Storm of Steel
Encyclopedia
Storm of Steel is the memoir
of German
officer Ernst Jünger
's experiences on the Western Front during the First World War. It was originally printed privately in 1920, making it one of the first personal accounts to be published. The book is a graphic account of trench warfare
. It was largely devoid of editorialization when first published but strongly revised several times.
entering the line with the 73rd Hanoverian Regiment in Champagne
. His first taste of combat came at Les Eparges
in April 1915 where he was first wounded.
After recuperating, he took an officer's course and achieved the rank of Ensign
. He rejoined his regiment on the Arras sector. In 1916, with the Battle of the Somme
underway, Jünger's regiment moved to Combles
in August for the defence of the village of Guillemont
. Here Jünger was fortunate to be wounded again, shortly before the final British assault which captured the village — his platoon
was annihilated. In 1917 Jünger saw action during the Battle of Arras
in April, the Third Battle of Ypres in July and October, and the German counter-attack during the Battle of Cambrai in November. Jünger led a company of assault troops during the final German Spring Offensive
, 21 March 1918 when he was wounded again. On 23 August he suffered his most severe wound when he was shot through the chest.
In total, Jünger was wounded 14 times during the war, including five bullet wounds. He was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class
and was the youngest ever recipient of the Pour le Mérite
.
All Quiet on the Western Front
. However Jünger was a combat soldier, who saw extensive front-line service. Remarque did not, and All Quiet on the Western Front is a work of fiction, not a memoir (Remarque was actually a sapper for only a few weeks near the front line).
He endorsed shooting prisoners, under certain circumstances.
Jünger stated in the preface to the 1929 English edition: "Time only strengthens my conviction that it was a good and strenuous life, and that the war, for all its destructiveness, was an incomparable schooling of the heart."
The 1924 version was translated into English
by Basil Creighton as The Storm of Steel in 1929 and into French
in 1930. A new English translation, based on the final 1961 version, was made by Michael Hofmann
in 2003 which won the 2004 Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize
.
but also by the left-leaning French writer André Gide
,
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
of German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
officer Ernst Jünger
Ernst Jünger
Ernst Jünger was a German writer. In addition to his novels and diaries, he is well known for Storm of Steel, an account of his experience during World War I. Some say he was one of Germany's greatest modern writers and a hero of the conservative revolutionary movement following World War I...
's experiences on the Western Front during the First World War. It was originally printed privately in 1920, making it one of the first personal accounts to be published. The book is a graphic account of trench warfare
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
. It was largely devoid of editorialization when first published but strongly revised several times.
Plot
Storm of Steel begins with Jünger as a privatePrivate (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
entering the line with the 73rd Hanoverian Regiment in Champagne
Champagne, France
Champagne is a historic province in the northeast of France, now best known for the sparkling white wine that bears its name.Formerly ruled by the counts of Champagne, its western edge is about 100 miles east of Paris. The cities of Troyes, Reims, and Épernay are the commercial centers of the area...
. His first taste of combat came at Les Eparges
Les Éparges
Les Éparges is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meuse department*Parc naturel régional de Lorraine...
in April 1915 where he was first wounded.
After recuperating, he took an officer's course and achieved the rank of Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
. He rejoined his regiment on the Arras sector. In 1916, with the Battle of the Somme
Battle of the Somme (1916)
The Battle of the Somme , also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 14 November 1916 in the Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of the same name...
underway, Jünger's regiment moved to Combles
Combles
Combles is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Combles is situated on the D20 road, some northeast of Amiens.-History:...
in August for the defence of the village of Guillemont
Guillemont
Guillemont is a commune roughly 8 miles east of Albert in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.It, like much of the surrounding area, is primarily an agricultural community, but is known for its large cemetery, which has become a tourist attraction...
. Here Jünger was fortunate to be wounded again, shortly before the final British assault which captured the village — his platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
was annihilated. In 1917 Jünger saw action during the Battle of Arras
Battle of Arras (1917)
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
in April, the Third Battle of Ypres in July and October, and the German counter-attack during the Battle of Cambrai in November. Jünger led a company of assault troops during the final German Spring Offensive
Spring Offensive
The 1918 Spring Offensive or Kaiserschlacht , also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, was a series of German attacks along the Western Front during World War I, beginning on 21 March 1918, which marked the deepest advances by either side since 1914...
, 21 March 1918 when he was wounded again. On 23 August he suffered his most severe wound when he was shot through the chest.
In total, Jünger was wounded 14 times during the war, including five bullet wounds. He was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
and was the youngest ever recipient of the Pour le Mérite
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
.
Position towards war
Jünger describes his experiences without apparent restraint, and the result is a quite graphic book. However, Jünger attempts to consistently convey a posture of noble dauntlessness in himself and those soldiers that he praises. Even when the narrator experiences true horror, such as while marching into the Battle of the Somme, he seems more concerned with lucid description of, rather than reactions to, it. Although the book does not gloss over the deaths of many, the most intensely emotional passages are reserved for enthusiastic fighting and for placid moments. The book has consequently been criticised for glorifying war, especially when compared to Remarque'sErich Maria Remarque
Erich Maria Remarque was a German author, best known for his novel All Quiet on the Western Front.-Life and work:...
All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I. The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the detachment from civilian life felt by many of these soldiers upon returning home from the front.The...
. However Jünger was a combat soldier, who saw extensive front-line service. Remarque did not, and All Quiet on the Western Front is a work of fiction, not a memoir (Remarque was actually a sapper for only a few weeks near the front line).
He endorsed shooting prisoners, under certain circumstances.
Jünger stated in the preface to the 1929 English edition: "Time only strengthens my conviction that it was a good and strenuous life, and that the war, for all its destructiveness, was an incomparable schooling of the heart."
Publication history
The first version of Storm of Steel was essentially Jünger's unedited diary; the original title was In Storms of Steel: from the diary of a Shock Troop Commander, Ernst Jünger, War Volunteer, and subsequently Lieutenant in the Rifle Regiment of Prince Albrecht of Prussia (73rd Hanoverian Regiment). Since it was first published there have been up to seven revisions of Storm of Steel, with the last being the 1978 version for Jünger's Collected Works. For the first revision in 1924 Jünger rewrote the entire book for a new publisher. The result was a highly Nationalistic and bloodthirsty version. The next major revision came in 1934, for which the explicit descriptions of violence were muted. This edition carried the universal dedication For the fallen.The 1924 version was translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
by Basil Creighton as The Storm of Steel in 1929 and into French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in 1930. A new English translation, based on the final 1961 version, was made by Michael Hofmann
Michael Hofmann
Michael Hofmann is a German-born poet who writes in English and a translator of texts from German.-Biography:...
in 2003 which won the 2004 Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize
Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize
Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize is an annual literary prize for any book-length translation into English from any other living European language...
.
Critical reception
The book was lauded by the Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph GoebbelsJoseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
but also by the left-leaning French writer André Gide
André Gide
André Paul Guillaume Gide was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1947. Gide's career ranged from its beginnings in the symbolist movement, to the advent of anticolonialism between the two World Wars.Known for his fiction as well as his autobiographical works, Gide...
,