men bravely preparing for battle as for "some terrible silent ceremonial that portends human sacrifice."

Print length

334 pages
Language

English
Publisher

BN Publishing
Publication date

October 20, 2009
Dimensions

5.98 x 0.75 x 9.02 inches
ISBN-10

160796189X
ISBN-13

978-1607961895
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ BN Publishing (October 20, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 334 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 160796189X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1607961895
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.75 x 9.02 inches

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Ernst Jünger
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Michael Hofmann
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Michael Hofmann was born in 1957 in Freiburg, Germany, and came to England in 1961. He has published four volumes of poems and won a Cholmondeley Award and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for poetry. His translations have won many awards, including the Independent's Foreign Fiction Award, the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the P.E.N./Book of the Month Club Translation Prize. His reviews and criticism are gathered in Behind the Lines (2001).
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Chem

Surpisingly incredible book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 20, 2007

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I just read this book, and I must say I'm amazed by it.

I'll critique the book mainly by comparison with that most familiar WW1 work which is of course "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque. There are others that are similar, such as "Under Fire" a noted work by Henri Barbusse from the French side, "Goodbye to All That" by Robert Graves (Englishman), and "Company K" by William March (US Marine Corps). Then there is pure fiction such as "Farewell to Arms" by Hemingway. I believe these books represent the dominant WW1 literary genre, across several countries. With the exception of "Storm of Steel", they are all more-or-less of the 'war is hell' theme started first perhaps by Stephen Crane's seminal novel of the American Civil War, "The Red Badge of Courage". Interestingly, Crane was never in combat - a fact unknown to most readers. in fact, many Civil War veterans who read Crane's novel were incredibly moved by its so-called 'accuracy' and depth of feeling. This shows the power of literature in our lives...

The immediately obvious differences about "Storm of Steel" vis-a-vis the others are:
1) It was written from Junger's diary, not from dim rememberance. It contains a higher level of detail as to names, dates and places. 2) Junger was a front-line Officer, having been promoted from the ranks. Far as I know (and interestingly) this promotion system was only typical of the German and American armies - the English and Russian armies, and to a slightly lesser degree the French, for instance had only upper class Officers and a strict de-facto class system. 3) Perhaps most significantly, Junger started the book very soon after the war's end. In other words, it is not watered down by time. Though Barbusse's "Under Fire" was even sooner (written during the war), Barbusse spent little time in the army himsel and this as a stretcher-bearer, not a rifleman. Barbusse's work is acknowledged as highly fictionalized.

All the others were written some 10 yrs after the war, in a melancholy-ish, "what happened to us?" sort of vein - i.e. the Lost Generation. This is significant both to the level of detail (accuracy and remembrance) and to the mood of the writing.

There are other points - Junger served throughout the war. American author March obviously only served during the American involvement (but he may be forgiven in that the last half of the war was surely its worst, with the industrialization and de-humanization of warfare at its peak). Along a similar line, Remarque ("All's Quiet") like Barbusse, somewhat mysteriously served only a short time; a point not at all obvious from his book which is presumed to be autobiographical and covers perhaps three years. There have also been challenges to Remarque's war service - some of the charges unfounded - and some feel he was rather a fantasist about his service which was only a few weeks or months at the actual front. Remarque was spotted soon after the war's end wearing an Officer's coat with decorations he had not earned (he was never an Officer); he was somewhat vague in later years about his service, where he was stationed, etc... He was indeed wounded; that is well documented. But ultimately, the point is, it's impossible he experienced everything he wrote about in "All's Quiet".
Junger, on the other hand, had ample experience in the war, having joined in 1914, was wounded multiple times, and was highly decorated (one of the youngest to recieve the 'Pour le Merite', the Blue Max, and its last living military recipient).
Junger's reputation is tainted by possible associations with German nationalism after the war. But assertions that he was pro-Nazi are quite untrue. In fact, he lost his son to the Nazi regime. He may even have been on the fringes of the July 20th plot to kill Hitler.
Sure, he supported his country, but that does not make him a Nazi. Unfortunately, his supposed politics affected the reception of his writing (and by default, "Storm of Steel") in more recent times. In my opinion this is a loss to the literature from the WW1 period...

