AQWF: From the POV of a young German in WW1 Chapter 1: o Begins with Paul Baumer, the narrator, and his friends, resting after being on the front lines. They came back from a brutal stretch, reducing their men from 150 to 80 o Paul’s group is Tjaden, Muller, Kropp and Katczinsky o Discussions of food situation and unfairness of the war, reminiscing of their school days and how their teacher persuaded them to enlist Chapter 2: o Paul reflects on how the war changed them, he and his friends were just out of school when they enlisted, the war has stolen their youth o This chapter delves into how they were trained and abused by their drill sergeant, Himmelstoss, and how this tough training helped them later in war Chapter 3: o Soldiers are back at the front, they discuss the nature of the war and incompetence of their leaders o Himmelstoss arrives, their soldiers get their revenge on him for his cruelty o There is a bombardment, soldiers have to defend their position Chapter 4: o Paul and his friends are sent to lay barbed wire at the front, they face heavy artillery fire and are forced to take cover in a graveyard, where bombs explode and unearth corpses o They return to the camp, shaken Chapter 5: o Delves into the soldier’s personal lives and backgrounds, we learn more about their pre-war lives and their dreams o The soldiers discuss their futures and the challenges they’ll face after the war, given that they’ve known nothing but combat Chapter 6: o Company is at the front again, facing a major offensive. Suffer heavy casualties o They engage in hand to hand combat, Paul kills a French soldier which causes him a lot of distress Chapter 7: o Paul get’s short leave and visits his home, he feels disconnected from his family and pre-war life o He visits Kemmerich’s mother and lies to her about her son’s death to spare her feelings Chapter 8: o Paul is sent to a training camp near a beautiful pond. He enjoys a brief respite from thw war. o He meets Russian prisoners of war and reflects on the senselessness of the conflict, realizing that enemy soldiers are just like him Chapter 9: o Paul returns to the front, he and his comrades are stationed in a village where they have relative comfort o They raid a supply depot and enjoy a feast. Paul and Kat kill a goose and cook it secretly Chapter 10: o Paul, Tjaden, Muller and Kropp are wounded. Paul is sent to a catholic hospital where he undergous surgery and witnesses the suffering of other soldiers o Muller dies from his injuries, Kropp’s leg is amputated Chapter 11: o Paul is the last of his group still alive. He reflects on the war’s toll and his loss of friends. o The war seems to be calming down but the soldiers know their suffering will continue Chapter 12: o The novel ends in October 1918, Paul is killed on a day described as all quiet on the western front o The final paragraph describes his face as calm ‘as though almost glad the end had come’ It is a raw and unfiltered look at the psychological traumas of war. Anti-war statement and underscores the futility of conflict and the profound impact it has on those individuals who experience it.