Storm of Steel

After a furlough and several days of moving around on trains and lorries, Jünger ends up at the castle of Baralle, where, on the first morning, German artillery begins a powerful pounding. That afternoon, Jünger and his men are sent forward, through scattered fire. At the reserve lines, Jünger runs into his old friend Tebbe again, but soon advances to the front, where Jünger learns that the German attack has not gone well so far. Jünger’s orders are to advance to Dragon’s Alley, where he hears foreign voices. Shells are exploding all around: “I was standing up on the rim, and, with every explosion, I could see the steel helmets assembled below me perform a deep and synchronous bow in the moonlight” (208).

The next morning, during a firefight, hundreds of British soldiers surrender to Jünger and his men, who ransack the British supplies, then set off again to fight. Soon, Jünger and his men are pinned down. They exchange rifle fire for some time, until a soldier, in a rage, charges forward: “Bravery, fearless risking of one’s own life, is always inspiring. We too found ourselves picked up by his wild fury, and scrabbling around to grab a few hand-grenades, rushed to form part of this berserker’s progress” (213).