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All Quiet on The Western Front Flashcards
All Quiet on the Western Front: Detailed Chapter Notes
Chapter 5
The men are killing lice using various methods, including a boot-polish tin with a wire over a candle.
Haie has lice with a red cross on their heads, claiming they came from a hospital where they attended to a surgeon-general. He jokes about using the accumulated fat for polishing his boots.
The men are preoccupied with the rumor that Himmelstoss has arrived.
Himmelstoss is rumored to have been transferred to the front after mistreating recruits, including the son of a local magistrate.
Tjaden is eager to confront Himmelstoss.
Haie dreams of the thrashing he received from Himmelstoss, considering it the high point of his life.
Kropp has acquired a mess-tin full of beans, likely from the pioneer-cook-house.
Müller asks what Kropp would do if peacetime returned.
Kropp says he would leave and get drunk.
Kat becomes interested in the conversation and takes some of Kropp's beans.
Kat suggests that after getting drunk, one would take the train home to their mother.
Kat shows a photograph of his wife and expresses his frustration with the war.
Kat acknowledges his responsibility to provide for his wife and children.
Müller asks Haie what he would do in peacetime.
Haie initially suggests he would kick Müller for his questions, then says he would pursue women and enjoy a featherbed, avoiding trousers for a week.
The men are silent, captivated by the image of comfort and pleasure.
Müller presses Haie for further plans.
Haie says if he were a non-commissioned officer (non-com), he would stay in the army with the Prussians, serving out his time.
The narrator questions Haie's sanity.
Haie defends his choice, referencing the hardship of digging peat as a civilian job.
Haie describes the benefits of being a non-com during peacetime: regular food, a bed, clean underwear, a good suit of clothes, and free time in the evening to go to the pub.
Haie imagines getting a pension after twelve years and becoming the village bobby, enjoying respect and free drinks.
Kat interrupts, saying Haie will never be a non-com.
Haie is saddened and remembers the clear autumn evenings, Sundays in the heather, village bells, afternoons with servant girls, fried bacon, and care-free hours in the ale-house.
Kropp asks Tjaden what he would do.
Tjaden wants to put Himmelstoss in a cage and beat him with a club every morning.
Tjaden tells Kropp he should become a lieutenant to torment Himmelstoss.
Müller asks Detering what he would do.
Detering says he would go straight on with the harvesting.
Detering is worried about his farm and his wife having to manage it alone after two horses were taken away and reads the papers to see if it's raining in Oldenburg, impacting his hay harvest.
Himmelstoss appears, and Tjaden pretends to sleep.
Himmelstoss approaches the group hesitantly, aware that the front is not a parade ground.
Himmelstoss addresses Kropp, who responds sarcastically.
Himmelstoss asks if Kropp recognizes him.
Tjaden opens his eyes and acknowledges Himmelstoss.
Himmelstoss asks Tjaden if he knows what he is.
Himmelstoss is confused by the open hostility and is wary of being shot in the back.
Tjaden insults Himmelstoss, calling him a dirty hound.
Himmelstoss orders Tjaden to stand up and obey orders.
Tjaden refuses and makes an obscene gesture.
Himmelstoss threatens to have Tjaden court-martialled.
Haie laughs so hard he dislocates his jaw.
Kropp punches Haie's jaw back into place.
Kat warns Tjaden that Himmelstoss will likely report him, leading to serious consequences.
Tjaden is not worried, viewing close arrest as a form of rest.
Müller raises the possibility of Tjaden being sent to the Fortress, effectively ending his war involvement.
Tjaden leaves with Haie and Leer to avoid immediate repercussions.
Müller continues to question Kropp about what he would do back home.
They count the members of their former class: seven dead, four wounded, one in a madhouse, and three lieutenants.
They doubt Kantorek would be able to exert the same influence over them now.
Kropp jokingly asks about the three-fold theme in "William Tell."
Müller asks about the purpose of the Poetic League of Göttingen.
The narrator interrupts with a question about Charles the Bald, prompting Müller to say the narrator will never amount to anything.
