" Thirty thousand." " From the Russians?" "No, from the French." "From the Russians we capture more than that every day." "Mr. Postman." "War is war and schnapps is schnapps, and business must go on." "You didn't leave the mail yet this morning." "Ah, I'm sorry, Mr. Meyer." "Hello, Himmelstoss." "Anything for us today?" " No, no, Master Peter." " Oh, there must be something." "Here, here you go, young lad." "There." "This is the last mail I deliver anyhow." " What?" " Tomorrow I change uniforms." " You're going in the army?" " Yes, I was called." "I'm a sergeant in the reserves, you know." "I'll be called myself, if it doesn't end in a few months." " It will, though." " I'm sure you're right, Mr. Meyer." "...defending our country, our fatherland." "Now, my beloved class, this is what we must do:" "Strike with all our power." "Give every ounce of strength... to win victory before the end of the year." "It is with reluctance that I bring this subject up again." "You are the life of the fatherland, you boys." "You are the iron men of Germany." "You are the gay heroes who will repulse the enemy... when you are called upon to do so." "It is not for me to suggest that any of you... should stand up and offer to defend his country." "But I wonder if such a thing is going through your heads." "I know that in one of the schools, the boys have risen up in the classroom... and enlisted in a mass." "But, of course, if such a thing should happen here, you would not blame me for a feeling of pride." "Perhaps some will say... that you should not be allowed to go yet, that you are too young, that you have homes, mothers, fathers, that you should not be torn away." "Are your fathers so forgetful of their fatherland... that they would let it perish rather than you?" "Are your mothers so weak that they cannot send a son... to defend the land which gave them birth?" "And after all, is a little experience... such a bad thing for a boy?" "Is the honor of wearing a uniform... something from which we should run?" "And if our young ladies glory in those who wear it, is that anything to be ashamed of?" "I know you have never desired the adulation of heroes." "That has not been part of my teaching." "We have sought to make ourselves worthy, and let a claim come when it would." "But to be foremost in battle... is a virtue not to be despised." "I believe it will be a quick war, that there will be few losses." "But if losses there must be, then let us remember the Latin phrase... which must have come to the lips of many a Roman... when he stood embattled in a foreign land:" ""Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. "" ""Sweet and fitting it is to die for the fatherland. "" "Some of you may have ambitions." "I know of one young man who has great promise as a writer, and he has written the first act of a tragedy... which would be a credit to one of the masters." "And he is dreaming, I suppose, of following in the footsteps of Goethe and Schiller, and I hope he will." "But now our country calls." "The fatherland needs leaders." "Personal ambition must be thrown aside... in the one great sacrifice for our country." "Here is a glorious beginning to your lives." "The field of honor calls you." "Why are we here?" "You, Kropp, what has kept you back?" "You, Mueller, you know how much you are needed?" "Ah, I see you look at your leader." "And I, too, look to you, Paul Baumer, and I wonder what you are going to do." " I'll go." " I want to go." " Me too." " I'm ready." " I'm not gonna stay home!" "Follow me!" "Enlist now!" " No more classes!" " No more classes!" " Don't be a quitter!" " Come on, Behn!" "Stick together." "That's what we've got to do." " Let's all stick together." " Come on, Behn." "All right." "All right." " I'll go." " That's the way!" "Let's go!" "Hey!" "Let's sing!" "Come on!" " Keep in line there, soldiers." " Anything you say, General." "Detail, halt!" "Left face!" "Get into uniform, ready to report." "Fall out!" "I betcha a place like this gets you in good condition." "You have to be for the long marches." "I'm gonna get in the cavalry and ride." "No cavalry for me." "Infantry's where you see the fighting." "Where are all the guns?" "That's what I want to know." "Oh, you don't get a gun for a long while yet." "If I'm gonna bump off the enemy, I gotta have some practice." "Ow!" "Bayonet drill." "That's what I want." "Ah!" "You won a medal that time, Mueller." "You wait." "In about a month I'll be covered with 'em." "Say, keep your boots out of my face!" "Why, it's an honor to have those boots in your face." "They're the best pair in the army!" "My uncle gave 'em to me." "Just look at that special imported leather." "Put 'em anyplace you like, except in my face." "Not even a kitchen maid'll look at me in this!" "Attention!" "Well, for the love of" " It's Himmelstoss!" " So it is." " And all dressed up." "Hello, Himmie." "You didn't think you'd see me again so soon, did you?" " You see my rank?" " Sure." "Fall back, then!" " Himmelstoss, we certainly are glad to see you." " What did you say?" " I was going to say" " Never mind!" " What's the matter with you?" " When you address your superior officer, say "sir"!" " Where'd he get such a nice uniform?" " Any mail for us, Himmie?" " Quiet!" " My dear fellow, you're shouting." "Ah, come on, Himmelstoss." "We know ya." "Take off the false whiskers." " I believe you mean it!" " You'll find out that I mean it." " But only three days ago you were our postman." " Silence!" "Come back here!" "Line up!" "Line up!" "Get in some kind of a line!" "All of you!" "Line up, I say!" "Hmm." "What a pretty sight that is!" "Have you never heard of standing in line?" "You make a fine mess of it." "Well, I'll have to teach you." "We'll spend the whole day on it, huh?" "You may be stupid, but I'm used to that." "And then there'll be plenty of other things too." "Oh, I'll not neglect you." "Hmm." "You're not much to begin with, but I'll do my best." "I see that we have come here with a slight misunderstanding, and we'll correct that, too, won't we, huh?" "And the first thing to do is to forget everything you ever knew." "Everything you ever learned, forget!" "See?" "Forget what you've been and what you think you're going to be." "You're going to be