Paul Baumer and half a dozen schoolmates have been drafted into the German army in the 4th year of the Great War. The story opens as one of Paul's friends is dying from a leg wound. He recalls the sadistic drill sargeant who harassed the young soldiers, taking every opportunity to make their lives miserable. But they all suffer at the front, whether taking a bullet while running for the trenches for cover or the psychological agony of having killed a French soldier who was someone's father or son. There are precious human moments - as when Henry visits his ailing mother during his first home leave or trying to accommodate the young wife who comes to visit her dying husband in the hospital.
The author served for only months before his shrapnel injuries rendered him too handicapped to serve. His heartfelt narrative offers a good argument for the insanity of war.
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