One of the great war memoirs, now featuring a foreword by the New York Times bestselling author of Matterhorn in time for the centenary of World War I and the Battle of the Somme A worldwide bestseller published shortly after the end of World War I, Storm of Steel is a memoir of astonishing power, savagery, and ashen lyricism. It illuminates not only the horrors but also the fascination of … not only the horrors but also the fascination of total war, as seen through the eyes of an ordinary German soldier.
Young, tough, patriotic, but also disturbingly self-aware, Ernst Jünger exulted in the Great War, which he saw not just as a great national conflict but also—more importantly—as a unique personal struggle. Leading raiding parties, defending trenches against murderous British incursions, simply enduring as shells tore his comrades apart, Jünger keeps testing himself, braced for the death that will mark his failure. His account is ripe for rediscovery upon the centennial of the Battle of the Somme—a major set piece in Storm of Steel—and a bracing read for fans of Redeployment and American Sniper.
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For those interested in shockingly candid accounts of The Great War, a couple of weeks back I also read Ernst Jünger’s simply incredible memoir, ‘Storm of Steel’. The first substantial narrative I’ve encountered from the other side too. His experience as a German shock trooper (specialist in storming trenches) is just as extraordinary as that of Graves, Jünger being wounded four times, the last time was a bullet through the chest that finished his war (but he lived to the age of 102).
Extraordinary men, who seemed to express no black hatred of the enemy – Graves even knew he was firing at cousins and uncles as he was half German (Robert Von Graves in fact and the reason he signed up immediately to avoid suspicion).
Perfect time for these works of human courage, endurance, suffering and historical accuracy to be read.
An extraordinarily vivid first-hand evocation of life in the trenches of World War I, from a German soldier. It is told in an unusually non-judgmental style, almost matter-of-fact, that makes it even more powerful. The history of the creation of the present version of the book, and of its creator — he lived to be 102, wrote many other books and re-wrote this one several times — is well told in the introduction. Fascinating and real.
Highly informative and historically important. A true trip to the horrors of the
WWI battlefields—- (no matter which side you root for).
Unlike some other books about the war this one is grim, grisly and very real…
No Hollywood stuff here just the effort to survive.
Loved seeing things from the oppisite perceptive! Great book.
While most books on WW I describe the war as engagements of large numbers of soldiers — divisions, corps or armies — this book is a detailed description of how one foot soldier experienced it. It’s a perspective that brings the horror of that conflict into sharp focus.
Amazing history, well written and compelling. Highly recommend
My grandfather was a British soldier in WW1. He fought in the trenches opposite Ernst Junger. Researching the history of my grandfather and the battles of 1914-1918 I have read many books on the subject. Storm of Steel is not about the big picture. Junger describes in great detail the conditions in the trenches and what it was like to fight with machine guns, rifles, hand grenades and sometimes clubs in hand-to-hand combat. That, and his many accounts of surviving an artillery barrage are the best I have read. Junger was not a typical soldier, he was a born warrior who reveled in combat and obviously found war to be occasionally terrifying but mostly stimulating and exciting. His descriptions of the horrors he saw are rather dispassionate and he does not spare the reader the gory details. Overall, one of the very best books about the common soldier’s experience of the war.
The best book on combat in the trenches during WWI. This true story beats the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front. It tells the story of a leader in a test of character.
Better than All Quiet on the Western Front.