Storm of Steel

by

Ernst Jünger

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Storm of Steel: Daily Life in the Trenches Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Overall, Jünger describes life in the trenches as “strenuous monotony,” with occasional reprieves in Douchy. At the same time, there is a certain coziness about life in one’s dugout, and the experienced soldier no longer notices the sounds of rifle fire or flares. C Sector has even come to feel like home. Jünger and his men have shivered there through snowy winter and sung there through long summer nights. When the colonel wants to transfer them to another location, the entire company begs him to let them remain.
Jünger continues to describe the strange combination of effects one experiences during life in the trenches. It’s both comfortable and violent, familiar and threatening. This illustrates the complexity of being a modern soldier, which calls for both brutality and brotherhood.
Themes
Manliness and Duty Theme Icon
Modern Warfare Theme Icon
The Complex Reality of War Theme Icon
Jünger includes a selection of his diary entries from life at Monchy. The entries include stories like a string of woundings and deaths in a single day, the sudden discovery of a long-abandoned French corpse, and the swamping of the trench after a night of downpours. Sometimes the men go hunting for game in the surrounding woods. On one occasion, an especially beloved member of the company, a father of four, is shot in the head. His weeping comrades spend a long time trying to shoot a “Britisher” in revenge.
Jünger’s selection of events from his diary provides insight into the occasions he found worthy of note, demonstrating his focus on exceptionally disturbing incidents of death, violence, and discomfort. Meanwhile, the reactions of the men after their comrade is shot show that bereaved soldiers are hardly immune from vengeful motivations.
Themes
Modern Warfare Theme Icon
Suffering and Death Theme Icon
The Complex Reality of War Theme Icon
While the battalion is enjoying a period of rest in the town of Quéant, Jünger’s commission as a lieutenant comes through, and he is posted to the Battalion’s 2nd Company after having been with the 6th. During their reprieve, Jünger sees the sway held by local commandants, such as a Captain of Horse who calls himself the King of Quéant, who spends his time drunkenly touring the countryside in a dogcart and getting into feuds with other so-called “monarchs.”
Jünger is quickly promoted again. At the same time, he witnesses firsthand the antics of men who enjoy their seniority too much—a phenomenon on which he offers little comment. His own code of “manliness” offers little room for such irresponsibility.
Themes
Manliness and Duty Theme Icon
Modern Warfare Theme Icon
In December, Jünger rejoins C Sector at the head of his new company. He finds that the trench has been reduced to a muddy pit. He and the men spend weeks draining and rebuilding. One day, he emerges to find German and British soldiers talking and exchanging schnapps and cigarettes between the trenches. Suddenly a German soldier is shot dead, and everyone retreats to their respective trenches. Jünger negotiates with a British officer in English and French, remarking that they parted ways with “an almost sportsmanlike admiration” for one another, although they mutually declare war against each other “for clarity’s sake.”
Jünger recounts a unique occasion when both sides enjoyed some friendly camaraderie. Jünger also shows that he doesn’t harbor ill will toward the enemy soldiers—rather, he respects them as soldiers who, like him, are doing a job. Even when such rare peaceful moments occur, the reality of war still looms.
Themes
Manliness and Duty Theme Icon
Foreigners, Enemies, and Empathy Theme Icon
The Complex Reality of War Theme Icon
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Jünger remarks that, throughout the war, he always tried to view his enemy without hostility. Instead, he sought to evaluate his enemies on the basis of the courage they displayed. That doesn’t mean he didn’t seek to kill his enemies, and he expected them to do the same. But he never thought ill of his opponents, and he always tried to take good care of any prisoners who fell into his hands.
Jünger elaborates on his view of the enemy. He sees war as fundamentally a job a soldier must do. This view of war also frames his perception of his opponents, who have equivalent goals. This is why he tries to treat them with respect and dignity whenever possible.
Themes
Manliness and Duty Theme Icon
Foreigners, Enemies, and Empathy Theme Icon
Quotes
The company spends Christmas Eve singing hymns in the mud, and the British respond with machine-gun fire. When the British erect a Christmas tree atop their trench, the Germans promptly shoot it down, with the British hurling grenades in response. Jünger notes, “It was all in all a less than merry Christmas.”
In jarring contrast to Jünger’s civil treatment of the British officer and even his prisoners, the two sides here do not extend one another much holiday warmth. Jünger’s remark is characteristic of his terse, sometimes humorous observations. Humanity isn’t lacking on the front lines, but it’s not consistently present, either. 
Themes
Foreigners, Enemies, and Empathy Theme Icon
The Complex Reality of War Theme Icon
In the midst of other, typical war wounds and fatalities, Jünger observes that “overfamiliarity” was a frequent cause of casualties, too. Sometimes men would collect and tinker with “dud” shells, leading to deadly accidents.
Jünger has elsewhere observed that warfare takes strange tolls on the human psyche. Sometimes, it leads people to become too comfortable with their surroundings, with devastating effects.
Themes
Suffering and Death Theme Icon
Jünger notes that the British flanking battery causes considerable chaos that February—firing rounds about once per hour and robbing the battalion of especially valued comrades, a total of 10 casualties within the space of a few days. There is little to do to counteract such a barrage, except to reinforce the trench as soundly as possible. In March, the return of spring and consequent drying of the mud help a good deal. Jünger often enjoys harmonious meals and card-playing sessions with the other three officers, the “congeniality” of which compensate somewhat for the hard work and suffering they all must endure. During this time of largely stationery warfare, they settle into an almost “peacetime” routine.
By this point in the war, Jünger has learned to take fear, suffering, and loss largely in stride and to enjoy camaraderie and peace where he can find it. In contrast to the raw recruit of 1914, now, in 1916, he’s come to understand the rhythms of a soldier’s life.
Themes
Modern Warfare Theme Icon
Suffering and Death Theme Icon
The Complex Reality of War Theme Icon