Rating: 
Summary: Idealization of war
Review: As other reviews say it is a classic . Two things set it apart in my mind from other war memoirs: firstly the level of detail of action is unsurpassed. Secondly , Jungers implicit cult of the warrior. He was an honourable soldier but he appears to have reveled in the adventure of war, in fact idealized it. Such attitudes had implications for the next generation of young Germans.
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Summary: World War I from the eyes of a German Officer and Hero
Review: Discover Ernst Juenger! Before you read Remarque's more famous "All Quiet on the Western Front" begin with Juenger's "Storm of Steel". The difference in perspective and the first hand account from a genuine German hero is a must read for the student or scholar of WWI. "Storm of Steel is based upon the personal diaries and experiences of Juenger as an officer in the 73rd Hannover Fussiliers. He was awarded Imperial Germany's highest decorations for valour in the face of the enemy and was the last living holder of the famous "Pour le Merite". His style and prose is classic literature at its best. Once finished, the reader will actively seek out other works of Juenger who is relatively unknown in the English speaking world. Read both "Storm of Steel" and Remarque's more famous work. Finish them off with chapters 1914-1918 in Guenther Grass's newest work "My Century". You'll get a great feel for who Ernst Juenger was. You won't be disappointed in anyway.Juenger was 103 when he died in 1998. He almost lived in three centurys, and two millenia. A noble feat for a remarkable man. The the twentieth century was his.
Rating:
Summary: The best WWI book i've ever read!
Review: Ernst Jünger, estimated as one of the most famous german wrighters of the 20th century has in fact provided a masterpiece with this book. It shows in an excellent way the spirit of this time, when soldiers went off to war very enthusiastically and were soon cast back to a reality where death ruled. Jünger describes a new kind of warfare, bearing a lot of terror, extinction and mass destruction. In an often criticised cold and unpassioned style the author shows his ideas of real heroism by overcoming ones fear amidst the most horrid circumstances. Jünger always shows his enemies as people whom he was to kill because he was a soldier - like he stated himself he regarded them with fairness and respect and not with hatred. This book is worth to be read over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: a "new" perspective on World War I
Review: Ernst Juenger lived a long and interesting life, dying only four or five years ago. He was active on the German right before and after World War I, although he distanced himself from the Nazis, intellectually and otherwise, writing the allegorical On the Marble Cliffs (1939), which can be read as a criticism of totalitarianism. Well into his 40s, he served in the German army during World War II. In his later life, he was increasingly difficult to pin down politically and was widely known for his interest in butterflies. The Storm of Steel is his memoir of the Great War, first published in 1920, when Juenger was 25. It is an amazing insight into life on the Western Front, in the trenches, from a firsthand, unfictionalized perspective. I agree with the previous reader who suggested reading this in conjunction with Remarque's famous novel, All Quiet on the Western Front. As opposed to that vivid, though fictionalized, account, The Storm of Steel is a very patriotic, nationalistic work (its final words: "Germany lives and Germany shall never go under!"). Juenger describes the war in sometimes exuberant, exhilerated terms. A gas attack during the Somme left everything "covered with a beautiful green patina." An artillery barrage "turned the western horizon into a sea of flowers." The final chapter, and particularly the final several pages, is a stunning literary achievement in its description of the experiences common to his generation and their search to find meaning in the world.
Rating:
Summary: a "new" perspective on World War I
Review: Ernst Juenger lived a long and interesting life, dying only four or five years ago. He was active on the German right before and after World War I, although he distanced himself from the Nazis, intellectually and otherwise, writing the allegorical On the Marble Cliffs (1939), which can be read as a criticism of totalitarianism. Well into his 40s, he served in the German army during World War II. In his later life, he was increasingly difficult to pin down politically and was widely known for his interest in butterflies. The Storm of Steel is his memoir of the Great War, first published in 1920, when Juenger was 25. It is an amazing insight into life on the Western Front, in the trenches, from a firsthand, unfictionalized perspective. I agree with the previous reader who suggested reading this in conjunction with Remarque's famous novel, All Quiet on the Western Front. As opposed to that vivid, though fictionalized, account, The Storm of Steel is a very patriotic, nationalistic work (its final words: "Germany lives and Germany shall never go under!"). Juenger describes the war in sometimes exuberant, exhilerated terms. A gas attack during the Somme left everything "covered with a beautiful green patina." An artillery barrage "turned the western horizon into a sea of flowers." The final chapter, and particularly the final several pages, is a stunning literary achievement in its description of the experiences common to his generation and their search to find meaning in the world.
