War is an activity for men. But during hostilities, all people suffer, no matter what gender or age they are. The German writer Ernst Junger participated in two world wars. He expressed his impressions and thoughts in books that are still relevant.
Childhood
Social upheavals occur infrequently. It is impossible to predict them. Two world wars died out in the 20th century. The German writer and thinker Ernst Junger had to take part in these tragic events. The future ruler of thoughts was born on March 29, 1895 in the family of a scientist. My father had a doctorate in philosophy and was seriously engaged in chemical research. Mother worked as a seamstress at home. Due to the circumstances, the head of the family left an academic career and acquired a pharmacy.
A modest income was enough to educate two sons. When the age approached, Ernst was sent to a closed school for boys. As an active and inquisitive child, Junger learned to read early. In high school he became interested in history and geography. When he turned fifteen, he left school and fled to Africa, where he wanted to enter the French foreign legion. Father took great pains, using diplomatic channels, to return the naughty offspring home. However, the adventure does not end there.
Ernst joined the youth organization "Vanderfogel", where he also involved his younger brother. The participants of the movement, dissatisfied with the existing order in the country, expressed their protest by walking on German cities and towns. To stop events of this kind, the parents suggested that the young man complete school education, after which they would let him go on an expedition to Kilimanjaro. But by this moment the First World War began. Outlined plans and projects had to be postponed. Junger dropped everything and signed up as a volunteer to be sent to the front.
On the warpath
From the first days of being in the ranks of the army, Junger practiced behavioral skills in clashes with the enemy. He is trained in shooting, bayonet combat, throwing grenades. After a short period of time, the savvy soldier was seconded to command courses. Here he mastered the basics of melee tactics. Ernst returned to the combat zone as platoon commander. The combat biography of an officer was literally written in blood. Throughout the war, he received a dozen injuries. Junger is twice wounded in the head. His chest is shot through and several phalanges of his fingers are torn off on his left hand.
According to insightful experts, Junger at the mental level accepted and understood this war. After each, even a severe wound, he was recovering very quickly, which surprised the medical staff of the hospitals. He was recovering and returning to the front. The officer received his first Iron Cross award for a successful offensive operation. As a result of a timely and bold maneuver, the company, consisting of eighty bayonets under the command of Lieutenant Junger, captured more than two hundred English soldiers.
At the final stage of the war, a talented officer committed another heroic act. At a critical moment, having received a penetrating wound to his chest, Junger made the only right decision and pulled his company out of the environment. For this episode he was awarded the Order of the Blue Max. Impressions from the events experienced were deposited in memory and haunted. In the trenches of the western front, Ernst begins to write his first book, entitled "In Steel Thunderstorms." In 1920, the author published it at his own expense.
Politics and Literature
After the war ended, in which Germany suffered a crushing defeat, Junger remained in the ranks of the armed forces. From his pen come new instructions and teaching materials on the rules for training infantry units. In the same period, he writes a book of his thoughts, “Fighting as an Inner Experience”. The twenties were the most difficult for the country. The writer is experiencing material difficulties and a crisis of spirit, which grips the whole nation. Junger's creativity is favorably perceived among both workers and representatives of the bourgeois class.
When the Second World War began, the famous writer was again called up under military banners. This time, Captain Junger does not serve in the infantry, but censored letters. He spent almost the entire period of service in Paris. Here, in 1942, the novel Gardens and Streets was released, in which the author reflected on the fate of the defeated capitals. The book was immediately translated into French. Local residents began to respect the writer with great respect. After the war ended, the Americans imposed a ban on publishing Ernest Junger's books for four years.
