German Forces

Ernst Junger - the Fuhrer was a fan ...

WW2 'photo of Ernst Junger, WW1 hero, and writer admired by Hitler - notwithstanding which fact, he was banned from publishing by the Nazis in 1938. This 'photo was taken during WW2, in which he served as a Heer captain, mainly in a non-combattant role, in Paris. In this 'photo, he is wearing his WW1 "Blue Max", as well as a WW1 EKII ribbon with 1939 clasp. Junger was an intensely conservative writer. In contrast to the Erich Maria Remarque ("All Quiet on the Western Front") school of WW1 writing, Junger's war memoirs (notably "Blood and Steel", "Storm of Steel") emphasised the elevating, glorifying effects of the struggle and suffering of the soldier. This appeared (from his markings and annotations to his copies of these works) to appeal to Hitler particularly; although it is less clear that he appreciated the acknowledgement in Junger's works of the sheer physical horror of war, or of the materialistic equation that would determine its outcome. Hitler was reading Junger at the time at which he was writing a war memoir of his own (1926/'27). This work was never completed - it appears that the opening out of the scope for Hitler's direct political activity resulted in this work being left on the shelf, and any manuscript that was created has been lost. For so many reasons, a pity. Best regards, JR.