soldiers, and that's all!" "I'll take the mother's milk out of you!" "I'll make you hard-boiled!" "I'll make soldiers out of you or kill you!" "Now... salute!" "A- ten-hut!" "Detachment..." "lie down!" "Down!" "Head down!" "Keep your head down, Baumer!" "Detachment... get up!" "Now sing!" "Do you call that singing?" "Detachment, halt!" "So... we have no spirit, huh?" "We are in no mood for recreation." "Work is what we want." "Good!" "Then we'll go back to work!" "Detachment, lie down!" "Keep your head down!" "Now sing!" "Men... halt!" "Order, arms!" "Inspection at 3:00." "Dismissed!" "Oh, that swine!" "That means we get no time off." "It will take four hours to get ready for inspection." " I'd like to know what's in his mind." " He hasn't got any!" "I'm gonna cut him open sometime and find out!" "He's too thick-skinned." "He won't cut." "This is the fourth time he's made me disappoint that poor girl." "Arms!" "Order, arms!" "Left shoulder, arms!" "Squad right." "To the right, march!" "Left, left, left, left." "Follow right, march!" "Squad, left march!" "Forward... march!" "Detachment... halt!" "Present arms!" "Himmelstoss." "Excellent work." "They're going up front tomorrow." " I recommend leave till midnight." " Very good, sir." "Left, left, left." "Detachment..." "lie down!" "Crawl forward!" "He spoiled our leave." "I'll never forgive him for that." " The rat!" " Leave till midnight." "Hmm!" "It'll take till midnight to dry our clothes." "There goes the filthy ape now." "While we slave over this mud, he goes off to have a few drinks!" "Someday I'm going to take one smack at him - just one." "Me too." "That's gonna be my life's work from now on." "Why only one?" "I'm gonna take several." "I might even kick him while he's down." "I feel mean." "What are you doing?" "You're not going to desert, are you?" "What?" "Listen." "I've got an idea." "Crawl forward!" "Lie down!" "Lie down!" "Crawl forward!" "Oh!" "What?" "Ow!" "Ow!" " Cover!" " Paul, you all right?" "Behn!" "Behn!" "Behn!" "Come on!" "Behn, come on!" "You fool!" "Behn!" "Get up!" "Come on." " Sounds like more replacements coming in." "Yeah." "Tjaden must have gone home for that wood." "There's some more, fresh from the turnip patch." "I suppose this is where we bunk." "That's me, "I. Westhus,"" "and this is where I live." " I didn't know!" " Well, you know now!" "Yes." "Yes, of course." " It's all right." " Here's a bunk, Paul." " When did we eat last?" " Don't remind me." " I was fine until you spoke." " Where are we anyway?" "I don't know." "The name on the railroad station's been shot off." "There must be something to eat somewhere." "I'll tell you what I'll do." "I'll ask those fellas." "Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Westhus." "Oh." "Meet Detering." "A better farmer never lived." " And Mr. Tjaden." " Sit down." "You see, we haven't eaten since breakfast." "We thought maybe you could tell us what we ought to do about it." "Eat without further delay." "Well, what's funny about that?" "This is a bad town to bring an appetite to, soldier." "We've been here since yesterday morning, living on baled hay and razor blades." "We're willing to buy our food." "Where's the canteen?" "The only canteen in these regions is out looking for supplies." " Ever hear of Katczinsky?" " Who?" "Katczinsky." "He's uncanny." "If there's any food within 25 miles, he'll be the one to get it." " Hey!" "Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Hup!" " Hup!" " Whoa, whoa, whoa." "Attention!" " What is this?" " Volunteers for the future generals' staff." "Sometime I'm gonna take one of you volunteers apart... and find out what makes you leave school and join the army." "At ease." "This is no parade ground." " Hungry?" " Yes." "Wait!" "Wait a minute!" "That's no invitation." "Can you pay?" "I have some money." "No, not money." "That's just pieces of paper." "Have you got any cigarettes, cigars," " or soap, cognac" " Yeah, yeah." " Chewing tobacco?" " Yeah, yeah." "Are you crazy?" "There ain't enough here for us." "I wish you three would get bumped off." "I'm tired of feeding ya for nothing." " Bring everything you got." " I'm so hungry" " I'd be glad to give you" " Come on!" " Is this enough, sir?" " Kat!" " Hmm?" " You've got the wiring detail tonight." " Where?" " Past the graveyard." " With this bunch?" "It's quiet tonight." "You can teach 'em a couple of things." "Thanks." "I'd rather do it alone." " These babes get killed off too fast." " Well, the lorry's waiting." "Last night I was too hungry to sleep, and tonight, when I get the wrinkles out of my gut, they think up wiring duty." "Well, here's your chance, heroes." "For the fatherland!" "Come on, get your stuff and let's get out of here." " Is that any way to drive?" " Let him drive any way he wants." "Suppose he breaks your arm." "You get sent home, don't you?" "A lot better than havin' a hole in your guts." "If there's any of you left, I'll pick you up in the morning." "Well, if that ride you gave us didn't kill us, nothing will." " And be on time." "I don't want to miss my breakfast." " Huh?" " You better wait for your army, Papa." "Here, here." "Don't be so backward." "Listen, children." "All we got to do is to string a little wire." "We pick it up at the dump and carry it to where we need it." "Now, you're gonna see some shell fire, and you're gonna be scared, see?" "It's all right, boy." "Get up." "Here." "Never mind." "It's happened to better men than you, and it's happened to me." "When we come back, I'll get you all some nice clean underwear." "That kind of shell you don't have to pay much attention to." "Those big fellas just make a lot of noise and land about five miles behind the line." "The things we've got to watch out for are the light ones." "They don't give you much warning." "They go "waa-aa-aah zing. "" "And when you hear that, down!" "Mother Earth." "Press yourselves down upon her." "Bury yourselves deep into her." "Just keep your eyes on me." "When you see me flop, you flop, only try to beat me to it." "Shh-shh." "Now listen." "I'll show you how it's done." "Give me a couple of those." "That's to kill the noise." "Tjaden." "See that?" " What's that mean?" " Bombardment." "My eyes!" "I'm blind!" "I can't see!" "God!" " My