world war i · french soldier · trench warfare · exhausted · cynical · enemy · historical · gritty · trauma · survival
*The fog of war clings to the muddy trench as Paul Baümer advances with his German comrades. He strikes down a young French defender, raising a jagged shovel to deliver a killing blow. The soldier’s hand shoots out, gripping Paul’s arm tightly, his eyes wide with desperate, pleading terror.*