The Storm of Steel

By: Ernst Jünger

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

This classic war memoir, first published in 1920, is based on the author's extensive diaries describing hard combat experienced on the Western Front during World War I. It has been greatly admired by people as diverse as Bertolt Brecht and Andre Gide, and from every part of the political spectrum.

Hypnotic, thrilling, and magnificent, The Storm of Steel is perhaps the most fascinating description of modern warfare ever written. Out of the maelstrom of World War I emerge scenes which could have come straight from Dante's Inferno. Once you begin listening, you cannot stop. And it never relents: nerve pounding bombardments, agonizing gas attacks, sudden death that takes down a comrade next to you, and the occasional weeks of relief to restore the spirit when leave is granted to visit some attractive French village...all enveloped in the ghostly confusion of war.

Ultimately, survival comes down to sheer luck. Jünger displays no anger toward his enemies, and near the end he grows fatalistic and weary, even as he redoubles his resolve and maintains his patriotism. Jünger's great book calmly conveys the mysterious attraction of war, the exhilaration of battle, and the undeniable glory of brave men. But he also describes the scenes of soldiers preparing for battle as though they were "some terrible, silent ceremonial that portends human sacrifice."

Public Domain (P)2010 Audio Connoisseur

All Quiet on the Western Front.............NOT!

Would you listen to The Storm of Steel again? Why?

No once is enough unless I have a specific need to do so. I feel that way about most books however.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ernst Junger the main character and author.

What about Charlton Griffin’s performance did you like?

He did a nice job of putting life in the story

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Too long with too much detail and frankly some of it was dull.

Any additional comments?

Starts way too slow. But once engaged the action is fast and very furious. Very descriptive. Witten from a WW1 vet perspective not WW2. He is unburdened with the coming NAZI legacy and has none of the apologies. In fact his attitude is a portent of things to come with sentiments that enabled the NAZI movement. It's all there. The "stab in the back" from the homefront politicians., the withdrawal (not defeat) of the Germany army from France and the lack of understanding of the mass starvation and food riots in German cities because everything was being sent to the war. All in all a good glimpse back on warfare 100 years ago.

Beautifully written, but crazy

This is a memoir of a guy who fought in the trenches in World War 1, and liked it.

So the message isn't All Quiet on the Western Front by any means. The style is different too. It's a bit like a series of after action reports combined with the Iliad. A lot of emotionally detached we did this and that and probably should have done that instead, etc, but also a lot of very gruesome Iliad-like depictions of battle -- the shell exploded and the guy's intestines were draped all over the wire, etc. He writes beautifully, even in translation, which makes his fanaticism for battle even more disturbing. He's like a Nazi, but with more class. Indeed, the Nazis loved him, but he disliked them -- he's a bit of an intellectual and social snob, too.

Even the writing has limits:he gives a lot of well-written, even poetic descriptions of nature, and frankly discusses the mixture of fear and helplessness that overtakes even the bravest man (which has got to be this guy -- he won every medal there was) under heavy shelling. His shortcomings are that he offers no 3D (or even 2D really) depictions of other human beings. A lot of this guy was a good soldier, then he died in this terrible way and then his replacement died in this other way, and a third guy got it a bit later.

German propaganda made a lot of soldiers who allegedly had Nietzsche in their knapsacks. Well, apparently this guy believed in that stuff, and never got disillusioned no matter how many times he got hit (and it was a lot) and how many died around him. I think that's the crazy part.

In summary, I think this is a good book if you are, like me, a history buff who wants an unflinching but well-written account about what it was like in the trenches in WWI. If you are looking for a well-rounded, anti-war literary piece, like the English war poets or Remarque, definitely not what you want.

A window into our terrible brave past.

This book is incredibly sad and a must read if you desire a glims into the war that ended an era. Break your heart and see what is was like for the soldiers living threw that interesting and terrible war from a perspective that I wish was explored more in other media.

Amazing story with a brilliant narrator.

This story has touched so many deep emotional motifs. It is tragic and uplifting and dark and glorious. As always Griffin did an amazing job reading.

Amazing story.

This is a truly amazing story and a window into a world that almost no one alive can imagine. This man lived through unbelievable horrors and somehow comes out alive and with the attitude that he was fortunate to experience it, or some such idea. Amazement, in all aspects and senses of the word is my reaction to this book.

Also, having read other accounts of WW1 and other overviews of wars, it is incredible to hear from someone on the front lines what it was like. This book doesn't talk of strategy or overall themes, it is just this one man's experience told fairly straightforwardly with few digressions. Though I am certainly no historian, this does seem to be a unique book in my experience with history.