On to the book: The book is written in a very matter-of-fact way. This may surprise some readers, given that so many other books (as mentioned above) are of the hopeless 'war is hell' theme. Junger pulls no punches - he was trying to do his part to win, and he states it that way. I honestly can't see anything in this book to lead me to think he was some sort of war monger or "pre-Nazi Nazi". Junger had a deep sense of adventure and the ability to keep a cool head. He strikes me as a man trying to do a job, and he wrote thusly. He shows sympathy for his men and NCOs, writes from a 'team perspective' and admits his own mistakes. "All's Quiet" protagonist Paul Baumer on the other hand goes into depth of feeling about the individual soldier (read: Privates) and his sense of futility, hopelessness, camraderie (only with certain other soldiers) and concern over survival versus victory (perhaps justified).
Once you read Junger, and contrast him to Remarque, you see the differences: Remarque was a kid, with little overall sense of what was going on beyond his day to day survival and a certain dreaminess; perhaps a representation of the narrow age group that makes up the true "Lost Generation". Junger, on the other hand, was a Type-A personality who directly involved himself in the efforts to win.

I unfortunately found that a reading of Junger tends to denigrate (for lack of a better word) the efforts of a Remarque who writes about feelings and hope (or hopelessness, as it were). And vice-versa. You have to juxtapose the two to get a feel for the war in its entirety.

I'm uneasy with it, but I also get the feeling Junger was a stronger person than the other WW1 writers - he had a healthy sense of life, and moved on after the war to live a full life (102 yrs), became a scientist (entomologist), and wrote prolifically. His selection to be an Officer is also indicative of an active man. He was adventurous, and had joined the French Foreign Legion before the war while in his teens.

Regardless of all my opinions, Junger's book should be better known than it is. It is great for its historical context if nothing else.

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Ryan

Storm

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 13, 2013

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Since its publication in 1920, Storm of Steel, written by Ernst Junger, has been surrounded by controversy. Many have misunderstood Junger and accused him of attempting to glorify war. I saw no evidence of the glorification of war in his book. Junger has obviously been desensitized to violence does not show much emotion to the atrocities of war that he witnesses. However, I did see evidence of compassion and a longing for the life that he had before the war.
I finished this book in less than two days. From the second I opened the book I fell in love with the words on the pages. I fell in love with this book because of Junger's indifference towards war. I could tell that this book was written by a true warrior, someone who had borne the weight of war. Infantrymen on the front lines of war are often desensitized towards the horrors they witness. What a person witnesses in war is often difficult to understand and describe in more detail then merely recalling the events. Junger does not try to glorify or condemn war, He merely tells his story of the war that he and the average soldier experienced throughout the war. The only way a person could possibly cope with daily life in an all out war would be to become indifferent towards it. How else could someone survive the constant artillery bombardments, gas attacks, mass infantry assaults and constant death.
Junger briefly names no more than a few soldiers that he goes to war with. As participant in a war in which over 37 million people were either killed or wounded, I am not surprised that he attempted to only have a few close bonds with his fellow soldiers. On two occasions throughout the war, Junger's Company was almost decimated. I believe that Junger avoided friendships or even knowing the names of the majority of the men he served with. He did this to protect him from constant grieving over friends that were killed in the battle.
After months on the front Junger and his men return to the rear for rest. Junger writes the following passage as he sits in a leather armchair next to a warm fire. "Those few days were used by all of us to enjoy the life that we'd had to fight so had to cling on to. We still couldn't quite grasp that for the time being we'd given death the slip, and we wanted to feel the possession of this new lease on life, by enjoying it in every way possible." (P.203 Junger) As someone who has returned from the blood, sweat and filth of war, this was a powerful passage to me. There are simple things in life that many people take for granted. To a war veteran, sitting in a warm room next to a fire could be one of the most beautiful moments of their life.
On Page 233, Junger describes a scene in which he encounters a wounded british officer on the battlefield. He is about to shoot the man when the Brit pulls out a picture of his family. "It was a plea from another world. Later, I thought it was a blind chance that I let him go and plunged onward. That one man of all often appeared in my dreams. I hope that man got to see his homeland again." Junger, who had endured 4 years of horrific trench warfare was still able to feel compassion towards fellow man. I believe that his desensitization towards the cruelty of war heightened his sense of compassion and empathy towards humanity. I can relate to Junger because of my time in Eastern Afghanistan as an Infantryman in the US Army. In the volatile Hindu Kush mountains, savage death and the chaotic beauty of war have coexisted for the last 30 years. Witnessing the horrors of war and the misogynist Pashtun culture heightened my compassion not only towards the women and children that had that way of life forced upon them but towards all that suffered the consequences of war.
Storm of Steel has often been compared to All Quiet on the Western Front, an antiwar book written by Erich Maria Remarque. There are many differences between these two books which make it difficult to compare and contrast them. The former being a memoir, written by an Infantryman who spent 4 years on the front and was simply telling his story. The latter being a fictional novel, written an Sapper who only spent about a month near the front. I would say that the Stormtrooper who was wounded 14 times on six different occasions is better qualified to tell the average man's story of World War I.
In Conclusion, many readers may be astonished by the fact that Junger is not disillusioned by the horrors of war. My hypothesis, is that Junger had suffered so much physical, mental and emotional pain that he was desensitized and used indifference as a defense mechanism to the block out the war. Due to Junger's combat experience, he wrote his memoir in a different manner than Remarque wrote All Quiet on the Western Front. I don't believe that Junger was attempting to glorify war but merely tell his story of the war.

