All Quiet on the Western Front

anoXmous

He's known as Kat but his full name is Stanislav Katczinsky.

He's the leader of our group with a remarkable nose for good food and dirty weather,

but most of all for food when there's none to be had.

My name is Paul Baumer. I am 18 years old.

A few months ago, six of us were classmates,

our heads were stuffed with knowledge, filled with ideals and hopes.

Josef Behm, who will study theology.

Albert Kropp, who will study law.

Friedrich Müller, who will study everything.

Franz Kemmerich, who will be a forester.

Peter Leer, who will travel and make love.

We are with our friends: Tjaden, a locksmith before the war.

The biggest eater of the company.

Haie Westus, who dug peat for a living. A good man to have on your side.

And Detering, a farmer who thinks of nothing but his horses,

his farmyard and his wife.

For months we've fought the French for a hundred yards of earth.

They attack our trench. We attack their trench.

Then, to keep the score even, they will attack our trench once again.

What are you doing? Wait.

Over here. Here, over here.

You'll be OK.

OK, here we come. Come.

Quick.

Easy...easy.

It's his leg. He's lucky.

He'll be all right.

You are our Iron Youth.

Iron Youth becomes Iron Heroes.

It is my duty. Uh, it is my honour,

to prepare you for the part you must play in this great war.

Our homeland has need of men of character and strong will.

It is my duty to prepare your minds

so that you will be better able to train your bodies

for your Kaiser, for your Fatherland,

for your God.

For upon you rests the fate of the Fatherland

and upon the fate of the Fatherland rests the fate of the world.

Germany is the nation of progress,

the nation of culture...

the nation of science, the nation of ideas...

the nation of Beethoven,

of Schiller, of Goethe...

Baumer.

Sir.

What is that?

A bird, sir.

- A bird? - Yes, sir.

A lark?

- Yes, sir. - Very good.

On the window.

- This line... - The window.

- Very exact. - Thank you, sir.

But you do not come here to draw, to write poems...or to dream.

Do you Baumer?

No.

Sit down.

Gentlemen, you have all passed your examinations.

As you know, you are graduated.

The time for class is over.

The time for duty has begun.

You are dismissed. Herr Baumer...

You may stay.

Cigarette?

No, thank you, sir.

Oh, you don't smoke.

Well, it is not a good habit.

But all good habits, makes a dull person.

What do the English say?

- All work and no play makes... - A dull man.

A dull... Yes, yes, very good.

So you see, you have learned something here after all.

There is a time for work and there is a time for play.

You are graduating. The time for play is over.

You are a dreamer, Baumer.

You draw little sketches and write little poems.

But now you're a man, you have your duties as a man,

your duty to the Fatherland.

Will you wait to be called up or will you enlist?

Well...

Of course, you'll respond to your call of duty.

You will all respond.

The entire class will go as one man to serve the Fatherland.

I know I will be proud of you, Baumer.

If you could get enough sleep, it wouldn't be a bad little war.

- If you could get enough food. - If you could get enough women.

Come on, Heinrich, open up, we're hungry.

You know the regulations. You must all be here.

We are here!

Don't lie to me. I've got food for 150 men

and I don't serve until the rest of you get here.

The rest are either in the dressing station or pushing up the daisies!

Well, I've cooked for 150 men.

Ah! So then we'll all have enough. For once!

- You've got bread for 150 men? - Yeah.

- And sausages? - Tobacco?

- Yeah, but... - Good, let's have it!

So let's see, that's enough bread for er...

Double portions!

Is that right? Double!

I can only issue rations to 80 men.

Here's Lieutenant Bertinck.

The beans smell delicious, Sergeant.

Thank you, sir.

It would be nice to see this once in a while at the front. Eh, Katczinsky?

Yes, sir! That's right, sir.

Eat hearty.

Thank you, sir.

- Come on, belly robber, you heard him. - Yeah, but he didn't say...

Look, you... We are the Second Company.

You are the cook for the Second Company.

You didn't make food for 80 men, you made food for the Second Company.

And we, damn you, we are the Second Company!

Well, it isn't right.

Come on!

Come on, stop cheating.

It's not right. There should be a system.

It's not right. I cook all this food... (Muttering)

Come on, come on! Double!

Today is wonderfully good.

Every one of us has eaten for two men and the mail has come.

The grasses sway like tall spears.

The white butterflies float on the soft warm wind.

How often in the last few days have we come to the edge of death?

Let's not even think about it.

Let's just enjoy the world.

Everything is new and brave.

Red poppies, the good food,

cigarettes and the summer breeze.

Paul? Paul?

We're going to see Kemmerich.

Nurse, can you tell me where Franz Kemmerich is?

Yes, he's through there.

Franz.

How are you?

Someone stole my watch.

- Bastards! - I warned you, Franz.

- I know. - (Paul) We'll tell the doctor.

You'll be going home soon.

Do you think?

- Any day. - You look fine, Franz.

I feel... I'm all right.

My foot. It's so painful.

It's so cold.

That pain is your ticket home.

You should be grateful to that pain.

In a week you'll be smoking cigars on Frau Hammerschmidt's front porch,

telling big fat lies to Katrine Hammerschmidt.

We got you some smokes and a piece of cheese from Kat,

and your comb is in the tobacco tin.

Put them under the bed, please.

Hide them. You know they stole my watch.

Franz, will you be taking these back home with you?

Why not?

Well, you don't really need boots back home.

We could do a trade. I've got...

No! My mother gave me those boots.

- Maybe you could lend them to me? - No.

You'll be home a lot sooner than us.

That's right, you won't have to wait for leave now.

Orderly. Orderly!

They don't come. They never come.

We'll get someone.

- It'll be different when you get home. - When you come back...

- We'll be together. - We'll come tomorrow.

- (Paul) I'll come tomorrow. - Thank you. Thank you.

I'll be back.

Make sure you get my watch.

We will.

You think I don't care about Franz.

Of course I care.

If I could save his leg or life, I'd walk over barbed wire. You know that.

But where he's going, he isn't going to need his boots.

He isn't going to need anything.

And my boots hurt. They really hurt.

Why should some damn orderly get his boots

and not one of his friends?

He's right, Paul.

I know.

Very good, Kemmerich.

Very good, Kemmerich.

They've amputated my leg.

Could be worse.

Wegler lost his right arm, which is very much worse.

Besides, you're going home.

Do you think so?

Of course.

Do you think so?

Once you get over the operation.

I don't think so.

Don't talk nonsense.

I wanted to be a forester once.

You will.

They... They make wonderful... artificial limbs...now.

Attach them right to the muscle. You can do anything.

If you find my watch, send it home.

You'll go to a convalescent home.

Maybe the one in Klosterberg.

Remember how we used to hike up there?