eyes!" "I can't see!" " I can't see!" " It's Behn!" "It's Behn!" " I'll go get him" " You'll get killed!" " Let me" " Lay down and stay there!" "He's dead." " He's dead!" " Why did you risk your life bringing' him in?" "But it's Behn!" " My friend." " He's a corpse, no matter who it is." "Now, don't any of you ever do that again." "Put him over there." " Mind the wire." " Mind the wire." " Mind the wire." " Mind the wire." " Mind the wire." " Mind the wire." "All right, come on." "All right, come on." "Get your packs and fall in." "Hurry up!" "Come on." "Hurry up." "Make it snappy." "Get your packs and fall in." "Kat, what are we doing?" "What's happening?" "You heard him." "Orders to march." " But where to, for the love of " " Another party." "And this one is gonna last a long time." "Come on." "Here we go." "Company, attention!" "Shoulder arms!" "March right, march!" " Take your hands off that!" " Queen takes it!" " Well, if you think that's a queen, look again." "Ah, it's a jack." " Yeah." " Honest, these cards all look alike." "It's too noisy!" "I can't play." " I suppose your delicate nerves can't stand it." " Get up!" "That's Oscar." "The son of a" "Look at that!" "Don't be so snooty." "You may wish you had this back." "About two more days of this... and this rat-bitten end of a piece of bread's gonna taste like a hunk of fruitcake." "It wouldn't" " It wouldn't last two more days, would it?" "Didn't I tell you this was gonna be a bad one?" "I don't mind the days so much." "It's keeping up all night" "Ah, two more days makes a week, kid." "Then you can say you've been under fire!" "You're not scared, are you?" "No." "I was just asking." "That's all." " Wanna play some more?" " Do you?" " Sure." " All right." "My deal." "You better get your boot back before Oscar eats that!" " The kid's all right." "Behn!" "Behn." "Yeah, yeah." "Let him sleep." "He's dreamin'." "Oh, God." "Can't you see it's Behn?" "He didn't want to come to war!" "No, no." "It isn't Behn." "It isn't Behn!" "It's Kemmerick!" "It's me!" "Shut up, will you?" "It's bad enough in here as it is." "Every" "Everything's all right, Franz." "You're dreaming." "You're just dreaming, I guess." " Attention!" " At ease." "The barrage is gettin' worse." "The men in two more dugouts gone." "However, we'll do our best to get some food up here by evening." "Stop!" "Stop!" "Let me out!" " What did you do that for?" " Shut up!" "Grab him." " No." " Now hold him." "You all right now?" "I think so." "I couldn't hold out much longer." " Oh, God, it's Franz!" " Get him over there!" "No, he's been hit in the stomach." "He can't have anything to drink." "Get a stretcher." "Where'd they get you, Kemmerick?" "Oh." " Here it is, sir." " Take his head." "All right." "Take him out." " Is it serious, sir?" " I'm not sure." " Tell the others he's all right." " Yes, sir." "If we're going to fight, why don't we fight?" "Why don't we go over?" "You could go crazy staying here." "Let's do something!" " Let's go after 'em!" " Sit down!" "If that cook of ours had any guts, he'd try to bring something through." "He's so far behind the lines he can't hear the shooting!" " Here's Kat." "Get anything?" " Any luck?" " We'll have to split this up among us." " Something to eat!" "We need butter too." "Yes." "And dessert." "And a feather bed to sleep on." " Rats!" " Rats!" "Get out of the way!" "What's that?" " Come on!" "Grab your rifles!" "Come on!" " Here they come." " Get your grenades here." "Hurry up." "Come on, hurry up." "Let's go!" "Let's go!" "Back to your own lines!" " Fill it up." " And hurry up." "I've got other things to do." "I've been waiting for this for three weeks." "When they all get here." "What do you want?" "Beans, you homely-lookin' son of a frog's leg." " What do you think I want?" " We're hungry." "Shut up!" "I'll feed you when you're all here." " We're all here now." " Only half the company's here." "Get the rest." " Wake 'em up." "I wish I could wake 'em up." "There's 80 of us left." "The rest is in dressing stations or pushing' up daisies." "Eighty?" "And I cooked for 150!" "All right." "We'll have enough for once." "Come on." "Dish out!" "You mean you've cooked beans for 150... and you've got bread for 150... and sausage for 150, and tobacco for 150?" "Everything!" "It's all wrong." "I should have been notified." "What a feast!" " Everyone gets two issues." " Get back in line!" "Get back in line!" " Oh, no!" "That won't do." "I can't give 80 men what's meant for 150." "Listen." "You drew rations for the 2nd Company, didn't ya?" "Yeah." "All right." "We're the 2nd Company." " I've got my orders." " Kat's right." " We're the 2nd Company." "And if only half of us get back, that's our good luck." " Come on." "Dish it out." " Come on!" " No!" " Hey!" "You're the yellowest baboon that ever drew a cook wagon, and you're scared - it shows." "All we want to hear out of you is one more little yip, and we'll cut ya up and eat ya raw." "Why, you keep your kitchen so far back of the lines, we never get anything to eat until it's cold and we're asleep!" "Now, you low-down rat, get out..." " or we wreck the joint!" " Come on!" "Give us" " Attention!" "At ease." "What's goin' on here?" "He's cooked for 150, sir, and he only wants to give us half." " Looks pretty good." " Yes, sir." " Serve the whole issue." "The men can use it." " Yes, sir." " And bring me a plate too." " Yes, sir." "All right." "Take it all." "Take everything." "Give 'em honey." "Give 'em what they want." " Fill it up!" " Fill it up!" " Don't mind me." " Oh, that's all right." "Don't mention it." "You know..." "I could do with some more beans." "Go help yourself." "There's more over there." " It's too far." " I wonder, when are we going back to the front?" " Tomorrow." "It's enough to take away a man's appetite." "You know, if they're gonna march us in again tomorrow, we ought to go see how Kemmerick is." " That's a good idea." " Let's do that." " How far is the dressing station?" " About two miles." " We could take his things to him." " Good." "It seemed rotten to think of a thing like that happening to him, a nice fellow like Kemmerick." "Ah, the French certainly deserve to be punished for starting this war." "Everybody says it's somebody else." "Well, how