Storm of Steel - Assignment Example

The First World War was one of the most gruesome wars to be fought in human history. People fell dead by the thousands, and the atrocities that occurred were unspeakable. Being that the weapons used during this war were much more advanced than those used in any others that were previously fought, the destruction was immense. When wars were fought prior to World War One, a few towns and buildings were destroyed, and some people were killed. But in this war, entire cities and districts were annihilated, and bodies literally covered the streets as if they were rained down from the heavens. Unlike previous wars, where men would just lie dead in one piece at the side of the road, there were literally pieces of human bodies scattered and blown about. Houses were smashed to pieces from miles off, since the weapons could cover a wide range of territory when fired. This was only the beginning of the gruesome wars that were to follow. One particular warrior, Ernst Junger, fought hard in the face of opposition, as he was determined to come out victorious no matter what lay ahead of him. Junger was a man who possessed the strong characteristics of a leader. Nothing stood in his way when it came to what was to be faced in the battlefields. Even when he was badly wounded, he never gave up hope. He had a strong spirit and always remained positive. When people were dying around him, and when he was facing circumstances that were beyond what any normal human being could bare, fear never got the better of him. As a matter of fact, he despised cowardly behavior, as he had some of his men shot who displayed the characteristics of being a coward. In his eyes, it was a sin to be a coward. One must be strong, face the enemy squarely in the face, and push forward (Ernst Junger, Storm of steel). The role that death had on his accounts of being at war was that he could not think about dying. Though he knew that dying was a major prospect, since many men never came back alive, he had to give it his best shot. So, he commenced into leading his people into the battlefields, possessing a spirit of steel that none of his enemies could penetrate (Junger). Junger was committed to his duties because he felt that he owed it to his race into his fatherland. He felt that he needed to defend his roots. He considered himself to be of the Arian people, a people that were superior to all others. He had a job to do in that he had to go out on the battlefield, defend his people and fight like a man. Every duty that was assigned to him, he took seriously and put his whole heart and soul into his military service. The fact that he was so diligent in his work eventually enabled him to rise to the status of being an officer of high prestige (Junger). Junger was a ferocious fighter as well as a good leader. The characteristics of leadership came natural to him, as he led his people with great ease through the battlefields and into the trenches to fight against the enemy (Junger). Junger maintained his same attitude towards war through the entire text. Never did he waver in the least bit. Despite being wounded numerous times, he was never deterred from his mission to overtake the enemy (Junger). In Junger's book, the Storm of Steel, there were numerous descriptions of what life was like in the battle trenches. There was one particular experience that would give the reader a great idea of what took place. In one particular account, Junger and his company were to be led into the heart of the battle. He knew that the worse was to come: yet, he had to trudge on. Late in the evening, Junger and his crew marched from Le Mesnil until they ended up in Sailly-Saillysel; where they were to fight one of the most gruesome battles. Junger described this event in intricate detail. He was so thorough about the description of the account that the one reading his diary could almost imagine themselves being right there in the battlefield. The reader could almost feel himself right there in the midst of the fighting, holding a gun in hand and being on the lookout for any enemies that may advance towards him. He could imagine himself smelling the stench of the thousands of decaying bodies that lay strewn about, feeling fatigued but ignoring those feelings, as his life depends on his endurance and his ability to remain alert. The imagery was so vivid. The sounds of the weapons, the men's cries, the stench of the dead and decaying bodies, and the ruins as a result of the machinery and artillery had made of the towns and cities were just some of the images he presented to his readers. In this particular account, the men made their way out into the fields in battle style. The firing of the weapons was immense. Many were wounded, and the ground lay ridden of shriveled and decaying corpses. The noise was hard to bear, as many of the men suffered from extreme headaches, as well as throbbing ears. The only way they had even the slightest chance of hearing one another was if they shouted. Sometimes, that was not even effective. Junger described the sounds of the many weapons firing at once and the collapsing of buildings to be similar to that of a tornado. Men fell by the thousands, and parts of bodies lay all around. It was even said that arms and legs stuck up out of the ground. The machines caused there to be enormous holes everywhere to the point that the roads and fields were actually sunken. Wounded men were despondent and dejected, and there was not an ounce of sympathy for them. There was not enough time to care about the wounded and their feelings. The mission was to attack and defeat the enemy, and Junger made it very clear that this path was not to be deviated from (Junger). Shells were flying in all directions, and they covered the ground like dust. The ground was overturned to the point of it looking like desolate ruins. Houses were smashed to pieces. Buildings were torn about, and even civilians lost their lives. In this account, Junger took note of a small girl child lying dead in a puddle of her own blood at the threshold of her house, which was practically destroyed. He even talked about how people lay smothered under the wreck of what used to be their homes. He made it so gruesomely and painfully clear that the soldiers were not the only ones affected by the fighting that was going on at the time. He was so coldly honest that he never left out one single detail (Junger). Junger and his men had to do whatever possible to keep out of danger and remain hidden from the enemy. In this particular account, they took refuge in a house that had been shot up to the point of ruin. Because the sellers were still in tact, they decided that they were suitable place to remain out of the crossfire. They made beds for themselves out of the rubbish and slept until one of the other men presented them with the steel helmets that they would use for their protection. All was well until even the sellers were ravaged. Then, they were exposed to the enemy. Being that they were now out in the open, they now had to defend themselves against their attackers (Junger). They fought with their enemies all the way into the night. They tried as hard as possible to form some sort of strategy to take care of business, though, it was difficult. It was difficult with the men to communicate with one another, and it was tough to maintain balance due to the fact that the road was so sunken and destroyed by being damaged from the shells and the firing of the machinery. When daybreak finally came, they saw a gruesome sight before them. Bodies lay on top of bodies, and the living had to dig themselves a safe shelter to hide to keep out of the eyes of the enemies. Sometimes, this shelter was found through hiding under the mountainous heaps of decaying bodies. Junger said that the men literally dug themselves beneath the stacks so as to keep out of the view of the opposers (Junger). Circumstances were less than stellar; nevertheless, the men did what it took to survive. As far as the valuable lessons that Junger took away from his experience at war, there were several to take away from the battlefield that he could apply in everyday life. I feel that he learned the importance of remaining strong in the face of opposition. Another lesson that he learned was to not allow fear of what was to come to consume him. Being in the battlefield during that time was extremely fearful to many of the men, but to Junger, he felt that he could not be a coward lest he want his enemies to consume him. He also learned the importance of sticking to his course, no matter what was to befall him. Even if times really became rough, and they indeed did during this war since it marked the beginning of one of the most bloodiest periods in human history, he had to stand up for what mattered to him. In this case, he was standing up for a number of things. He was standing up for his heritage, as he felt that he had to maintain his honor to his name. He stood up for his people, as he felt it a disgrace to surrender to the enemy, even though Germany lost this war. Circumstances were less than desirable for him and his people; nonetheless, he kept his head high, stood strong in the face of any sort of opposition that came upon him, exerted his strong leadership qualities, and became one of the most popular military figures to ever to be known and lauded throughout human history. In his own mind and heart, he was victorious. It was his account that inspired many young warriors to keep the faith and never lose heart when in the face of despair. His experiences still inspire many, civilians and military personnel alike, in that his diary is still widely read today. Ernst Junger, Storm of Steel (trans. With an introduction by Michael Hofmann; Penguin Classics, 1961. Read More