History Essay Exam World War 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

History Exam World War 1 - Essay Example Unlike previous wars, where men would just lie dead in one piece at the side of the road, there were literally pieces of human bodies scattered and blown about. Houses were smashed to pieces from miles off, since the weapons could cover a wide range of territory when fired. This was only the beginning of the gruesome wars that were to follow. One particular warrior, Ernst Junger, fought hard in the face of opposition, as he was determined to come out victorious no matter what lay ahead of him. Junger was a man who possessed the strong characteristics of a leader. Nothing stood in his way when it came to what was to be faced in the battlefields. Even when he was badly wounded, he never gave up hope. He had a strong spirit and always remained positive. When people were dying around him, and when he was facing circumstances that were beyond what any normal human being could bare, fear never got the better of him. As a matter of fact, he despised cowardly behavior, as he had some of his men shot who displayed the characteristics of being a coward. In his eyes, it was a sin to be a coward. One must be strong, face the enemy squarely in the face, and push forward (Ernst Junger, Storm of steel). The role that death had on his accounts of being at war was that he could not think about dying. Though he knew that dying was a major prospect, since many men never came back alive, he had to give it his best shot. So, he commenced into leading his people into the battlefields, possessing a spirit of steel that none of his enemies could penetrate (Junger). Junger was committed to his duties because he felt that he owed it to his race into his fatherland. He felt that he needed to defend his roots. He considered himself to be of the Arian people, a people that were superior to all others. He had a job to do in that he had to go out on the battlefield, defend his people and fight like a man. Every duty that was assigned to him, he took seriously and put his whole heart and soul into his military service. The fact that he was so diligent in his work eventually enabled him to rise to the status of being an officer of high prestige (Junger). Junger was a ferocious fighter as well as a good leader. The characteristics of leadership came natural to him, as he led his people with great ease through the battlefields and into the trenches to fight against the enemy (Junger). Junger maintained his same attitude towards war through the entire text. Never did he waver in the least bit. Despite being wounded numerous times, he was never deterred from his mission to overtake the enemy (Junger). In Junger's book, the Storm of Steel, there were numerous descriptions of what life was like in the battle trenches. There was one particular experience that would give the reader a great idea of what took place. In one particular account, Junger and his company were to be led into the heart of the battle. He knew that the worse was to come: yet, he had to trudge on. Late in the evening, Junger and his crew marched from Le Mesnil until they ended up in Sailly-Saillysel; where they were to fight one of the most gruesome battles. Junger described this event in intricate detail. He was so thorough about the description of the account that the one reading his diary could almost imagine themselves being right there in the battlefield. The reader could almost feel himself right there in the midst of the fighting, holding a gun in hand and being on the lookout