do they start a war?" "Well, one country offends another." "How could one country offend another?" "You mean there's a mountain over in Germany gets mad at a field over in France?" " Well, stupid, one people offends another." "Oh, if that's it, I shouldn't be here at all." "I don't feel offended." "It don't apply to tramps like you." "Good." "Then I can be going home right away." " Ah, you just try it." " Yeah." "You wanna get shot?" " The Kaiser and me " "Me and the Kaiser felt just alike about this war." "We didn't either of us want any war, so I'm going home." " He's there already." " Somebody must have wanted it." "Maybe it was the English." "No, I don't want to shoot any Englishmen." "I never saw one till I came up here." "And I suppose most of them never saw a German till they came up here." " No, I'm sure they weren't asked about it." " No." "Well... it must be doing somebody some good." " Not me and the Kaiser." " I think maybe the Kaiser wanted a war." "You leave us out of this!" "I don't see that." "The Kaiser's got everything he needs." "Well, he never had a war before." "Every full-grown emperor needs one war to make him famous." " Why, that's history." " Yeah, generals too." "They need war." " And manufacturers." "They get rich." "I think it's more a kind of fever." "Nobody wants it in particular, and then all at once, there it is." "We didn't want it." "The English didn't want it." "And here we are fighting." "I'll tell you how it should all be done." "Whenever there's a big war comin' on," " you should rope off a big field" " And sell tickets." "Yeah." "And" "And on the big day, you should take all the kings and their cabinets and their generals, put them in the center dressed in their underpants, and let 'em fight it out with clubs." "The best country wins." "Well, now that Kat's settled everything, let's go see Kemmerick." " Something interesting might happen on the way." " Might cheer him up." "Boys, me and the Kaiser want you back in time to march tomorrow." "Don't forget." " We'll be back." " Give the boy my regards." "There he is." " Hello, Kemmerick." " How's it going?" "How are things going?" "Are they looking after you all right?" "How are they treating you?" "Franz?" "They're robbers here." "Robbers." "They stole my watch!" "I always told you, nobody should carry as good a watch as that." " They took it while I was under ether!" " Franz, you'll get it back." "Do you feel all right?" " Just look at my hand." " That's because you lost so much blood." " Just eat decently and you'll get well again." " Oh, no." "You must eat." "That's the main thing." "It looks good too." "I have such a terrible pain in my foot." "Every toe on my right foot hurts." "Well, how can your foot hurt when your leg's been" "I know what you mean!" "I know!" "I know now!" "They cut my leg off." "Why didn't they tell me?" "Why" " Why didn't they tell me?" " Franz!" "Franz!" " Now I can't walk anymore!" "You must be thankful that you've come off with only that." "I wanted to be a forester once." "You can yet." "They make artificial legs that are wonderful." "And you're through too." "You can go home." "Think of that." "We brought your things for you." "See?" "Put 'em under the bed." "That's a marvelous pair of boots." "Look at that leather!" "What comfort." "I was just thinking." "If you're not going to be using these, Franz, why don't you leave 'em with us?" "What good are they to you?" "I can use 'em." "My boots give me blister after blister" "Well, we'll be going, Franz." "Oh, don't go." "Stay just a little while longer." " I'll come right back." " We'll be coming soon again, Franz." " I know you'll be feeling better." " Bye." " Bye. - Good-bye, Franz." "You think he'll last till after mess?" " I don't think" " Done for." "Boys, you go along." "I'll see you later." "Good-bye." "All right, Paul." "I'm sorry, Paul." "I wouldn't touch a thing of his if he could use it." "I'd go barefoot over barbed wire for him if it'd do him any good." "Only" " Only why should some orderly get those boots?" "I understand, Mueller." "We're all alike out here." "And good boots are scarce." "Tell the doctor to come, please." "Doctor, the man in the next bed would like to see you, sir." "I've done everything I can for him." "There's no helping him." "Poor little fella." "He says next time, Franz." "Do you think I'll ever get well?" "Why, of course." " Do you really think so?" " Sure, once you get over the operation." "I don't think so." "Franz!" "Don't talk nonsense." "Why, you'll be as good as new." "They fix up worse things than that." "Perhaps you'll go to the convalescent home... in Klosterberg among the villagers." "Then you can look out of the windows, across the fields... to the two trees on the horizon." "The loveliest time of the year now when the corn ripens." "You can go out without asking anyone." "You can even play piano if you want to." "Oh" " Oh, but, Franz, you must try to sleep now." "O God, this is Franz Kemmerick, only 19 years old." "He doesn't want to die." "Please don't let him die." "Paul." " Paul." " Franz." "Take my boots home for Mueller." "Oh, no, Franz, no." "And if..." "Paul... you find my watch, send it home." "Franz!" "Doctor." "Doctor!" "Doctor!" "Doctor!" "Where's the doctor?" "Why isn't there a doctor here?" " Doctor, come quick." "Franz Kemmerick is dying!" " Which one is that?" " Amputated leg." " I've amputated a dozen legs today." " Bed 26, sir." " You see to it." "I'm due in the operating room." "One operation after another since 5:00 this morning." "Sixteen dead today, and yours is the 17th." "There'll probably be 20 by the morning." "You're lookin' good." "Very good today." "What's your hurry?" "Hey!" "I'll bet he stole those boots!" " I got it, Kat." " Hmm?" "Listen: "The sum of an arithmetic series... is S = A + L x N over 2."" " Interesting, isn't it?" " What do you wanna learn that stuff for?" "One day you'll stop a bullet and it'll all be worthless." " I get a lot of fun out of it." " Aah!" "My boots!" "Mueller." "I saw him die." "I didn't know what it was like to die before." "And then - then I came outside... and it felt- it felt so good to be alive that I started in to walk fast." "I began to think of the strangest things, like being out in the