Zero Hour

by Georg Grabenhorst, Casey Clabough (Afterword), Robert Cowley (Introduction)

An autobiographical novel of World War I experiences in the German ranks, Georg Grabenhorst's Zero Hour equates duty with camaraderie and thereby finds a greater balance between bitterness and hawkishness than much of war fiction. The war is experienced here through the keen eyes of Hans Volkenborn, a well-bred officer-candidate whose youthful enthusiasm turns to angst and disillusion. The sole comfort of his experience is the fellowship he enjoys with comrades, but even that abates over time. Grabenhorst recalls specifics of battlefield actions on the western front with a visceral language that still resonates today. Of particular historical importance are accounts of combat in the Ypres campaign in 1917 and the futile clashes in the woods of Aveluy in northern France the following summer as German hopes for victory faded. But the novel's greatest success lies with Grabenhorst's vivid description of shell shock, in this case the result of being briefly buried alive by a mortar round. The condition ultimately engulfs Volkenborn's ailing psyche and leaves him tormented, isolated, and blinded at the war's end.

311 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1928

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is difficult to write a review of this book on its own terms because it is overshadowed by the two giants of World War I German literature: All Quiet on the Western Front and Storm of Steel. Zero Hour's unique outlook is somewhere between Remarque's despair and Junger's intoxication. The author, Grabenhorst, does an excellent job illustrating the effects of combat on his teenage protagonist Hans Volkenborn. As the introduction mentions, this is perhaps the first piece of war literature to deal seriously with PTSD or "shell shock" as it was known back then. Volkenborn's mental degeneration is agonizing, but unlike Paul Baumer in All Quiet, he resists the currents of demoralization which surround him. In this way he mirrors Junger's patriotism and dedication to military virtues, but in the end he faces the consequences of the war with less stoicism and more doubt. The theme of disillusionment is explored primarily through secondary characters. Volkenborn's comrades, Lt. Von Kless and Pongs, both confront him with their views on the futility of the war and, in the latter's case, the non-existence of God. One of the more intriguing passages of the book describes Von Kless: "He had the gift, or the curse, of seeing things from both sides, and the result was mental torture that gave him no rest and made conviction impossible. He had reached that stage where there was neither light nor dark, only half lights." There are also some interesting romantic sub-plots - one with Volkenborn's hometown sweetheart and another with an older war widow. These flesh out the parts of the book which take place on the home front.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a very good book detailing the experiences of a young German soldier during the last 18 months or so of the Great War. I thought the most poignant aspect of the book was the main character's dealing with the trauma he experienced from the war and how this manifested itself--in both physical and psychological terms.
There is some action in the book, but many of the important episodes occur behind the lines, and not in them.
The characters seem more developed than in Remarque's "All's Quiet..." but I think that is a stylistic difference, and not that Grabenhorst is the better writer. We're seeing and feeling things from inside Volkenborn (the primary character) as opposed to from the outside in Remarque.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a personal narrative of the Great War from the German perspective.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I also liked this one better than All Quiet. It also seems more mature, mostly because the main character, Volkenborn, is just as confused and unsure about the world and his feelings as any real teenager would be. He is, for the entire book, under twenty years old; his reactions, I think, are more realistic than Baumer's. The world he lives in is a more realized one.
And excellent story. Also, a quicker read than you'd think. For some reason, the text in this edition takes up maybe only two-thirds of each page. It's quite unusual.