Kropp asks when the battle of Zana was.
The narrator jokingly says Kropp lacks a studious mind and gives him a failing grade.
Müller asks what offices Lycurgus considered most important for the state.
The narrator questions the wording of a patriotic German saying.
Müller asks how many inhabitants Melbourne has.
The narrator asks how Albert expects to succeed in life if he doesn't know this.
Albert retorts by asking what is meant by cohesion.
They realize they remember very little of their school lessons, which have proven useless in the war.
Müller laments that they will have to return to school.
The narrator suggests they could take a special exam.
They discuss the downsides of a student's life, especially the need to work hard without money.
Kropp asserts that a man cannot take school seriously after experiencing the war.
Müller insists they must have an occupation.
Albert points out that Kat, Detering, Haie, and Himmelstoss have jobs to return to, but they do not.
The narrator suggests they need a private income to live in a wood, but feels ashamed of the idea.
Müller wonders what will happen when they return home.
Kropp says they will figure it out when they get there.
The narrator asks what they could do.
Kropp says he doesn't want to do anything, as they will all die one day.
The narrator says thinking about peacetime makes his head spin and he would do something unimaginable.
He feels sickened by the idea of professions, studies, and salaries, finding it all disgusting.
Kropp agrees that it will be hard for them all.
They believe that nobody at home understands what they have been through.
They agree that the war has ruined their generation.
They no longer feel young or want to take the world by storm, instead feeling the need to escape from themselves and their lives.
They were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world, but they had to shoot it to pieces.
They are cut off from activity, striving, and progress, believing in the war instead.
Himmelstoss has stirred up the Orderly Room.
The fat sergeant-major arrives with Himmelstoss, seeking revenge.
They ask where Tjaden is, feigning ignorance.
Himmelstoss orders Tjaden to report to the Orderly Room in ten minutes.
Kropp jokes about dropping a bundle of wire on Himmelstoss's leg during the next wiring duty.
Müller laughs, stating their sole ambition is to humble Himmelstoss.
The narrator warns Tjaden, who disappears.
The men change their location and resume playing cards.
The narrator reflects that they know how to play cards, swear, and fight, which is not much for twenty years, but too much for twenty years.
Himmelstoss returns half an hour later, asking for Tjaden.
The men shrug their shoulders, feigning ignorance.
Himmelstoss orders them to find him.
Kropp sarcastically asks if Himmelstoss has ever been out there, referring to the dangers of the front line.
He describes the constant artillery fire and the high casualty rates.
He warns Himmelstoss that the dying soldiers will ask for his permission to die, as they have been waiting for someone like him.
Himmelstoss disappears quickly.
Kat predicts three days of confinement as punishment.
The narrator threatens to retaliate against Himmelstoss.
The case is heard in the Orderly Room that evening.
Lieutenant Bertink presides over the hearing.
The narrator testifies about Tjaden's insubordination, explaining the bed-wetting incident.
Himmelstoss is questioned and eventually admits to the bed-wetting issue after Kropp confirms the story.
Bertink lectures Himmelstoss, emphasizing that the front is not a parade ground.
Tjaden receives a sermon and three days of open arrest.
Bertink gives Kropp one day of open arrest with a wink, expressing regret.
Open arrest is relatively pleasant, as they can visit the prisoners in the former fowl-house.
Close arrest would have meant confinement in the cellar.
The practice of tying soldiers to a tree has been forbidden.
The narrator notes that they are treated quite like men in many ways.
An hour later, the men visit Tjaden and Kropp in their confinement behind wire-netting.
They play skat late into the night.
Kat suggests roasting a goose.
They climb onto a munition-wagon, bribing the driver with two cigarettes.
Kat knows the location of a shed belonging to a regimental headquarters where geese are kept.
The narrator agrees to get the goose and follows Kat's instructions.
The out-house is behind a wall, and the door is secured with a peg.
Kat hoists the narrator over the wall and keeps watch.
The narrator waits to adjust to the darkness and then steals across to the shed, opens the door, and finds two geese.
He decides to try to catch both geese quickly.
