@csbarker - Hindsight is always 20/20, especially in the eyes of young men, looking for adventure, and wanting to prove themselves heroic, gorged on the propaganda of duty, honor, and the notion of fighting for the "Father or Mother-land". However, do not misunderstand my position. Pacifism cannot fly in the face of those who would bring havoc and ruin upon ourselves, our loved ones, and our cherished way of life, as "greater love has no man than this, that he would lay down his life for a friend". (John 15:13) But, being volunteered for the Cuisinart of war at the behest of those "in the rear with the gear", or worse, politicians sitting fat and sassy in their ivory towers, while the blood and treasure of others is spilled in their behalf makes little sense either. After all, "suppose they gave a war...,and NOBODY came?"

All Quiet on the Western Front exposes the devastating insanity of "Modern" warfare, where new instruments of death such as the machine gun, tanks, flame throwers, poison gas and heavy artillery made old tactics like digging a trench and then going "over the top" straight into a hail of bullets to gain a few meters of ground a futile exercise. Nor was digging in and holding ground any better of an option, as eventually, tanks, poison gas, or even enemy tunnellers could eventually breach the held position and kill you anyway. Not to mention the mud, rats, diseases or, as shown, plain old starvation and deprivation, driving men to desperation and madness.

Yet, what was the individual soldier to do, when, refusing an order to run headlong into almost certain death, would result in summary execution. That is the conundrum these men faced. Yes, there are always those who are "professional solders" who would rather go out in a "blaze of glory" than negotiate the peace, but what of those who finally realized they've been hoodwinked, and just want to get back to the wife and kids, or just WANT the CHANCE to have a wife and kids?"

For me, the most poignant moments were those where for Paul, if only fleetingly, the fog of war briefly lifted, and, he regained his humanity, in the one instance, after hand to hand fighting and stabbing the French soldier, then apologizing and trying to save him, and then of course, when he was sent on the final charge, ending up fighting in the trench, and then, face to face with his fellow, yet enemy soldier, knowing the armistice is to take effect in a few minutes, he pauses, and his "warface" slowly relaxes, and they BOTH realize they no longer want to do this, sadly, all for naught.

And yet, 104 years later, it seems we STILL haven't learned.......