Summary: All Quiet On The Western Front

Men were living outside for days or weeks on end, with limited shelter from cold, wind, rain and snow in the winter or from the heat and sun in summer. Artillery destroyed the familiar landscape, reducing trees and buildings to desolate rubble and churning up endless mud in some areas. The incredible noise of artillery and machine gun fire, both enemy and friendly, was often incessant. Yet soldiers spent a great deal of time waiting around, and in some quiet sectors there was little real fighting and a kind of informal truce could develop between the two sides. Even in more active parts of the front, battle was rarely continuous and boredom was common among troops, with little of the heroism and excitement many had imagined before the war. The Italian infantry officer Emilio Lussu wrote that life in the trenches was ‘grim and monotonous’ and that ‘if there were no attacks, there was no war, only hard work’.[1] The order to attack – or news of an enemy assault – changed

The book All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is about a group of 19 year old young men who are changed by the ways of war. There is paul: the main character; Tjaden: a tall, skinny locksmith, also the biggest eater; Albert Kropp: a lance-corporal and the clearest thinker; Muller: studious, intelligent, and likes school; Leer: has a preference for the girls from the prostitution houses and has a beard; Haie Westhus: a peat-digger, and big in size; Deterring: a peasant, he always thinks of his farm and his wife; Stanislaus Katczinsky: He is 40 years old, cunning and the leader of the group. Each of the boys experience a variety of struggle because of the war. Remarque uses the views of the characters to argue his opinion patriotism, honor, war and bravery.

The men who went into World War One risked their lives to save other innocent lives, even though they were afraid. Day by day went by, not knowing how long they would survive. All Quiet on the Western Front is about the horror, loss of innocence, and comradery of war during World War One, because it shows what war was like, and how the men and women had to cope with it.

Germany’s death toll was about 1.7 million people killed (actual number may vary, depending on if you account for the number of people who went missing or were taken as prisoners). Their total number of casualties, including people wounded and missing, was 7.1 million people.

The main theme that I found in All Quiet on The Western Front was Patriotism. I think that men in power at the time had used people’s patriotism to fuel war and their own agenda, on all sides of the war. There was a feeling that civilians in Paul’s hometown envied the life of a soldier after being told it was the noblest of duties. Other times, when Paul comes face to face with other soldiers, he realizes that they are no different than him.

We all sleep and rest and eat in the trenches, but it’s not paradise. One night, the sound of loud booms woke us up. We were being attacked by some very dangerous artillery. We could feel every boom and every crack in the dirt above us. Many soldiers were not prepared for this and got sick. The attack come out of nowhere and frightened all of us.

What began as an assassination of a single individual, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, led to one of the greatest despairs in all of history. Known throughout the world as The Great War or World War I, this global war ignited battles throughout the entire world where the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire fought against the Allied Powers which included several countries including Britain and the United States. Lasting for four treacherous years, the war led to the deaths of millions of people. From mere citizens trying hard to live their life safely and away from all the violence, to brave soldiers who stood up to fight for their countries, people living all around the world had hardly had any any nice memories of days that had just passed by or hope for the coming times.

In August 17,1917 All that I have seen in the front and experienced people dying getting feed turnips and boiled water also there were camps where moors were. While that was happening these two big guys with held guns up to my face and said take care of him to me I was so scared I didn’t know what to say. After that then I got to go on leave I went to see my mom and the doctors said that she could not be cured because it is cancer. Then I went to see my dad and he asks how the war was. When he said that I didn’t want my family to worry about me and war so, then I came back from leave. Before getting to the front we had to get food so we could survive. As soon as I got some food the mortars went off one of

“On the Western Front, more than 92% of the wounded men who were evacuated to British medical units survived” (Snow, “How the Trenches Kept Men Safe”). Constructing the trenches was difficult and took time, but an important part of the war that had to be built