He jumps and grabs both geese, attempting to stun them by bashing their heads against the wall.
The geese struggle, cackle, and kick, making it difficult for the narrator to control them.
One of the geese manages to cry out, alerting someone outside.
The narrator is knocked down and attacked by a dog, a bull dog.
He lies still, protecting his throat, as the dog growls and threatens him.
The narrator considers using his small revolver.
He slowly and carefully moves his hand towards the revolver, enduring the dog's growls with each movement.
He finally gets the revolver, takes a deep breath, and prepares to fire.
He quickly raises the revolver and fires, startling the dog, who howls and leaps aside.
The narrator makes for the door, tripping over one of the geese.
He seizes the goose again and throws it over the wall before climbing out himself.
The dog attacks again, but the narrator drops down on the other side of the wall.
Kat is waiting with the goose under his arm.
They run until they can safely take a breather.
Kat quickly kills the goose.
They plan to roast the goose immediately to avoid detection.
The narrator fetches a dixie and wood from the hut, and they crawl into a small deserted lean-to.
The lean-to has a heavily curtained window and a makeshift hearth.
They start a fire, and Kat plucks and cleans the goose.
They carefully collect the feathers, planning to make cushions with the inscription: "Sleep soft under shell-fire."
The sound of gunfire from the front penetrates their refuge.
The glow of the fire lights up their faces, casting shadows on the wall.
They hear crashes and stifled cries, indicating nearby hits.
Aeroplanes drone overhead, and machine-guns fire.
The narrator and Kat sit opposite each other, cooking the goose in the middle of the night.
They don't talk much, but feel a deep connection.
They are two men on the edge of death, finding solace in each other's company.
The narrator reflects on how different they were before the war and how intimate they have become without needing to speak.
They take turns basting the goose while the other sleeps.
The smell of the roasting goose fills the hut.
The noises of war blend into the narrator's dreams.
In a half-sleep, he watches Kat tending the fire and feels love for him, as well as a sense of peace and acceptance.
Kat announces that the goose is done.
They take out their forks and pocket-knives and cut off legs, eating with army bread dipped in gravy.
They savor the meal, sharing the best pieces, and then smoke cigarettes and cigars.
They decide to take some goose to Kropp and Tjaden.
They pack away the feathers and then go to the fowl-house to wake Kropp and Tjaden.
Kropp and Tjaden are surprised and delighted.
Tjaden devours the goose with relish.
They return to their hut, walking beneath the starry sky and the approaching dawn.
Chapter 6
Rumors of an offensive circulate, prompting an earlier deployment to the front.
The soldiers pass a shelled school-house with a stack of new coffins, numbering at least a hundred, smelling of resin and pine. Müller views them as preparation for the offensive.
Detering says the coffins are meant for them, but Kat scolds him for the remark.
Tjaden jokes cynically about receiving a waterproof sheet instead of a coffin.
The soldiers make unpleasant jokes to cope with the grim reality.
The soldiers try to get their bearings amidst increased activity suggesting enemy troop and supply movements.
Kat identifies strengthening of English artillery and new French trench-mortars.
Own shells begin to fall in their own trench, due to worn out gun barrels. This has happened three times in four weeks, wounding two men that night.
The front is described as a cage where they must await whatever may happen, with Chance determining their fate.
The narrator recounts a story of surviving by chance when a dugout he had been in was destroyed by a direct hit shortly after he left, and then arriving in time to dig out a second dugout after it had been buried by a shell.
The narrator states no soldier outlives a thousand chances and emphasizes belief in luck.
Rats have become more numerous due to the trenches' poor condition, signalling a coming bombardment according to Detering.
The rats are described as repulsive, fat "corpse-rats" with naked faces and tails.
The rats are very hungry, gnawing almost every man's bread.
The soldiers describe attempts to protect bread from rats, including wrapping it in waterproof sheets and suspending it from the roof, which failed.
The soldiers cannot afford to waste the bread, so they carefully cut off the gnawed portions.
The soldiers devise a method to kill the rats: heaping the gnawed slices in the middle of the floor and striking at them with spades when they gather. They repeat this several times.
