All Quiet on the Western Front Page #2

# O Fatherland beloved

# O Fatherland beloved

# Faithful and true

# Along the Rhine we'll stand

# Watch o'er the Rhine

# Defend our Fatherland #

Lert... face.

Form in three ranks.

Three groups.

At ease.

My name is Himmestoss.

You'll find I'll be a good teacher.

Do you know why?

Never.

Attention!

At ease.

Attention!

Right face.

Lert face.

Right face.

Forward march.

Left, left, left, left, left.

Left, left, left.

left, left, left, forward.

Right turn... march.

Turn! Left! Left! Left!

Left! Left! Stop!

Attention!

Right face!

Eyes front!

Right face!

Forward march!

Left! Left! Forward.

On the double.

Quick march!

Left, left, left, forward.

Right turn... March!

Left, left, left, left,

Left, left, left, left... Forward!

Right turn... March!

Left, left, left, left, left, left,

left, left, left, left, left, left,

Left, left, left...

Forward! Lie down!

Ready.

Stand up!

Advance.

Lie down.

Ready...

Stand up!

Advance.

Lie down!

Ready...

Stand up.

Advance.

Lie down!

Ready...

Stand up!

Advance.

Lie down!

Ready...

Stand up!

Advance.

Lie down!

Ready...

Stand up!

You.

Again.

Again!

Baumer.

Again.

Again.

You'll pay for this, Baumer.

Rirle. Fill your pack.

No, no, Corporal.

You must keep

your eyes open, Corporal.

Attack!

Lay down.

Your training days are over.

You are soldiers now

in the Imperial Army.

In the front lines you will

understand the value and the purpose

of all you've learned here,

everything your officers

have taught you.

Their ways have sometimes

seemed harsh to you,

for the lessons

they taught you in this camp.

They've taught you to be soldiers.

To be soldiers

in the service of Almighty God,

the Kaiser and the Fatherland.

Right... face.

Forward... march.

Forward... march.

Open up.

Shoulder weapons.

Right face.

Board the train.

No smoking.

No smoking.

Fifth company, get down.

Hold up.

Second Company.

This way. Fall out, two ranks.

So... Here you are.

It's the custom to assign

one old hand to every new platoon.

You're the new platoon.

I'm the old hand.

I'll teach you practic...

Listen to me, boy.

I'll teach you practical things.

And how to kill Frenchies.

First we'll give you hot food,

let you get some sleep,

Tonight.

Frenchie wants to say hello.

You just stick close to Kat,

and move when I tell you to move.

Get down. Off the road.

Take cover. Off the road!

Shoot the wounded horses!

Shoot them!

Shoot them, can't you?

Shoot them.

Hey! You're crazy?

You want to kill somebody?

Get down.

Why? What have they done?

They haven't done anything.

Using horses is wrong.

It's wrong killing horses.

Come on, let's go, boys.

Get up.

Up. Come on, boys.

Everybody here?

Huh? Link up, boys.

A taste of the real thing.

You'll get used to it.

You ready?

All right.

Well, you're almost getting

to be soldiers now.

You stick with Kat

and you'll be all right.

'We have been at the front

for a year. We are soldiers now.

'We know this place well.

'We are at home.

'Only Kemmerich is dead but we keep

hearing about others in our class;

'dead, wounded.

'If a shot comes,

all we can do is duck,

'because we can never know

where it will fall.

'I can be smashed to bits

in a bomb-proof dugout,

'of I can survive ten hours

unscathed out in the open.

'Of course, every soldier believes

in chance and trusts his luck.

'But no soldier outlives

a thousand chances.

'We call them corpse rats.

'They have shocking evil faces

and even on our empty stomachs,

'it is nauseating

to see their long naked tais.

'The bait is bread,

so rotten even we won't eat it.

'they'll come among us

to snatch them away.

'It's a way to pass the time.'

Gas masks. Gas masks.

'Gas, the most feared,

most obscene weapon of all.

'We remember the awful sights

in the hospital.

'The gas patients who, surfocating,

'cough up their burned lungs

in clots.

'Better take your chances

in the open

'than stay in the hollows

where the vapours settle.'

'The new recruits are more trouble

than they are worth.

'Between five and ten

get killed to every old hand.

'And they get killed simply

because they are so inexperienced.

No, don't! No!

Get him.

Hand me a rifle. Hand me a rifle.

Kat, wait!

A baby.

Just a baby.

They're in position.

- Nearby?

- Yes, sir.

'How long has it been?

'Weeks, months, years? Only days.

'Yesterday we were under fire.

Today we can rest.

'Tomorrow we go up

to the trenches again.'

Boys, boys, come here.

Look, you boys go on that side.

Over here. This way.

Easy, easy.

Get around, get around up there.

This way.

It's gone.

Quick, he'll get away.

Get him, get him, get him!

Someone eat the liver. I'm on a diet.

and the sturfing would have been

something very special.

But all considered...

A feast. I feel like a king.

Ah, not bad, not bad.

Like I say,

it's not a bad little war.

You never answered

my question, Joseph.

What question?

What we'll all do. Get drunk.

Of course he'll get drunk.

Then it's back home

and mama and all that.

But what ese?

Well, tell him, Joseph.

Don't be ashamed.

I'm not ashamed.

He's going to theology school

to be a minister.

A year here and you haven't changed

your mind about that.

Is God still in his heaven?

Nothing ever changes that.

What about you?

Back to the cobbler's bench, eh?

And the children.

How many you got?

Don't ask.

Good thing I'm a shoemaker,

of I'd go broke just buying shoes.

More coffins.

A bigger load than usual.

That means a bigger offensive.

How considerate

they are at headquarters.

Come on, get this one down.

Haul them up.

Careful, careful.

How old are you?

Sixteen.

Next year, fight out of the cradle.

Did you notch this bayonet?

Yes, sir.

Who told you to?

- At the training camp...

- Training camp, eh?

Sonny, if the enemy ever caught you

with this, they wouldn't kill you,

Nobody uses these things any more.

It's by mutual agreement,

on both sides.

I didn't know.

- First time?

- Yes, sir.

Don't 'sir' me. I'm a private.

Sorry, I thought...

Don't think. Just listen.

Yes, sir.

Your spade is better.

You hit a man under the chin.

Take his head off.

It's a good club, too.

Cos it's heavy.

Hit a man between neck and shoulder.

Right here. Split him right in two.

- Mother of God!

- It's cleaner.

Bayonet gets stuck in ribs,

you have to kick him to pull it out.

Time it takes, you're a dead man.

Understand?

Now, where is your platoon leader?

Corporal Himmestoss

said he'd meet us here.

Ah.

Corporal who?

Himmestoss.

From Oldenberg training station?

Yes, sir.

I don't believe it!

Vengeance is mine.

No, sir. He got into trouble.

Overdid it with two trainees on

the muddy field. You know the field?

Do we know the muddy field?

He went too far. Almost killed them.

He didn't see the son of the local

magistrate watching.

So, he's here.

Of course he'd spoil it for himself.

Oh, Lord. I can hardly wait.

Oh, well. Look who's here.

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