Now, don't any of ya ever do that again. Here we go. The anti-war message is made clear through their first experiences under fire. One shell-shocked soldier suffers nightmares of the horrors of claustrophobic trench warfare. Iron-willed Katczkinsky strikes another one who has a nervous breakdown under the strain.
Rats invade their quarters.
Suddenly, the bombardment eases and the men run outside to take their positions in the trench. Their charge is intercut with short cuts of German machine gunfire to hold them back and cut them down. At one point, a grenade explodes in front of a charging French soldier who is approaching some barbed wire. When the dirt and smoke clears, only his hands are left gripping the wire. Paul turns, writhes, and cringes in horror against his rifle stock.