This was totally worth it. I will recommend it to everyone. Amazing.

Great story but hard to follow

This was a great story and memoir of the Great War but in my opinion you need this book in a hard copy to follow along. Are there any maps in the hard copy? There were a lot of references to small French towns and without a map, it's hard to get your bearings as the reader.

Bad narrator, good story

This book was written by an eloquent writer and a twenty-something year old warfighter. The narrator was a stuffy old man, and a great deal of important meanings were lost because he spoke with the wrong intonations.

I don't speak German but I got the feeling that the translation was also not very good.

Between the two, a significant amount of the original text seems to have been lost.

The story itself makes up for this. The number of times Junger was wounded (14), and the number of batmen he goes through ("many") gives you an idea of how improbable it was that he made it through the war alive.

Starts off slow, but overall very good.

Outstanding! By far one of the Best First World War Memoirs!

Ernst Jünger brings his four years in the 73rd Hanoverian Fusilier Regiment with such vivid and sophisticated detail that it’s no wonder his ‘Storm of Steel’ remains to be one of the most acclaimed personal accounts of the First World War. Entering the war as a private in 1914, he leaves the war as a Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) in command of Stoßtruppen (Stormtroopers) and a proud recipient of the Pour le Mérite, the Iron Cross 1st Class and 14 combat wounds. The reader is embarked on his four year journey in the frontlines of the Western Front where he has to endure the British, the Sikhs, the French, and artillery of every caliber from either side. A personal front seat to nearly every aspect of the trenches on the Western Front as Jünger expresses both his admiration and disgust towards the horrors, the tragedy, the comedy, the cowardice, the heroism, and the bravery he witnessed.

Jünger allows the reader to follow him not just physically, but mentally and emotionally in the trenches. He provides a strong open-minded view of the conflict as a whole and remains to express the war through its complicated and complex nature. He would simultaneously express the disgusting brutality of trench warfare, while praise the honor and bravery that motivated him and his men into the fray.

The strongest strength of Jünger’s Storm of Steel is the complex view it takes on war itself. Rather than focusing on an anti-war perspective or a glorifying perception, he allows the reader to find his/her own interpretation. The message of the memoir is merely a human tale instead of taking a position for neither propaganda or advocation. In a way, it gives his memoir a very human and honest voice. We get to explore his personal philosophy towards what goes on around him and reach to a mutual understanding and respect with him.

The voice acting matches his personality very well. Well-mannered and intelligent. I personally could have hours of conversation and lecture from such a voice, it provides more life into Jünger’s words and allows us to be more personal with him as well as we journey with him through the mud, smoke, decay, and shrapnel of the trenches.

Vivid! Sophisticated! Deep! Philosophical! Do not pass this one! A very human reaction and message to the complex realities of war itself.

Fantastic! But not for the faint hearted.

The book is wonderful and is a great choice for anyone studying or interested in the Great War. Beware that Mr. Jünger (and the narrator by extension) brings to bear a completely uncensored account of life in the trenches, and is liable to, at random, clothesline you with descriptions of the most grisly wounds you’ve ever heard of. Many a time does Mr. Jünger recount moments of his comrades taking bullets, shells and shrapnel in the worst possible areas and ways, including but not limited to through the eyes, brain, and worse. It’s a mire of blood, gore, depression and murder occasionally broken up by happy moments, as is I suppose the life of the average soldier in general. This is like All Quiet on the Western Front, minus the melodrama and from a real soldier’s perspective. To compare; All Quiet is the story of a fictional soldier as written by a real serviceman in the war, Storm of Steel is a firsthand account of a serviceman’s experience in the form of memoirs. While I love them both, I feel this book is better for understanding the personal aspect of why it was hell to be a soldier at this time. Consider pairing it with From Bapaume to Passchendaele by Philip Gibbs and Poliu by Louis Barthas for a more complete picture of life as a soldier. In closing for this one; great book, but don’t enjoy while eating unless you want to unexpectedly vomit.

The Side doesn't matter War is Hell

What did you love best about The Storm of Steel?

I'm not sure I loved anything about Storm of Steel. I feel the word love is out of place in this context. Storm of Steel is a view of World War One from a German soldier. I enjoyed the stark reality of what war is all about

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Storm of Steel?

When the lead character first encounter death.

Which character – as performed by Charlton Griffin – was your favorite?

The Lead

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

If you're lucky you will just get wounded.

Any additional comments?

Very interesting view from the German side however the overwhelming tone is one of incredible violence which almost becomes the norm, without much sympathy for the individual. Well worth reading if your into the history of Early 20th Century Europe.