Storm Of Steel

Don’t leave me here alone.’ The narrator simply shakes him off and moves on. The soldiers have been trained like beasts and they have been dehumanised; they have been taught that no life is to be spared. Death is now the norm and they have been desensitized to it. The narrator relates an incident where he volunteers for a raid on the German trenches. He experiences much trauma; he kills a soldier, Karl. Karl’s death is terrible- the bayonet is trapped in Karl and eventually the narrator has to shoot him. When he returns to the trenches with two German prisoners he tries to suppress what has happened: ‘It is better not to think’. The narrator knows that he would indubitably go insane if he thinks about his action. Karl’s death epitomizes the fact that soldiers on both sides are killed in horrific way for no discernible reason. There is definitely nothing glorious or heroic about war.

World War I was a deadly and difficult situation for all the soldiers who were impacted by it. These novels tell the story of German soldiers and their stories from this treacherous war but from different points of view. The two controversial novels, Storm of Steel, written by Ernest Junger, and All Quiet on the Western Front, written by, Erich Maria Remarsque were very widely talked about during their time and it has many differences and many similarities between them. They are both well known and were written on the same frontier; however, they were different in certain ways.

The text, ‘The Things They Carried', is an excellent example which reveals how individuals are changed for the worse through their first hand experience of war. Following the lives of the men both during and after the war in a series of short stories, the impact of the war is accurately portrayed, and provides a rare insight into the guilt stricken minds of soldiers. ‘The Things They Carried' shows the impact of the war in its many forms: the suicide of an ex-soldier upon his return home; the lessening sanity of a medic as the constant death surrounds him; the trauma and guilt of all the soldiers after seeing their friends die, and feeling as if they could have saved them; and the deaths of the soldiers, the most negative impact a war

Set during the second World War, a time in which Death’s reach was essentially impossible to evade, Death’s narration allowed the novel to focus on the paradoxical morality of “the leftover humans.” Death’s detachment from humanity allows him to view human nature with clarity unachievable by the living. Death’s semi-omniscient scope offers a distinct perspective on death, war, and love. Though, he is constantly plagued by human malignity, he’s able to keep himself

As Tim O’Brien states in his short story book, The Things They Carried, the only true thing about war is its allegiance to evil and obscenity. One example of this faithfulness war has to stick to its truth is the inevitable death of many soldiers. War consumes. It consumes a large amount of resources, money, energy, time, but most of all it consumes human lives. The ones who don’t pass must bear the witness of the death of the others. “In the Field”, one of the short stories in O’Brien’s book, explores the way death is handled by soldiers and the process by which absorb the emotions that come along with it.

Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on the Western Front and Ernst Junger’s memoir, Storm of Steel, present the differences of the experience of The First World War with intriguing contrasts that spark debates between the two accounts. These texts illustrate real events within The First World War. Both authors, who are veterans of the war tell the reader their conclusions in post-war experiences and opinions. It is essentially two faces of the same coin. One, “All Quiet on the Western Front”, reflects the inner dialogue and self-reflection of the protagonist, while “ The Storm of Steel”, is a public projection to the audience. Closed off yet propelling nationalistic pride and propaganda.

World War I differed from previous wars in the essence that technological sophistication of weaponry such as artillery, poison gas and machine-guns created a vehement war with a massive number of casualties. In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, German World War I veteran Erich Maria Remarque delineates the experiences that German soldiers face on the restless front, and the toll that the physical conditions and the mental stress take on the deterioration of the youth of each soldier battling on the terrain. Remarque’s war novel strays away from the romantic and glorifying thought of war in order to emphasize the hardships war forced upon the men who fought for their country. The weapons that are in the hands of the men on the front lines become their livelihood, and the terrain of the battle are the only things separating a common man and a man marked by the scars of war. At some point, war no longer becomes a fight between enemies from two different countries, it becomes a battle between one’s self and the urge to resist barbaric and animalistic acts when in dire situations.

We all, as a people who have not seen the real war, are left in a state of confusion and uncertainty, when it comes to think about the war times, without real information and impressions of the combatants. Of course, looking from the bigger frame, there is no any event that had demolished the valuable heritage of humankind. But if we get closer, “we cannot, indeed, imagine our own death; whenever we try to do so we find that we survive ourselves as spectators”. People often try to imagine a war, in which 18 years olds had been killed mercilessly for the sake of their land, mothers of the soldiers lost the piece of their hearts and women had waited for their beloved ones even if they knew that they will not come. We are the people who did not

In the opening remarks of the first chapter, Ernst Junger describes the idealistic origins of many of the soldiers called to action. Most of the soldiers drafted into the war were students and factory workers, all of whom lived a fairly sheltered life beforehand. Being drafted was seen as the adventure of a lifetime. They “shared a yearning for danger, for the experience of the extraordinary.” Much like his comrades, Junger had the same sense of adventure, seeing the war as merely a new challenge to conquer. After his first real experience with war however, his enthusiasm is quickly dashed. The harsh reality set in that this war was not, in fact, an adventure. Junger and the former schoolboys and craftsmen quickly learned that life in the trenches was a challenge of endurance. As the war persists, reality slowly sets in and Junger learns the true violent nature of the war and the constant threat of imminent danger through which he must persevere. Ernst Junger’s accounts in the memoir Storm of Steel show the reality of a soldier in World War I and the taxation of enduring such great trauma.