In the adjoining sector, rats attacked and devoured cats and a dog.
Edamer cheese and rum are issued, which increases soldiers' forebodings, as these are signs of bad times coming.
During the day, the soldiers loaf and kill rats.
Ammunition and hand-grenades become more plentiful.
Saw-bayonets, which are forbidden by the enemy that kills at sight any soldier caught with one, are being returned.
The sharpened spade is more useful and versatile for melee combat.
Gas is sent over at night, and soldiers prepare for an expected attack with gas masks on.
Dawn arrives without an attack, only the constant noise of enemy transports continues.
Kat is gloomy, comparing the situation to the Somme and indicating severe shelling for seven days and nights, signaling bad news.
Only Tjaden seems pleased with the rations and rum, optimistic they might return to rest without incident.
The narrator spends the night in the listening-post, experiencing heightened senses and anxiety, triggered by sounds and the ticking of his watch.
Rumors spread about enemy tanks being used in the attack, besides new flame-throwers. But that interests them less than the rumor of the new flame-throwers.
Heavy fire erupts; all calibre shells are fired on them; they crouch in corners, everyone lays hold of his belongings to make sure they are in place.
The dug-out heaves and the night roars.
The recruits are green and vomiting due to inexperience.
Mines Explode and mix with the gunfire.
Reliefs go out, and observers stagger in, trembling and covered with dirt.
One who has been flung over the parapet by shell blast lays down silent in the corner and eats, the other is sobbing.
Bombardment continues and is falling in the rear too.
Trench becomes eighteen inches high for eighteen inches, and is broken by holes and craters.
Recruits calm themselves when their commanding officer (CO) comes in to say that food will be brought up in the evening.
Second party also turns back, but Kat re-appears without accomplishing anything. No one can get through.
Stretch their belts tighter and nibble at each mouthful.
Tjaden regrets that they wasted gnawed pieces of bread on the rats.
Water is also short.
Through the entrance a swarm of fleeing rats come in and try to storm the walls. Everyone yells and slaughters them.
There are no casualties so far.
A corpsman enters with a loaf of bread because three people got through to bring food.
By midday, recruits have a fit.
Claustrophobia comes over the group and they must restrain him at fear of endangering himself.
Atmosphere becomes thicker, and sitting feels like being in a grave.
The recruit butts his head against the door like a goat. Kat suggests a game of skat to relieve tension, but the explosions make it impossible.
Night. Strain tightens the spine like a gapped knife. The hand tremble and the bodies thin.
The explosions cease; the shelling lifts behind them; the trench is free. Bombardment has lifted and barrage falls behind them. The attack has come.
Helmets now appear on all sides out of the trench, and fifty yards form them a machine-gun is barking.
Artillery opens fire, machine guns rattle, and rifles crack.
Haie throws seventy five years, and Kropp sixty.
Smooth faces are recognized as French.
About to retreat three faces rise from the ground which he throws a grenade at. I see one of them, his face upturned, fall into a wire cradle. His body collapses, his hands remain suspended as though he were praying. Then his body drops clean away and only his hands with the stumps of his arms, shot off, now hang in the wire.
Retreat made using wire cradles placed in the trench which ensured fiery retreat.
Savage and raging as automatons, killing in self defense.
They are still their enemy, their rifles are still aimed at them; if they dont destroy them first they will.
A young Frenchman lags and puts his hands up. One has a revolver - is he going to shoot. No - a blow from a spade splits his face. A second tries to turn. A bayonet stabs his back. third throws away his rifle and covers his eyes, to be left to carry them.
Too close for long or too many casualties, and bomb silences machine gun.
Five stomach wounds given, five stomach wounds taken.
Kat smashes with the butt of his rifle into to a pulp against a machine gunner.
Thirstily drink the waters after. Planks broken, wire thrown into entanglements by the men.
Haie strikes his spade into the neck if a giant french soldier and then throws the grenade down, opening them up for the rest of the rush.
Dugouts cleaned as they travel down.