fields." "Things like that." "You know - girls." "And it felt as if there were... something electric running from the ground up through me." "And I started." "I began to run hard." "I passed soldiers and I heard voices calling to me." "I ran and I ran." "I felt as if I couldn't breathe enough air into me." "And" " And now I'm hungry." "I don't mind the war now." "Be a pleasure to go to the front in boots like these." "It's a good invention just the same." "If you crack each separate louse, think of all the energy you use up." "Watch." "Burned to death." " How was patrol?" "Bad?" " Must've been terrible if they had time to gather the harvest." "We passed a cherry tree and when he saw it, he went crazy." "I could hardly drag him away." "It was... beautiful." "I have a big orchard with cherry trees at home." "When they're in full blossom, from the hayloft it looks like one single sheet." "So white." " Perhaps you can get leave soon." " You may even be sent back as a farmer." "A woman can't run a farm alone." "That's no good, you know?" "No matter how hard she works." "Harvest coming on again." "What's the matter with him?" "Got a letter yesterday from his wife." "He wants to get back to his farm." "We'd all like to get back home." "I wonder what we'd do if it were suddenly peacetime again?" "Get drunk and look for women!" "I'd go looking for a Cinderella... that could wear this for a garter." "And when I'd found her, nobody'd see me for two weeks." "I'll go back to the peat fields... and those pleasant hours in the beer gardens." "And there's worse things than cobbling too." "Look." "My family." "I oughta give you a kick in the backside for startin' all this." "It's all right for all you to talk." "You've got something to go back to:" "wives, children, jobs." "But what about us?" "What have we got to go back to?" " School?" " Why not?" "You know everything already." "A man can't take all that rubbish they teach you seriously... after three years of shells and bombs." " You can't peel that off easily." " They never taught us anything really useful, like how to light a cigarette in the wind or make a fire out of wet wood... or bayonet a man in the belly instead of the ribs where it gets jammed." "What can happen to us afterwards?" "I'll tell ya." "Take our class." "Out of 20, three are officers, nine dead," "Mueller and three others wounded... and one in the madhouse." "We'll all be dead someday, so let's forget it." "Hurry up!" "Get in there!" "Hurry up!" "Himmelstoss!" "What's up?" " What are you, crazy?" " It's Himmelstoss!" "Himmelstoss?" "There is justice in the army!" "Well, well." "So, we are all here, huh?" " A bit longer than you, Himmie." " Since when have we become so familiar?" "Stand up and click your heels together!" "All of you!" " Take a running jump at yourself!" " Who's your friend?" "Would somebody get General Ludendorff a nice, comfortable chair?" "I command you as your superior officer!" " Do you want to be court-martialed?" " I do!" "There's going to be a big attack tonight and I'd just love to get out of it." "Will you obey my orders?" "Kiss my butt!" "It isn't customary to ask for salutes here." "But I'll tell you what we'll do." "We're going to attack a town that we tried to take once before." "Many killed and many wounded." "It was great fun." "This time you're going with us." "If any of us stops a bullet, before we die... we're going to come to you, click our heels together and ask stiffly," " "Please, Sergeant Himmelstoss, may we go?"" " You'll" "You'll pay for this, you" "There it is." "Right on time." "Better get ready, boys." "I'm wounded!" "I'm wounded!" "It's just a scratch, you yellow rat!" "Up!" "Get out with the others!" " Up!" " No!" "No!" "No!" "You yellow rat!" "Stinking yellow rat!" "Let the others do it, eh?" "Get up!" "Get up!" " Aa-aah!" " Get up!" "Forward!" " Get out here!" " Command... was forward." "Command was forward!" "Forward!" "Forward!" "Forward!" "Forward!" "Counterattack." "I want to help you." "Stop that!" "Stop it, stop it." "I can bear the rest of it." "I can't listen to that!" "Why do you take so long dying?" "You're going to die anyway!" "Oh, no." "Oh, no." "You won't die." "Oh, no." "You won't die." "They're only little wounds." "You'll get home." "You'll be all right." "You'll get home long before I will." "You know I can't run away." "That's why you accuse me." "I tell you, I didn't want to kill you." "I tried to keep you alive." "If you jumped in here again, I wouldn't do it." "When you jumped in here you were my enemy, and I was afraid of you." "But you're just a man like me, and I killed you." "Forgive me, comrade." "Say that for me." "Say you forgive me." "Oh, no." "You're dead." "You're better off than I am." "You're through." "They can't do any more to you now." "Oh, God, why did they do this to us?" "We only wanted to live, you and I." "Why should they send us out to fight each other?" "If we threw away these rifles and these uniforms, you could be my brother just like Kat and Albert." "You'll have to forgive me, comrade." "I'll do all I can." "I'll write to your parents." "I'll write to" "I'll write to your wife." "I'll write to her." "I promise she'll not want for anything." "I'll help her and your parents too." "Only forgive me." "Forgive me!" "Forgive me." "Forgive me." "Forgive me." "Terrible thing happened yesterday." "I stabbed a man." "With my own hands, stabbed him." "I know how it is." "Your first time." "Never mind." "The stretcher-bearers will find him." " He's dead." "I watched him die." " You couldn't do anything about it." "We have to kill." "We can't help it." "That's what we are here for." "Uh" " Look there, for instance." "Hah!" "That got him." "You should've seen how he leaped in the air." "That fellow had to shoot with us for today with three hits." "If he keeps it up, he'll have a decoration for his buttonhole this evening." "Don't you lose any more sleep over this business." "Maybe it was 'cause I was out there with him so long, huh?" "Sure, that's it." "After all, war is war." "March!" "Forward!" "Forward, march!" "Quick there!" "Forward!" "Company... halt!" "Dismissed!" "Uncommissioned officers, enlisted men, dismiss!" "Hooray!" "Come on!" "Let's get outta here!" " Give me your