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This was an autobiographical book covering a young German man’s experience in the first world war. This book is not only a very good illustration of the war, it was also a bit psychological and philosophical. The philosophy described by the author in this book was to become inspiring to Germans and even other people in other countries where it often contributed to a nationalist sentiment.
The first half of the book to me was unremarkable except for its description of the war at the time. Early in the war it seems that soldiers did not take it as seriously as they should have. Owing to the state of military technology at the time, it quickly became established that infantry attacks could be easily defeated with artillery barrages, so on the Western Front, where the Germans were fighting mostly the French and the English, armies dug long trenches in which to wait for someone to attack. Large numbers of artillery on both sides would be firing on a frequent basis. Since this constant bombardment was so draining to the troops, they often got to take leave in the Belgian countryside, which at that time in the war, was very pleasant. At Christmas time, men went into no-man’s land to exchange small gifts with the enemy. These feelings of mutual suffering with the enemy would soon be eroded.
Ernst details many anecdotes where he nearly missed a gruesome death. He would often go across to the enemy trenches to cut the wire, or try to take prisoners. He tells of men nearby taking a direct hit from a shell and being blown to bits. More than once when his group was relieved, the replacements were annihilated in an attack. Once, a shell fell right at his feet but failed to explode. Many men suffered greatly from the gas attacks, often because they had lost their masks. In one battle most of his men are lost in the smoke and chaos when he comes across his little brother who just joined the war and was seriously injured. He saves his life. He takes part in a trench raid and is awarded the Iron Cross.
Later in the story he gets more philosophical. He describes how he manages the constant drum-roll of bombardment. And how the men when on leave pass their time with drinking and telling stories. As the book goes on he takes more asides like this. He describes his hardening.
He is an officer now and in 1918, with Germany beginning to starve and even rations for the soldiers very thin, he is called to the great offensive. The war has been static for years and with the Americans coming, the only way to win was to win now. His regiment marched out to their destination in great spirits. On the way they took a break and sat in the shell holes. A gigantic shell fell them and half of them were lost. Many dead and many dying, asking for help when there was nothing they could do. He had to march on and for the only time in the war, he broke down and cried, but he was reminded of his responsibility as an officer and carried on. Finally they reach their destination and witness the greatest artillery barrage of the whole war. This enhanced the feeling of excitement for the men and they had no fear of death, only the will to fight for their country.
As the attack began, Ernst went out ahead of his men with only a revolver and a club in his hands, crazy with urge to fight and kill. This feeling was ubiquitous and the attack was a great success as a result. Ernst believes that this feeling and attitude are necessary in every battle in order to be successful. They fought brutally and without mercy and overcame great odds in a battle that went on for days. At one point they had surrounded about 150 Englishmen who came out with their hands up to surrender. They were all killed without a second thought and the men moved on. During the nights where they slept in the English trenches, they saw how well fed the enemy was and knew they were losing the war. He also put on an English coat to keep warm. The next day during the fighting he was shot just above the heart and all the way through by one of his own men, but carried on, but when he discovered the seriousness of the injury, withdrew.
In the final battle of the story, it is very clear that the war is lost. Not only are they starving, but the enemy now has airplanes flying overhead constantly and now they have tanks. Ernst still believes in the war, though. To him, to give up even a little bit, is a complete dishonor. This time, he has fresh young troops that he must lead into battle and he spent some time training them to be stormtroopers. While charging a machine-gun position he is shot twice, in the lung and in the shoulder. He can’t move and is tended to by others. As he lay there things happened very fast and eventually those who remained were surrounded and told to surrender. The Germans all agreed, except Ernst. He got up and shot one of the English with his revolver, then ran for cover while they others joined him in the fight. In the end just four of them escaped.
Despite numerous injuries sustained in the war, Ernst lived to the age of 103. His story has been translated into many languages and still inspires people today.