Corpse covered officer cap lying on a officers belly.
Lose touch with the enemy.
Dive into the nearest dug outs to seize every provision, before covering artillery is fired upon them to draw them back to defence.
Hae has scored a slice of white french bead that is bloody at one corner but can be cut off. That corner of bread. It can save their lives. The men are now becoming men again.
Tjaden captures two bottles of cognac and passes them around.
Benediction begins with the sounds. Mists rises which look almost ghostly.
They are on sentry and stare into the night.
Power is gone after the attack and it is hard to think.
Parachute Lights soar up and he recalls the cathedral cloisters, the flowers, stations of the cross, and general calm.
Poplar Avenue and the town; and what those places once meant.
Memories are almost completely calm - they become so.
The drone and muffled noises are always at our ears. Front reaches so far that they never pass beyond it. Unbearable these last few days.
The memories bring sorrow - a vast inapprehensible melancholy.
They had that thrill of expectation in the blood that united them to the course of their days.
Now they are but facts, trade, butchers and limits.
Their hands grow cold and their bodies creeps; warm though it is.
Mess Tins Rattle after the fact.
The days are hot and the dead are not buried.
Cannot fetch all but also not know what to do with them.
Belly ballooned to hell with gases that are making noises, hisses, and belches.
Sky is Blue and without cloud
Sultry Earth, smell of blood, a mixture of death and chloroforms produces a nauseous affect.
A hunt for copper bands and silken parachutes begins, which results in some comedy between the two men and some comradely support from Haie.
Haie wants to give them out as suspenders.
Butterfiles play before trench, settle on the teeth of the skull.
They will put artillery on them.
Eleven men lost in one day. Two are smashed to pieces and the other has the bottom have torn off. These are from observation.
Recruits now being sent up in masses.
Trenchwarfare is a game for which they have had no training which results in inexperience and a disregard for cover.
New Reinforcements are causing as much of the problems that were ment to solve.
To every soldier between Five and Ten Recruits Are Dying. Its difficult to tell if they even differ between Explosives.
Gas Attack, they have not learned to do. Lined up with blue heads and black lips.
Air Runs into Himmelstoss - who is in this moment pretending to be very wounded so they kick him out.
Horror Bombardment, Barrage, Curtain fire, mines, gas, tank, machine-guns, hand-grenades: horror of the world.
Hae drags with a lung passing through through his back at every breath. The men are seen living with parts blown open, feet cut off, crawling. The sun gets low before the end.
They yield for only six hundred men but at every yard lies a dead man.
One Hundred Soldiers down to 32.
Chapter 7
The company goes to a field depot to be reorganized and needing 100 reinforcements and while off duty the men loaf around.
Himmelstoss has had the bounce knocked out of him so tries to get on the good side of the men. This works save for the suspicion of Tjaden, but both are shortly won over by Himmelstoss assuming the role of Sergeant Cook and producing sugar and butter, as well as having the men ordered for peeling potatoes.
Life needs two things: rest and good food.
They forget the horror of the war as habit explains why they seem to forget how horrible, but also they turn themselves into wags and loafers. Living at all costs, they take on feeling when it suits them for that might lead to ornament and peacetime. It does affect them strongly during times like that, more than other stuff.
The loss of comrades and the terror of the front sink deep down, but jests are made about it as resistance to madness.
War News are taken differently they say, and the humour is becoming more bitter. Those who sink in, return anew; but for what or whom to fight.
Theater Billboards of girl in white trousers and red lips are seen with longing and a desire to obtain her is created. They talk lewdly, tear the man from the poster, and then set about trying to getting cleaned up.
Evening when Swimming: are not in bathing suits - and three village girls come and laugh at them, calling out. They are detaining and are detaining so they beckon, even running into the house to get bread. But they are to afraid of getting across the border and go to their home/hideout.
Getting and bringing punch, with the idea that they will get them a lot things. So they put it into the caps.
Blacked out, with four going, and they drop Tjaden with lies and drink. Each person tries their best to trick him.
Boots and Army bread wrapped into new paper - making it across to the village.