best sausage." " Two." "Give me a beer." "One, two, three!" "Hey, come on." "A beer." "Hey, get out of here!" "Come on." "Give me a beer." "Oh, ho ho!" "A beer." "One b" "Here's hoping we get falling-down drunk tonight." "Here's how it started." "I'd forgotten there were girls like that." "There aren't." "Just look at those thin, little shoes." "She couldn't march many miles in those." "Paul!" "Don't speak about marching." "You're boring the young lady." "A thousand pardons." " How old do you think she is?" " Oh, about 22." "No, that'd make her older than us." "She's... 17." "A girl like that." "That'd be good, eh, Albert?" "We wouldn't have much of a chance with him around." " We could take a bath, wash our clothes" " All right." "and I might even go so far as to get deloused." "Wait a minute!" "She's a long way from here now." "Look at the date." "May, 1917." " Four months ago." " That's true." "Well, here's to her anyway." "Here's to 'em all, everywhere." "Albert," " we might as well wash up anyway." " All right." "Personally, I like 'em bigger around." "This conversation was on a high moral plane up to now." "Now we do need a bath." " A bath?" " For what?" "Hm." "You wouldn't understand." "This water is freezing." "This romantic business has gone too far." " Ahh, but think of her beautiful eyes!" " Oh!" "Oh, and her hair." " Here we are!" " We're not gonna miss a thing!" " What are you doing here?" " Bathing!" "They tell me there's some people in this world takes a bath every week!" "Women!" "Mademoiselle, you want to swim?" "Mademoiselle!" "Aw, baby!" "Aw, no, girls!" "Don't go away!" "Aw, mama!" " Please don't go!" " Don't go away!" "Whoo-hoo!" "Whoo-hoo!" "Food!" "Food!" "Whoo-hoo!" "Halt!" "You know you're forbidden to cross." "You fellows stay on this side or you'll get yourselves in a lot of trouble." " What are they jabbering' about?" " They want us to swing over tonight." "They're expecting us." " That's fine!" " That blonde's crazy about me." " But there's four of us and only three of them." " I was the one that stopped 'em!" "That blonde piece of work is mine." "You three fight for what's left." "Fight's the word." "All's fair in love and war." "Huh?" "What do you mean?" "What're you gonna do?" "You'll find out." "Au revoir!" "Au revoir!" " C'est moi, blondie!" " Bon ami!" "Bon ami!" "Vos camarades!" "Vos camarades!" "Ooh!" "She means the door." "Not only modest, but dashing!" "A perfect fit." "It might've been made for me." "An officer's coat." "We're calling distinguished company." "Ha ha!" "Ha ha ha!" "Merci." "Have another little drink, comrade." "Is this your birthday or mine?" "Why?" "You've been buying me drink after drink for two hours." "What I'm tryin' to figure out is why." "Why?" "Oh!" "Ha-ha!" "Oh." "I-It's just that the boys... told me to amuse you for a little while." "Oh, nice boys." "Yeah!" "They-They said you'd understand." "Ehh... heh." "Huh?" "I've been betrayed!" "Yeah, you certainly have." "Take that for a minute!" "I'll give you more!" "Ahh." "It's too loud." "Suzanne." "And I wouldn't even know you if I did." "And yet, I'll remember you always." "Toujours." "Oh, if you could only know how different this is from the women we soldiers meet." "You." "That's what I'm talking about." "Vous." "It seems as though all war and terror and grossness... had fallen away from me... like a miracle." "Like something I never believed." "Pauvre garcon." "Pauvre garcon." "Frau Paul." "We're going, Paul." "Have a look." "Nice, new coffins." "Huh!" "For us." "I must say, that's a very cheerful preparation for this offensive." "That's very considerate of them." "But I don't see any long enough for our comrade Tjaden." "Mind you, I'm not speaking to you, you traitors." " But no coffin's gonna get me." " I should say not, heartbreaker." "You'll be thankful if they slip a waterproof sheet..." " around that Aunt Sally of a carcass of yours." "Oh-Oh, my side!" "My side." "Catholic hospital, Albert." "They say you always get good food and good treatment." " We're lucky." " After that rainy dressing station... and 24 hours on the train, we deserve to have some luck." "I'm Hamacher." "Yeah, that's my name." "I got a crack in the head and they gave me a certificate stating," ""Josef Hamacher is periodically... not responsible for his actions. "" "And ever since then, Hamacher has been having a grand time." "I hope you boys are not too badly wounded." "The others die off so quickly we don't have time to get acquainted." "You'll get to know us... very well." "Thank you." "You too." "I'm sorry, my dear." "It's time to go now." "Yes, sister." "Watch." "If they take his clothes away, you've seen the last of him." " See?" "They're taking him to the dying room." " Dying room?" "When you're ready to kick the bucket, they get you out of the way so they can use the bed." "In the corner of the building there's a little room... right next to the morgue!" "It's so convenient." "It saves a lot of trouble." "But suppose he gets well?" "I've seen a lot of 'em go in that dying room, but nobody ever comes back." "Sister." "Sister." "Sister." " Is that you ringing, Paul?" " Yes." " Is something going on?" " I think I have a hemorrhage." "The bandage is all wet." "I've been ringing forever and nobody comes." " I think I'm bleeding." " Sister, get me a sterile dressing and an ice pack." " Why didn't someone call me?" " He's been ringing." "Nobody can walk, Sister." " Sister, is it bad?" " No." "No, we'll be all right." "We've got it in time." "What's the matter?" "What are you doing?" "We must rearrange your bandages." "Wh" " Where are you taking me?" "To the bandaging ward." " No, no!" "I'm not going!" "I'm staying here!" " Paul!" "Paul!" " Now, now!" " I'm not going to the dying room!" " We're going to the bandaging ward." " Why are you taking my clothes?" "You're lying to me!" "But I'll come back." "I won't die!" "I'll come back!" "I won't die!" "I'm not going to die!" "I'll come back!" "Sister Libertine, how is he?" "Poor boy." "They had to amputate his leg." "Paul." "Paul." "Paul." "Oh, he is... gone." "Gone." "Hello." "Welcome home, Albert!" " How do you feel, kid?" " All right." "But I've got such an awful pain." "My foot hur " "Hamacher." "Did they cut my leg off?" "Of