E.M.Remarque "Läänerindel Muutuseta"
and rum are doled out to the men, and every man receives numerous grenades and ample
ammunition. The men remove saw blades from their bayonets because the enemy instantly
kills anyone caught with this kind of blade on his bayonet. Kat is in bad spirits, which Paul
takes as a bad sign, since Kat has an uncanny sense for knowing what will happen on the
front.
Days pass before the bombs begin to fall. No attack comes right away, but the bombing
continues. Attempts to deliver food to the dugouts fail. Even Kat fails to scrounge anything
up. The men settle down to wait. Eventually, a new recruit cracks and attempts to leave. Kat
and Paul have to beat him into submission. Later, the dugout suffers a direct hit. Luckily, the
shell is a light one, and the concrete holds up against it. Three recruits crack, and one actually
escapes the dugout. Before Paul can retrieve him, a shell whistles through the air and smashes
the escaped recruit to bits