Storm of Steel (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

Any serious student of WWI will need to read this as it comes straight from Ernst Jungers diaries. It doesn't bog the reader down with the politics and the why's of the war - just a straight forward description of trench warfare and observations. Unless one can read German, this is as close as one can get to reading the original text.

Ernst Junger's WWI memoir of his experiences as a young Lieutenant in the German army has the most detailed and lucid descriptions of the brutality of trench warfare that I've ever read. His ability to recreate the atmosphere down to the smells and sounds of combat are unsurpassed. I found his enthusiasm for war and his unquestioning attitude toward the carnage he described and experienced ( he was wounded numerous times) at times strangely dispassionate. This didn't reduce the value of his work as a combat memoir but I understand some of the criticism aimed at his work as a glorification of war. Junger clearly viewed war as a supreme test and validation of manhood. There is not a trace of anti-war sentiment or regret in his book.
I didn't read this book as a political or philosophical reflection but rather as a remarkably detailed account of battle in the trenches of Flanders and France. It still has the power to shock.

Ernst Junger's WWI memoir of his experiences as a young Lieutenant in the German army has the most detailed and lucid descriptions of the brutality of trench warfare that I've ever read. His ability to recreate the atmosphere down to the smells and sounds of combat are unsurpassed. I found his enthusiasm for war and his unquestioning attitude toward the carnage he described and experienced ( he was wounded numerous times) at times strangely dispassionate. This didn't reduce the value of his work as a combat memoir but I understand some of the criticism aimed at his work as a glorification of war. Junger clearly viewed war as a supreme test and validation of manhood. There is not a trace of anti-war sentiment or regret in his book.
I didn't read this book as a political or philosophical reflection but rather as a remarkably detailed account of battle in the trenches of Flanders and France. It still has the power to shock.

As with most Penguin Books, the product itself is well made and the print is easy-to-read. The pages are thick and bound well and the print is bold.

As for the content, Storm Of Steel is one of the best books I've read and is sure to be a repeat-read in the future. It is a short read, only a little over 200 pages, but I rank it right up there with Hemingway (only Junger's book is a true, first-hand account).

Interesting insight from a German infantryman about life in the trenches facing the French and English adversary.
World War One is in my opinion quite fascinating. Perhaps more so then World War II.

This book was easy to read and incredibly interesting. just could not put it down. How this guy had the luck survived as long as he did, besides being a extraordinary soldier, is beyond me. Its not like he didn't have enough near death experinces. The worst part of the book is the foreward by some tool who basically bashes the inital author, Junger's, writing style and tries to tell everyone 'what he really means'. Next edition should eliminate that entire section.
-not bob levy

Purely an in the trenches account of war. Great descriptions of artillery and the great loss of life during battles. No mention of politics, which is done on purpose and I think it works well without. The book thus stands on its own as a record of Juenger's war and is not tainted by morals or political spin. Also, he gets wounded alot and suffers great losses of his men, so if you like intense action...

This is absolutely a great book about a truly horrible war. I could not put it down. It is especially valuable for its perspetive from the German side of the war since so little of that side is published in English.

Perhaps best described as the antithesis of Erich M. Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front", this is an excellent account of the Great War. It is a very compelling read. Junger was an exceptional man, very different from most soldiers during this war. Recommended to anyone interested in the history of the Great War.

Fantastic book that is Junger's account of WW1. He really conveys the quick changes of combat from sitting in a trench bored for hours at a time to a mad scramble to find cover because enemy artillery is raining. Overall it's a interesting glimpse at WW2 from someone who was actually there.

I was supposed to be a professor of modern European history (Ph. D. 1972). However, I instead went to work for the government and retired several years ago. How did I miss this one? The best narrative of WW I, from a first person perspective, ie. an original soruce. Can't read everything in grad school, I suppose.

The book is great. The story is fantastic, but the translation is very clunky. There were times I couldn't even understand what the meaning of sentences were. Often I had to read a sentence two or three times and still didn't understand what was meant. Eventually I gave up and just skipped these weird sentences. Let me give you an example. Pg. 192. " I laughed on the other side of my face. . . ." Huh? Do you mean I laughed behind their back. That may be very well what the literal translation is, but it makes no sense in English.
The editor sucks! I never like penguin editions but this is honestly the only one you can find. Pg. 258. "a thick fug." You know, I have often been enveloped in a thick fug too. Pg. ". . .having picked them up unasked in the crater. Seeing that did for me." Do they have people that work for them? People that read? These mistakes are infuriating when you actually want to read a book and understand it.

The book is great. The story is fantastic, but the translation is very clunky. There were times I couldn't even understand what the meaning of sentences were. Often I had to read a sentence two or three times and still didn't understand what was meant. Eventually I gave up and just skipped these weird sentences. Let me give you an example. Pg. 192. " I laughed on the other side of my face. . . ." Huh? Do you mean I laughed behind their back. That may be very well what the literal translation is, but it makes no sense in English.
The editor sucks! I never like penguin editions but this is honestly the only one you can find. Pg. 258. "a thick fug." You know, I have often been enveloped in a thick fug too. Pg. ". . .having picked them up unasked in the crater. Seeing that did for me." Do they have people that work for them? People that read? These mistakes are infuriating when you actually want to read a book and understand it.

An okay book about WW1 from the Imperial German side. Has a few short sections which give an insight to how troops lived on the line but they are few and far between. The writers angle seems to be more in the style of the 1900s, the brave warrior and his band of men. I guess the book has been connected to the German socialist movement of the 20's-30's. It seems to me that Junger just tries to put a happy face on a pointless war. If you have served in the military, the book I think would be more enjoyable as the author describes his problems with higher command, and operating in the front lines, along with his interaction with support commands. For living historians not a lot here, but a good starter book.

This book is well written, well translated and flows well on the memoirs of a german private at the start of WW1 and officer by the end, but for all the hype that I had heard about this book it is no where near as good as Rommel's ATTACK and his experience of WW1 that book was full on action.
Storm of Steel does give graphic details of life in and out of the front line including some major battles he took part in, still overrated