The Beginning of the Battle of the Somme

In April 1916 Jünger is sent for further training at a town called Croisilles. He relates an anecdote about his friendship with a young French girl, whom he dubs “Joan of Arc” and who calls him “Gibraltar.” In June, it becomes evident that a major battle is about to take place, given that the British are carrying out a large-scale movement of their forces against the German front. This, Jünger indicates, is the start of a new phase of the war, differing from the first nearly two years in which an older style of fighting predominated. It will now be what he calls a huge conflict of materiel, which itself will give way in the final phase to “mechanized warfare.”

Jünger is sent on a patrol to “eavesdrop” on the British movements, along with his comrades Wohlgemut, Schmidt, and Parthenfelder. The men narrowly escape being detected by the British. The following night they similarly “prowl” in the vicinity of the British line with the intention of taking a prisoner, but the men become disoriented and narrowly escape being captured themselves. They get back to their trenches, which now begin to be subjected to constant mortar fire. The Germans reply with their own “hundred-weight” bombs, which silence the British shelling temporarily. When the firing resumes, the Germans are being attacked with what Jünger refers to as “cylindrical bombs,” a new type of weapon. Jünger’s trench and dugouts are heavily damaged. The bombardments seem to worsen each successive night, though for the moment the casualties in Jünger’s unit are minimal. They then march back to Monchy to be relieved by reserves. Machine gun and shrapnel fire continue, followed by a gas attack.

Often the gas attack is depicted as the most dreaded and deadly aspect of the war. But although Jünger himself is enveloped in a cloud of gas, he and others in his company escape without serious injury. The level of bombardment worsens and numerous types of bombs are leveled against the German line, some of which are new weapons with a different kind of explosive effect from what the men have seen before. Many of the troops are suffering the more serious effects of the chlorine gas and are groaning and retching with their eyes watering. Jünger indicates that a slow death is often the result, as the gas has a gradual, corrosive effect on the lungs. Jünger’s platoon takes cover in a quarry, from which they can see the huge clouds of gas lit up by flares. 

In the morning the devastating results of the gas clouds are seen on plant and animal life in Monchy. The following night phosgene gas is used by the British, in contrast to the chlorine with which they had attacked up to this point. A lieutenant named Brecht gives Jünger an account of the appearance of British raiding parties taking prisoners. Brecht himself has captured a British soldier and brought him to German headquarters in the western sector of Monchy. A huge number of wounded are brought to the dressing-station there. Yet Jünger sees his own side as having “won” this engagement. The gas attack has not had the devastating result the British intended, though German losses have been considerable.

On the first of July, Jünger’s unit retires to the village of Douchy for a few days and bury their dead. Two days later, they are back at the front lines. The British resume their attacks, with planes strafing the German positions. There is a continuation of these brief “expeditions” by Jünger’s men, which he describes in minute detail. The Germans build new trenches across the center of the village of Monchy as they take more casualties every day. On August twelfth, Jünger gets a home furlough, but he then almost immediately receives a telegram that he is to return to the front.