Chapters 1-5 Summary

Overview
All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel by Erich Maria Remarque.  This is a story about a man named Paul Baümer that joined the German army during World War I. The first thing that Paul discovers is that the army isn't all it cracked up to be. In fact, it's terrible. His commander gives him  insane punishments for doing the slightest thing wrong, he watched one of his closest friends die from a leg injury, and how the heck is he going to survive in the outrageous battle conditions. Paul and his comrades are assigned to fight on the front line. Paul's friends Müller, Tjaden, and Kropp stick by his side as he faces the First World War.

Ch 1
This chapter is telling about Paul and his comrades finally getting some rest after fighting in the front for a really long time. It introduces some of the characters: Paul, Müller, Kropp, Leer, and many others.
They are all trying to joke around and lighten the mood but it isn't easy after fighting on the front line. In the morning there is a lot of extra food because most of the other soldiers died. The cook tried to throw the food away but then is finally convinced to give them the extra food. Kantorek calls his former students the "iron youth" because they are so much younger and are strong. The crowd the visits Kemmerich who had his leg amputated and  Müller asks if he can have his boots because he doesn't need them.

Ch 2
Paul goes deep into thought in this chapter. He believes that the war is his entire life and that it would be easier to forget it if he had a family to go back to. Corporal Himmelstoss is introduced and it tells how he humiliated his recruits and treated them like garbage. It then tells of Paul's visit to the hospital to see Kemmerich. This visit is unlike anything Paul has experienced and causes one of the biggest changes to Paul's personality in his life. Müller takes the boots without and it shows the difference of their emotions when someone close to them dies.

Ch 3
Chapter three goes more into detail about Katzinsky or "Kat". It tells about how he can some how find food, water, or anything else they might want when nobody else can. They aren't really sure how he does it, it is just a gift that he has. It then talks about them on the front and Tjaden tells everyone that Himmelstoss is coming. Then late at night they went out and beat up Himmelstoss as revenge.

Ch 4
The group is given a mission of putting barbed wire out on the front line. Kat predicts that there will be a bombardment that night. Paul explains the importance of the earth when on the front. After they laid the wire they were bombarded. They took shelter as best they could until the trucks came. The ride back is compromised so they had to go to a graveyard. They cover themselves with coffins until it stops. Kat and Paul find a man in agony and want to put him out of his misery but others come out before they can.

Ch 5
Rumors are confirmed that Himmlestoss has to go to the front. The men all then talk about what they would do if the war ended quickly. Most talk about families, women, drinking, and other things you would commonly hear from these type of men. Tjaden and Kropp are put on trial for disrespecting Himmelstoss. They receive minimal punishments because it was fair considering Himmelstoss' treatment to them. Paul and Kat go to a house where they stole geese, which they ate and used the feathers as pillows.