Rating:
Summary: The best WWI book i've ever read!
Review: Ernst Jünger, estimated as one of the most famous german wrighters of the 20th century has in fact provided a masterpiece with this book. It shows in an excellent way the spirit of this time, when soldiers went off to war very enthusiastically and were soon cast back to a reality where death ruled. Jünger describes a new kind of warfare, bearing a lot of terror, extinction and mass destruction. In an often criticised cold and unpassioned style the author shows his ideas of real heroism by overcoming ones fear amidst the most horrid circumstances. Jünger always shows his enemies as people whom he was to kill because he was a soldier - like he stated himself he regarded them with fairness and respect and not with hatred. This book is worth to be read over and over again.
Rating: 
Summary: A first hand account about the horrors of trench warfare
Review: I have recommended this book as the First World War's "Forgotten Soldier". It is a bit more chivalrous and not as personal as Sajer's work but I feel that being originally published immediatley after the war that is expected. Many compare it to "All Quiet on the Western Front", but if that is looking at the war thru a scope this book is viewing it in 3D color. 90% is battle account and the other 10% is a bit of personal insight on the war. I loved how Junger portrayed his Fusiliers as the transition generation from horse riding warriors to the inevitable trench rat looking up at the occasional French biplane dropping grenades. Great read and may explain more about a war that seems to really be forgotten in US history.
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Summary: Spare yourself the trouble of gouging out your eyeballs
Review: If I were running the American military, every second lieutenant would be required to read this book and Copse 145 or resign his commission.
Rating:
Summary: ignorant in the presence of the lesson
Review: simply, junger's point of view demonstrates the misguided patriotism (jingoism) that, if not for the post-WWII rebuilding of germany by allied forces, would have virtually annihilated his beloved fatherland forever. isn't it ironic? don't ya think? can anyone say THE WASTELAND? does anyone know where THE WASTELAND comes from? research it. eric maria remarque's, "all quiet on the western front," on the other hand, is an honest ode to the ultimate destination war-seekers reach...that is self-destruction. and if you like "all quiet...," you'll simply love its sequel, "the road back." concerning "the road back," pay close attention to the small group of boys training near the end of the book and the ex-WWI soldiers' comments regarding them...absolutely haunting, keeping in mind that the book was written in 1933. junger's book isn't useless, of course. it DOES show one how NOT to be, in this world we all share...
Rating: 
Summary: The View from the Trenches
Review: The Storm of Steel provides the reader with the view of the Western Front in World War I from the trenches, from the perspective of a young infantry officer and is a classic memoir, at times vividly conveying the experience of trench warfare and close-quarters combat, and should be read or at least referenced by serious students of that era. The book's only serious limitation is that the author does not perform any analysis and does not give any serious or deep reflection or introspection on his experience with the war. His focus is strictly at the tactical level, and the story is very much his own tale. Although it is clear that he respects his fellow soldiers, he does not provide reflections of the contact or comradery that he must have had with his men or his fellow officers that might have added depth of character to his narrative. As a result, this book gives little insight into the war itself and the men who fought it. For readers who prefer more introspection and commentary in memoirs, they should look elsewhere than The Storm of Steel. However, the author should not be faulted for a lack of perspective in his memoirs; he thought of himself as a soldier, and he wrote as one after the war. While his writing style is at times detached, sparsely detailing the life of the German soldier in the trenches, at others he writes heart-pounding passages describing intense fights in no-man's land or blind dashes in the dark of night into the enemy's trenches in the effort to take a prisoner. These parts are where the author excels, as these passages easily make the reader feel like he or she is careening through trenches or stumbling through shellholes. The Storm of Steel is a memorable book, simple and direct in its language, replete with the mix of candor, nostalgia, compassion, and jingoism common to young men sent to war.
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