The book "All Quiet on the Western Front" was written in a first person. Paul Baümer, a nineteen-year-old student, persuaded to join with the German army by his schoolmaster, Kantorek, told the account. With many of his acquaintances from school, he is educated in war techniques under Corporal Himmelstoss, a harsh, strict, disciplined commander who does not like Paul because of his "defiance." After going to the front for long periods of time, Paul receives fourteen days of leave so he can visit his sick mother back at home, in Germany. After this absence he is sent back to training, receives preparation to return to the front, and then sent back to the front. His tour is prolonged when he find out that his unit has been relocated to another area. Locating his group, he joins up with his friends and once again helps them with the war efforts.
             While crawling around in "no man's land," Paul is restricted to a shell hole for a lengthy night because there is so much shelling taking place he has no hope of running back to his trenches. During the night a French soldier jumps into the hole that Paul is occupying and Paul stabs him in the chest. The hours that follow are very rough for Paul as he comforts the Frenchman and waits for him to die.
             Paul's company has a stroke of luck when they are told to defend a community. Since no one lives in the town they were allowed to go through the houses and take and use anything they wanted. This luck, however, did not last a long time. One day the French arrived and began shelling the village with artillery batteries. While abandoning the town, Paul and his friend, Albert Kropp, were injured by gunshot wounds. They were sent to the hospital, bandaged up, and sent back home on a train.
             On the ride Kropp got a fever he was scheduled to be left at the next stop on the route home. For Paul to stay with Kropp, he had to persuade the nurse that he also was ill fr...