Woman scream but they explain themselves as German soldiers. Then the woman come back with what they can. Some small details of her hair are outlined.
Leer makes kissing gestures and shows hands. the two meet up again. This is not like the prostitute houses they go to at all, but he still takes it and holds her there. Not like he has ever done. Thinnies brows.
This leads to Leer making similar success. The air cools and they stroll with the men.
Night air cleans bodies. The trees Loom; the Moon floats: worth it all to Leer.
Man approaches in the nude with under arms.-tjaden the fool
Order room commands, and the company has to go back to the front, which then leads to having a few pints with the men.
He will be gone for 6 weeks. To much.
Next Day Heads to the Other Side Again - but it comes that she is not so interested in the next time; now seeing just how little it means.
In Chapter 5, the men are occupied with killing lice and the rumor of Himmelstoss's arrival. Haie jokes about his lice having a red cross, while Kropp enjoys a mess-tin of beans acquired from the pioneer-cook-house. The men discuss their plans for peacetime: Kropp wants to get drunk, Haie dreams of women and a featherbed, Detering longs to return to his farm, and Tjaden desires to torment Himmelstoss. Himmelstoss appears, leading to a confrontation with Tjaden, who insults him and is threatened with court-martial. The men reflect on their useless school lessons and the war's impact on their generation. Himmelstoss stirs up the Orderly Room seeking revenge on Tjaden, resulting in Tjaden receiving open arrest. Kat orchestrates the theft of geese from a regimental headquarters, leading to a dangerous escapade involving a dog attack and a midnight feast in a deserted lean-to.
In Chapter 6, rumors of an offensive circulate, prompting an earlier deployment to the front. The soldiers pass a shelled school-house with coffins, symbolizing their grim reality. The soldiers try to get their bearings amidst increased activity suggesting enemy troop and supply movements. Own shells begin to fall in their own trench, due to worn out gun barrels. The front is described as a cage where they must await whatever may happen, with Chance determining their fate. Rats have become more numerous due to the trenches' poor condition, signalling a coming bombardment according to Detering. The soldiers devise methods to kill the rats. Edamer cheese and rum are issued, which increases soldiers' forebodings, as these are signs of bad times coming. The sharpened spade is more useful and versatile for melee combat. Gas is sent over at night, and soldiers prepare for an expected attack with gas masks on. Kat is gloomy, comparing the situation to the Somme and indicating severe shelling. Heavy fire erupts, and the recruits are green and vomiting due to inexperience. The bombardment continues, destroying the trench. The recruit butts his head against the door like a goat. Kat suggests a game of skat to relieve tension, but the explosions make it impossible. The explosions cease, and they retreat using wire cradles placed in the trench which ensured fiery retreat. Savage and raging as automatons, killing in self defense. Kat smashes with the butt of his rifle into to a pulp against a machine gunner. After the attack, they capture provisions and cognac, and the men are now becoming men again. Memories from the Paraachute Lights that soar up are almost completely calm - they become so. Eleven men lost in one day. To every soldier between Five and Ten Recruits Are Dying. Its difficult to tell if they even differ between Explosives. Gas Attack results in the men lined up with blue heads and black lips. Hae drags with a lung passing through through his back at every breath. One Hundred Soldiers down to 32.
In Chapter 7, the company goes to a field depot to be reorganized. Himmelstoss tries to get on the good side of the men by assuming the role of Sergeant Cook and producing sugar and butter. Life needs two things: rest and good food. They forget the horror of the war. The loss of comrades and the terror of the front sink deep down, but jests are made about it as resistance to madness. They talk lewdly about Theater Billboards of girl in white trousers and red lips. Evening when Swimming: are not in bathing suits - and three village girls come and laugh at them, calling out. Blacked out, with four going, and they drop Tjaden with lies and drink. The soldiers meets a women who screams but they explain themselves as German soldiers, this leads to Leer making similar success. The air cools and they stroll with the men. Order room commands, and the company has to go back to the front. Next Day Heads to the Other Side Again - but it comes that she is not so interested in the next time; now seeing just how little it means.