course not!" "How many did you have?" "Two?" "You still got 'em!" "One, two!" "Don't play the fool, Hamacher." "Tell me truthfully." "Of course not." "And you look fine." "Look." "See?" " I won't be a cripple." " Now, now." " I won't live like that!" " Be calm." " I'll kill myself the first chance I get!" " Albert!" " I won't live!" "I won't live!" " Yes, you will." "Albert!" "Albert!" "Albert, I've come back!" "I told you I'd come back." "Look, everybody!" "I've come back!" " Paul!" "Paul!" " That's not where I'm going." "I live over there." "Paul, I'm so happy." "Hamacher, I've come back from the dead!" " It's most irregular." "Never happened before." " Albert, get well quickly... so we can go home soon." " Everything will be all right now." " Yes, Paul." "Everything will be all right... now." "Oh!" "Paul!" "Paul!" "Paul." " What's the matter, Paul?" " Nothing." "Nothing." "Paul." "Give me your handkerchief." " Mother?" " Here I am, Paul." "Here I am." "Mother's ill." " Are you wounded?" " No, Mother." "I got leave." "Here I am cryin' instead of being glad." "Anna, get down the jar of blackberries." "You still like them, don't you?" "Yes, Mother." "I haven't had any for a long time." "We might almost have known you were coming." " I'm making potato cakes." " Don't let them burn." "Paul... sit down... beside me." "My Paul." "My baby." "I almost forgot, Mother." "I've got some little presents for you." "Look, Mother." "Bread, sausage and rice." " Paul, you've been starving yourself." " Hmm-mm." "Hadn't I better go and tell Father Paul's home?" " Paul could watch the things on the stove." " No, I'm getting up." "Oh, Paul, you're a soldier now, aren't you?" "But somehow, I don't seem to know you." "I'll take these off, Mother." "I'll get your suit." "It's in the wardrobe, just where you left it." "Are you really here, Paul?" "You won't" "You won't disappear, will you?" "No." "I'm here." "Your things are ready for you, Paul." " I remember when you caught that one." " Yes." "And you took it away from me, didn't you?" "Yes, I did." "We're behind the lines, but we know how to honor the soldier... who goes on in spite of blood and death." "Gentlemen, my son." " Prosit." " Cheers." "I'm glad to know you, young man, I am glad to know you." "How are things out there?" "Terrible, eh?" "Terrible." "But we must carry on." "After all, you do at least get decent food out there." "Naturally, it's worse here." "Naturally." "But the best for our soldiers all the time." "That's our motto." "The best for our soldiers." "But..." " you must give the Frenchies a good licking!" "And, if you boys want to come home, ehh, let me show you what you must do before you can come home." "Give us a hand there, men." "Now, then, there's the line." "Runs so, in a "V"." "Here is St. Quentin." "You can see for yourself." "You're almost through now." "All right?" "Shove ahead out there and don't stick to that everlasting French warfare!" "Smash through the johnnies!" "And then you will have peace." "When you get in it... the war isn't the way it looks back here." "Oh!" "You don't know anything about it." "Of course, you know about the details, but this relates to the whole!" "You can't judge that." "Of course, you do your duty and you risk your life." "But for that, you receive the highest honor." "I said that every man in the war ought to have the Iron Cross." "First, the enemy lines must be broken through in Flanders." " On to Paris!" "Push on to Paris!" " Right." "No, not in Flanders." "I'll tell you just where the break should come." " Here." " The enemy has too many reserves there." " I insist upon Flanders!" " Why should they do that... when they're halfway through St. Quentin already?" "Because Flanders is a flat country!" " No mountains, no obstructions!" " There's too many rivers there!" "From the farms they have gone;" "from the schools, from the factories." "They have gone bravely, nobly, ever forward, realizing there is no other duty now but to save the fatherland." "Paul!" "How are you, Paul?" "Glad to see you, Professor." "You've come at the right moment, Baumer!" "Just at the right moment." "And as if to prove all I have said, here is one of the first to go." "A lad who sat before me on these very benches... who gave up all to serve in the first year of the war;" "one of the iron youth who have made Germany invincible in the field." "Look at him- sturdy and bronze and clear -eyed." "The kind of soldier every one of you should envy." "Oh, lad, you must speak to them." "You must tell them what it means to serve your fatherland." " No, I can't tell them anything." " You must, Paul." "Just a word." "Just tell them how much they're needed out there." "Tell them why you went and what it meant to you." "I can't say anything." "You can remember some deed of heroism, some touch of nobility." "Tell about it." "I can't tell you anything you don't know." "We live in the trenches out there." "We fight." "We try not to be killed; sometimes we are." "That's all." "No." "No, Paul." "I've been there!" "I know what it's like." "That's not what one dwells on, Paul." "I heard you in here reciting that same old stuff, making more iron men, more young heroes." "You still think it's beautiful and sweet to die for your country, don't you?" "We used to think you knew." "The first bombardment taught us better." "It's dirty and painful to die for your country." "When it comes to dying for your country, it's better not to die at all!" "There are millions out there dying for their countries, and what good is it?" "You asked me to tell them how much they're needed out there." "He tells you, "Go out and die. "" "Oh, but if you'll pardon me, it's easier to say "Go out and die" than it is to do it." " Coward!" " And it's easier to say it than to watch it happen." "No!" "No!" "Boys, boys!" " I'm sorry, Baumer, but I must say" " It's no use talking like this." "You won't know what I mean." "Only, it's been a long while since we enlisted out of this classroom." "So long I thought maybe the whole world had learned by this time." "Only now they're sending babies, and they won't last a week!" "I shouldn't have come on leave." "Up at the front you're alive or you're dead, and that's all!" "You can't fool anybody about that very