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P. Bradford

If you read just one book on World War 1, this should be it. Look for an early translation.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 25, 2018

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Firstly, having struggled to write this review and read it back, I realised that I am unable to do justice to such an excellent book.
When doing research upon the location of where my Great Grandfather was fatally wounded on the Guillemont to Ginchy Road, I found reference to Ernst Junger and this book. If you are going to read it, try to source an early translation or publication. This copy was first published in 1929. As I understand from other reviewers, the later translations were not so good and were sanitised. I bought the the book as I wanted to read something written by someone about the area in which my Great Grandfather died, at the time that he was there.
I could hardly put the book down. I made myself read it over several days as I wanted to digest as much as possible. I had sourced photographs of the area and reading the book helped me to understand more about the absolute hell that it was.
Mr Junger's account of being under constant bombardment and being unable to communicate with comrades unless by shouting close to their ear, describes a situation which is unbelievable, but you know it to be true. I knew that many soldiers were vaporised in explosions, but his descriptions of this and hand to hand fighting make for incredible reading. Even the somewhat quieter times when they were in reserve or on leave, make for interesting reading.
Mr Junger's unbiased account provokes much thought and should be read as part of the school curriculum. We are lucky to have such a book. Mr Junger was lucky to survive the whole War. I'm sure the amount of soldiers on both sides that did that, are few. To have kept and published a diary has made us all the richer for his experiences.
If there are families that have diaries of Soldiers that were there at the time, they should seriously look into having them published, if only on a WW1 website. Their legacy should be that we all know what they went through. When I undertake my next visit to my Great Grandfather's grave, I will look at the area in a different light.
Ernst Junger was, like so many Soldiers of both sides, a very brave man. I have the utmost respect for all of them.

31 people found this helpful

Lark

An abounding love of action in this war commentary

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 12, 2022

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When I first purchased this it was out of interest in what another author on Modern Political Ideologies had written about accounts and commentaries like this playing in the cultural scene of the interwar years and emergence of fascism.

The account is pretty light upon politics, although there are a lot of "aristocratic" sounding reflections upon fighting opposing forces without hating them, a lot of things reflective of "officer privileges" very easily lampooned by comedians since (Black Adder Goes Forth is among the best, and also most heavily criticised too). It definitely is not a pacifist peace or one to bemoan the existence of war. In fact the raising of that question in conversation away from the trench warfare is only mentioned once, without further commentary of said conversation. In contrast there is a lot of commentary about "war ethos", bravery and courage under fire, an abounding love of action, good spirits in the face of adversity, grim death and extremely spartan conditions.

I actually found the writing style, also referencing a diary the author kept, reminded me a lot of Orwell's war diaries, Homage to Catalonia. A certain style of writing, appreciation of "moments in reprieve", coffee and comradeship and a kind of "tough, life affirming" perspective is shared by both authors.

I would recommend reading the book itself before reading the foreword, as it is I read the foreword first, appreciated it for what it was but decided to read it a second time afterwards. The foreword tells you a lot about context, about the author and revisions they had made to text over time.

