All Quiet on the Western Front is a book about the life of a soldier during World War I. It focuses on a young German soldier by the name of Paul Baumer and the changes and struggles he faces throughout the war. Paul is nineteen years old and had survived being in the front, was considered to be a veteran had such a young age. Baumer and his classmates had volunteered for the war and their decision was mainly based upon what their schoolteacher had been telling them. The book starts off where the German soldiers are resting right after they had just fought a battle. Paul talks about how they had all lined up for breakfast and that the cook had only prepared for about 80 of the soldiers. Many of their weeks in the army involved very strict training in which they were under the command of a man by the name of Himmelstoss. Paul's platoon consisted of about 150 men and after 2 weeks about 80 had survived thus explaining the incident with the cook. Paul decides to go ahead and visit one of is an old classmate who is Kemmerich. Kemmerich had suffered a wound and it was obvious to Paul that he would soon die. Paul does not leave Kemmerich's side until he dies. Paul had become fairly good friends with this forty-year-old soldier who goes by the name Kat. Kat can produce ample amounts of food from apparently out of sight. Kat thinks that the war will be over quite quickly if everyone had received equal rations. One of Paul's other classmates by the name of Kropp, has a different opinion on the war.