“When a man has seen so many dead he cannot understand any longer why there should be so much anguish over a single individual.” (Remarque, 181) During the war, many soldiers often become desensitized and refuse to acknowledge the emotions they would usually feel when a friend or comrade dies. The war causes them to have a feeling of loss; they lose their emotions and friends; they lose a part of themselves during the war. There are so many deaths every day that it makes them have to move on quickly; moreover, if the soldiers were to think about every single death that occurred, they would become deranged. Paul, the main character from Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, All Quiet on The Western Front, and Roland Gerard Garvin, known as Ged, a

The story reflects a soldier that is about to be hung as an enemy to another militant force (Bierce). The shocking escape plan that Bierce describes through the text, shows the desperate will to survive. This genius work of literature makes the reader believe that the soldier escapes his coming death, but in the end turns out to only be a fantasy before death. War takes loved ones from their families and soldiers are taught to see an enemy as less than human. A man who was simply doing as he was told must seek his death if caught by the opposing side. This concept creates an overbearing sadness within soldiers making their jobs undesirable. Many soldiers were not respected for their vulgar line of work and therefore; this created a division between military persons and outsiders. Following the Civil War suicide rates increased tremendously (Lande). The severity of the war and its conditions traumatized the soldiers who were able to make it out alive. War has been and will remain to be a major part of society and the harshness of it still takes lives away. Literature throughout the realism time period reflected author's feelings about the tragedy of

All Quite on the Western Front and Storm of Steel are two of many influential pieces of literature that reflect World War one from a German point of view. It is important to note that All Quite on the Western Front is a work of fiction that is based on the events of the war, Were as Storm of Steel is memoir that is based on the events of Ernst Junger on the western front. Junger is criticized that he takes a positive stance on the war, were as Erich Remarque’s novel tries to show the reality behind the war. The two authors believed the Great war had effects on those who fought in it through the influence of their perception of the war and how new technology had changed the way it is understood. The psychological implications on the soldiers were a direct link between survival, technology and their rural life style. This phenomenon can be seen in both Remarque and Jungar’s works.

Everywhere thick, hot gory blood drips from comrade’s wounds. The stench of death hovers in the air and encases every movement. A faint buzz whizzes into the ear drums as shells and bullets fluster by with brilliant flashes of light. These are the everyday encounters of a soldier on the front. No words can even begin to touch the realness of terror that soldiers experience every day. Young recruits are reeled into this torture and sacrifice everything they have and love for their country. Lively hopefuls are transformed into the unfeeling. The soldiers must think of memories as, “too grievous for us [them] to reflect on them at once.” (pp. 138) They forget, lest their state of mind plummet. Few, if any capture the graphic life and thoughts of the soldier better than Enrich Maria Remarque in his moving book All Quiet on the Western Front. This epic book follows a young German military recruit named Paul Bäumer and his classmates who come face to face with the gunfire of the Allies during World War I. Through Remarque’s well-chosen words and imagery, an average citizen is transported from their comfy home to the trenches and front lines of heated battle. In Enrich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, he successfully illustrates what it’s like to be a soldier during war and the extent in which everyday people sacrifice their lives when fighting for their country.

In the famous war memoir, Storm of Steel, an extraordinary story is told through the eyes of an ordinary German World War I soldier. Written by German author Ernst Junger, the novel is based on Junger’s sixteen personal journals he kept during his time as as a young World War I soldier. After being edited and revised numerous times, Storm of Steel was published in 1961. Junger’s story begins with his initial deployment to France in 1914, and ends in 1918 with a chest wound that completed his time in the war. Storm of Steel has been critically acclaimed for its authenticity, honest intentions, and powerful insight; it is “one of the great books of World War I, if not the greatest.” (Introduction) Through his descriptive journal entries, Junger takes readers back in time to follow his journey through the war and the agony he faced.

Storm of Steel is a book written by the German officer and veteran Ernst Junger and is based on the journal entries he wrote during his time as a soldier in World War I. Storm of Steel begins in France of 1915, with Junger’s first deployment, in the 73rd Hanoverian Regiment. Ernst first experiences with the war resulted in trench warfare. In April of 1915, he was first wounded. After his recovery, he was redeployed to the Arras region of northern France and he is in the Battle of the Somme in 1916, he dedicates a good portion of this time in the book. He fights in the battles of Arras, Ypres and Cambrai. With every battle he faces he steadily rises through the ranks and finally achieves the rank of lieutenant. He was awarded the Pour le Merite, a rare decoration for one of his rank. The journal entries end when Junger suffers a shot to the chest during the German Spring Offensive of 1918.