long." "Up there we know we're lost and done for whether we're dead or alive." "Three years we've had of it - four years." "Every day a year and every night a century." "Our bodies are earth and our thoughts are clay, and we sleep and eat with death." "We're done for because you can't live that way and keep anything inside you!" "I shouldn't have come on leave." "I'll go back tomorrow." "I've got four days more, but I can't stand it here!" "I'll go back tomorrow!" "Sorry." "Mother, you'll catch cold here." "You must go to sleep." "There'll be plenty of time to sleep... when you're gone." "Must you go tomorrow, Paul?" "Must you?" "Yes, Mother." "Orders were changed." "Are you very much afraid, Paul?" "No, Mother." "There's something I want to say to you, Paul." "It's" "Just be on your guard against the women out there." "They're no good." "Where we are, there aren't any women, Mother." "Be very careful at the front, Paul." "Yes, Mother, I will." "I'll pray for you every day." "And if you could, get a job that's not quite so dangerous." "Yes, Mother." "I'll try and get in the cookhouse." " That can easily be done." " You do it then, and if the others say anything" "That won't worry me, Mother." "Now, you must go to bed and you must get well quickly before I come back." "I put two sets of underwear - new ones- in your pack." "They'll keep you nice and warm." "They're all wool." "That's sweet of you." "Good night... my son." "Good night, Mother." "Oh, Mother, Mother." "You still think I'm a child." "Why can't I put my head in your lap and cry?" " Is this the 2nd Company?" " Yes, sir." " Is this all of it?" " Yes, sir." "We had 150 men, but this is all that came back yesterday." "But now they're going to give us enough to make 150 again." "How old are you?" "Sixteen." "No use." "I couldn't find anything." " We'll have to eat the sawdust." "Not me!" "I'll go hungry first." "It makes me sick." "Now it's gonna be a real war again." "Paul!" "How's old Paul?" "Here I am." "You know, the 2nd Company's getting hard to find." "Nobody seemed to know where you were." "I'm glad you found it." "I guess I don't get much of this." "There used to be some food in the sawdust." "Now it's all sawdust." "No joke, either." "Eats ya up inside." "This doesn't look much like the old 2nd Company." "The replacements are all like that." "Not even old enough to carry a pack." "All they know how to do is die." "I guess... some of the old-timers are here yet." "Paul, they're tryin' to invent somethin' to kill me right now." "Where's Westhus?" "Messenger dog was wounded." "He went out to get it." " Is it true about the armistice?" " Doesn't look that way back there." " You mean they want us to go on fighting?" " That's what they say." "They're crazy!" "Germany'll be empty pretty soon." "Where is" " Where is Detering?" "He got homesick." "You remember about the cherry blossoms?" "I guess he never got over that." "He started out one night to go home and help his wife with the farm." "They got him behind the lines, and we never heard of him since." "He was just homesick, but probably they couldn't see it that way." "Where's Kat?" "Is he" "Not Kat!" "If he were out, the war would be over." "You remember what he always says:" "They're savin' him for the last." " Where is he?" " He's out lookin' for food, something to make soup with." " Which way?" " Down the road about two miles that way." "I'll see you later." "Kat!" "Paul!" "Hello, Paul." " How's the side?" " Oh, it's all right now." "It's fine." " Have any luck?" " No, the general's staff's been over this country with a rake." "Let's sit down there." "Tell me, Paul... how was it at home?" "Have a good leave?" " In spots." " What's the matter?" "Ohh..." "I'm no good for back there anymore, Kat." "None of us are." "We've been in this too long." "The young men thought I was a coward because I told them that... we learn that death is stronger than duty to one's country." "The old men said, "Go on." "Push on to Paris. "" "My father even wanted me to wear my uniform around him." "It's not home back there anymore." "All I could think of was, "I'd like to get back and see Kat again. "" "You're all I've got left, Kat." "I'm not much to have left." "I missed you, Paul." "At least we know what it's all about out here." "There're no lies here." "Push on to Paris?" "You ought to see what they've got on the other side." "They eat white bread over there." "They've got dozens of airplanes to our one, and tanks that'll go over anything." "What've we got left?" "Guns so worn they drop shells on our own men." "No food, no ammunition, no officers." "Push on to Paris!" "So that's the way they talk back there." "I guess we'd better be going." "How I lied to my poor mother." "I told her it wasn't so bad out here because there was always a lot of us together." "Now that I'm with you, I'm beginning to believe that I told her the truth." "Down!" "That's another one that missed us." "Come on." "Let's go." "Wait a minute." "Looks like the old bread wagon's broke down." " I guess I don't walk the rest of the way." " Did that get ya, Kat?" "Aah, I think it broke my shin." "That's not so bad." "Hold it together." " Just my luck, huh?" " Good luck." "That means the war is over." "Oh, no, sir!" "This war don't end till they really get me." "Now this one" " Aah." " Easy, now." " Hey!" " Easy!" "Easy!" "Come on." "I'll take you in." "Give me your hand." "Easy." "All right." "Well, kid... now we're gonna be separated." "Maybe we can do something together later on when the war is over." " Yes, kid." " You give me your address, I'll give you mine." "You can't get both of us in one day." "Ah, we'll surely see each other again, Kat." "Remember that day when you brought the whole pig into the factory?" "And that day in the woods when you taught us how to dodge shells?" "And my first bombardment." "How I cried." "I was a young recruit then." "Here we are." "Here we are." "All right now, Kat." "You could've spared yourself the trouble." "He's dead." "Oh, no." "He's just fainted." "He was hit in the shin." "He's dead." "Would you like to take his pay book?" " You're not related, are you?" " No, we're not related." "Your deal." "Get his name and number?" "Yeah, Corporal Stanislaus Katczinsky, 306."