All Quiet on the Western Front

[Cybermat47]

I'm reading the novel at the moment, and it is superb!

What those men went through... really made me realise how lucky I am.

[Oberon]

Likewise. Although I have yet to read the book, I have seen the film (admittedly the 1970 remake) but I have read enough accounts of WWI, seen enough footage, to know the hell that it was. I lost one relation (that I know of) in the trenches in 1918, but another survived and went on to fight in WWII as well. I cannot begin for a second to even contemplate what that man must have gone through.

I don't know if you listen to much music, but there's a couple of songs that always make me contemplate, one is by Iron Maiden and the others are by Sabaton. You might find the third one rather poignant considering your nationality:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7av6mgdeCkY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbw1pGUhG7Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEY6LcZFtXc

[Cybermat47]

^^^^

Listening to the first one now. Pretty good music :up:

[GT182]

Maybe this isn't quite the same but it's one I can never get out of my head.....

"Burning Bridges" by the Mike Curb Congregation from the movie "Kelly's Heroes".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCjWQHpu3bY

[Schroeder]

A huge meat grinder and as pointless as it gets....:/\\!!

[Cybermat47]

A huge meat grinder and as pointless as it gets....:/\\!!

Amen. Most of the poor men out there had probably forgotten what they were fighting about in the first place.

Although, at the end of the war, countries like Poland gained their independence.

On the other hand, the Treaty of Versailles led to WWII...

[fireftr18]

Amen. Most of the poor men out there had probably forgotten what they were fighting about in the first place.

Although, at the end of the war, countries like Poland gained their independence.

On the other hand, the Treaty of Versailles led to WWII...

And the weakened Russian military gave the Bolshevicks their opportunity.

[Skybird]

Some are tempted to see it as complementary, but I just say it is different and marks quite an impact in the reader: Ernst Jünger: Storm of Steel. LINK (http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Steel-Penguin-Classics-Jünger/dp/0142437905/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1360020935&sr=8-3&keywords=ernst+j%C3%BCnger)

In Germany, the author is seen as extremely polarizing, and many totally misunderstand him as being a warmonger and a defender of war glorifying the pathos and the heroic ideal of soldiers. That is absurd, if you take the time to learn a bit about his family background and maybe read a biography and understand what a noble, deeply humanistic and intelligent and educated man he must have been. The French are more clever regarding him: instead of demonising him like many Germans do, they have founded an institute that focusses on the research and examination on the man and his literature work, holding his writings in very high esteem, it seems to me.

Another major work by Jünger which he finished just before WWII broke out, is On the Marble Cliffs, in which he forsaw the horror that the Nazis were about to bring about Europe and that destroyed the continent.