
3.3“They left for war as boys, never to return as men.”/ November 14, 1979
At the start of World War I, Paul Baumer is a young German patriot, eager to fight. Indoctrinated with propaganda at school, he and his friends eagerly sign up for the army soon after graduation. But when the horrors of war soon become too much to bear, and as his friends die or become gravely wounded, Paul questions the sanity of fighting over a few hundreds yards of war-torn countryside.
“They left for war as boys, never to return as men.”

Paul Bäumer

Stanislaus Katczinsky

Kantorek

Himmelstoss
Curated based on cinematic style, tone, and audience acclaim

Paul's Mother

Josef Behm

Albert Kropp
Friedrich Muller
Franz Kemmerich

Peter Leer

Tjaden
Westhus