I often take it as a given that this kind of thing can happen over time, so long as it is not so severe as, for instance, to use a pop cultural reference, as the rewrites of Han Solo's character in Star Wars, I'm usually fine with it and understand it. The earlier editions content gets a mention in the foreword, it still seems restrained compared to other sources, from more recent conflicts when fighters have discussed how they feel about their adversaries.

It is no mere propaganda piece, I dont think it is as "adolescent" as some "war friendly" accounts of conflicts I've read by fighters too. I was surprised at the extent to which poison gas attacks appear to have been typical during the first world war, from both artillery attacks or during trench warfare. Also some of the discussions of grenade battles, both mortars, rifle grenades or hand thrown types, to all accounts occurring almost as much as exchanges of gunfire. Certainly different to Orwell's accounts of trench fighting and war fighting in which there was a much, much greater shortage of munitions for the conflict. Also similar to Orwell is the author's account of direct personal injury, his recovery from the same seems incredible. The author definitely exhibits a hardy nature that beggars belief. One short musing upon experiencing/feeling the "glooms", and the distinction between trench raids "planning" and as a "lived experience", both of which seemed like PTSD for sure.

3 people found this helpful

Tony Frobisher

Brutal, unflinching and raw account of World War 1

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 30, 2022

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Ernst Jünger's graphic, unflinching, gutteral and brutal account of his experiences as a soldier / officer in the trenches and key battles of World War 1 in Flander's fields.

The writing is unapologetic as it records in explicit detail the horrific bombardments, killing and gruesome end for so many on both sides. It is not a comfortable read, not an enjoyable one in any sense. Not should it be. Of all the literature surrounding warfare Storm of Steel has to be one of the most important and accurate accounts. A sobering treatise that shows the utter futility of combat, the cheapness of human life in conflict, the abandonment of the norms of civilization.

Jünger became a controversial figure, lauded by the Nazi Party, Storm of Steel a rallying cry for patrotism and honour. However, Jünger's account should not be dismissed for how it was appropriated. His writing, his experience of warfare close up, is something that should have served as a lesson to humanity.

You feel every bullet and shrapnel wound. You hear the rumble of drumfire artillery shelling, you can smell the gas wafting through the trenches. It is a powerful and unforgettable book.

It was a hard book to read, gut wrenching and shocking. As with All Quiet on the Western Front, it is a book you wish should never have been written, but as a record of that most terrible of wars, it is incredible Jünger survived countless injuries to write it. And it an important testament to the madness of men at a pivotal time in recent history.

Niemals wieder. Never again. Though sadly a little over 2 decades later, the world was ripped apart by war again.

Recommended, if you have a strong stomach and an interested in WW1 and the counterpoint German soldier's experience.

2 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

All Killer, No Filler

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 4, 2019

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Junger simply describes what he remembers of his exploits during service in the German Imperial Army during the final part of World War One. As he was educated to a certain extent and from a fairly comfortable family he enlisted as a cadet officer and rose to Lieutenant. The class system of the day is reflected in his daily life, a personal assistant to make him dinner often and better accomodation when on reserve from the front. Other than that he was expected to lead his men directly into the fight and he did - and then some!

There are no ruminations on the morality of war, little explanation of his motivations and views on what he did. No poetry or prose and no reflections on death. Just simple, bare bones descriptions of each action he was involved in, accounts of his rest and reserve times, and lots of mentions of the men serving around him. He never holds back, some very gory moments are here in all rawness, plus commentaries in real time of killing after killing - very often his men being on the wrong end of it.

Highly recommended, gives a good counterbalance to all the allied viewpoints immortalised in book form. Junger developed real bravery through his time in the military and it shows, he maintained steely reserve throughout, only "losing it" at the very climax of the war and the book. Essential.

10 people found this helpful

JaketheDax

This eclipses any other writing of WW1 that I have ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 20, 2018

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This eclipses any other writing of WW1 that I have read. Unremitting, unsentimental, no political or social commentary. This is a book about war by a soldier who knew how to chronicle events, to describe the minute by minute unfolding of battle.

Storm of Steel differs from British accounts that I have read by not dwelling on non-military contexts, by never succumbing to self-pity or allowing judgement to intrude or colour descriptions of men at war. There is undeniable respect for all combatants, especially of Junger's British opponents. The pace, or descritive passages never flag or jar due to ill-chosen phrases or repetition. A superb book on war.

9 people found this helpful

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Storm of Steel Paperback – October 20, 2009

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