Trenches and life within those trenches have become an enduring topic from World War One. Throughout the war millions of soldiers experienced and endured the horrors of trench warfare. Some wrote down for posterity what these experiences were and as time has moved on from World War One more and more of these written documents – frequently in the form of a diary – have come to light. Others wrote about their experiences in book-form. On the British side “Goodbye to All That” by Robert Graves is considered a classic. For the Germans, “All Quiet on the Western Front” by Erich von Remarque was considered to be such a potent anti-war book that Hitler banned it. Over the years both books have sold in large numbers. In recent years “The Last Fighting

Having being severely wounded in February 1915 he had only been back in the firing line for a fortnight when shrapnel sliced open his thigh. He had to undergo two operations but said he, ‘was going on as well as could be expected.’ His cousin, Private Tom McHugh, also of Luddington, was wounded four days later and this put him out of action for some time. Tom was a first class shot and his battalion missed his prowess as a sniper. Gunner Snaddon wrote to his mother, ‘As you will see, I am now attached to a Battery and have dropped amongst a lot of “sports.” They are all right. My ideas of what the front would be like and the realisation of them are two entirely different things. As I write, you would imagine yourself in an old English village (barring the bangs). What interests me most, after our own guns, are the aeroplanes. They dodge about over our heads, amidst a dozen shrapnel bursts, and come back round a corner, miss another lot, dive and miss some more, and so on all the time. The old Deutchers must waste tons of shells per week on these sporting souls. I should like to get down to the trenches, which are quite close to us, and the first chance there is I am on it. Norman and I are still together on the same gun which is an exceptional piece of luck especially as we were twice separated for a day or two. The old village

Trench warfare was a prominent component of battle, specifically during the years of 1914-1918 - the first World War. This essay aims to examine how detrimental life in the trenches on the Western front in World War one was to the average soldier. It attempts to answer the question what was life in the trenches like for the average soldier in the first World War? To fully and thoroughly understand the concepts of trench warfare, this essay goes into depth on topics such as the set-up of trenches in comparison to those of their opposition, common disease in a trench, advantages and disadvantages of using trenches in battle, the weapons, communications, and strategies involved in the war, as well as the friendships gained whilst in battle and the role of the arts in World War one.

On the Western front trench warfare was commonly used to protect the soldiers from enemy fire. Although, it protected soldiers it did not move the war along thus leaving the war at a stalemate. In between the two fighting armies laid No Man's land, No Man’s land was pocked with shell holes and dead rotting humans. No Man's land was feared by every soldier only when the soldiers were ordered to “go over the top” of the trenches was when people ventured into No Man’s

As the retreat continued, the high command banned soldiers from using white handkerchiefs in case, when drawing them from their pockets, the Germans took them for a white flag of surrender. The defence of Paris became the overriding priority, and on both sides the ‘war of movement’ began to stall. For the thoughtless it was the time to wave their patriotic flags and sing their defiant songs in the street. The thoughtful, however, found refuge in silence and reflected on the newspaper boy's strident cry of ‘heavy British casualties’. If ever there was a time for a nation to rise to its responsibilities, and exhibit its most honourable qualities, it was now.

Through this malaise of bad news, however, there was a scattering of good. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Brooks of Epworth received information that their son Tom, of the East Yorkshire Regiment, had arrived back in Britain. Tom had been a prisoner of the Germans since March 1918 and his injuries had meant he had to remain abroad until he was fit to travel home. Finally, he was moved to the King George Hospital on Stamford Street, London amid much rejoicing. He told his parents he was being ‘fed up a bit’ and went on to add that, ‘I cannot explain in words how glad I am to be once more in Blighty.’ Around the same time Private James Jubb of the Yorks and Lancs Regiment, whose wife, fearing him dead, had been living with her parents at the Fruit Gardens in Epworth, arrived home having been a prisoner in Germany for several months. He found the house locked and boarded up! Private Selwyn Crosby of Rectory Street, Epworth, had the distinction of being the last Epworth soldier to be released from captivity in Germany. He had been taken prisoner in April 1918 and for two months had to work behind the lines and live on a very basic diet. Later on he was put to work on farms, wearing suits made from paper and boots made from compressed paper and wood.