All Quiet On The Western Front" – Essay Assignment
             When Britain called on it's allies (Canada included) to help in WWI, everybody dutifully volunteered. Many young men thought that it would be a glamorous adventure that they could not miss. Many even lied about their age to enlist. However, those young boys were in for a rude awakening as it turned out to be more than they bargained for. This was a new kind of war; one that cost the world dearly. Poor organization among troops, appalling war conditions they endured and their emotional scarring all contributed to the pointless suffering and bloodshed that shaped the minds of all soldiers during this "glamorous adventure".
             In the beginning, the poor organization among the troops resulted in some of the mishaps that occurred in battle. In particular, most of the soldiers were all very inexperienced and needed a great deal of training. The new recruits (many of which had no prior experience with guns) only had a few hours of target practice a day- not nearly enough to prepare them for battle. These "green" soldiers went into battle knowing only the basics of combat. Without vital techniques and lack of practice, the basic private stood a slim chance of survival in the front lines. Poor organization was also evident in the equipment shipments. On some occasions, the equipment that was shipped was only half of what was needed (i.e.- a shipment of entirely right foot boots). As well, some shipments were inadequate in the sense that the soldiers were given equipment to get the job done; yet it was not always quite what was needed. A soldier commented "We have been given new black boots, magnificent things, huge, heavy "ammunition boots", and the wonderful thing is they don't let water in. They are very big and they look like punts, but it's dry feet now". (Newman 140). In this, we are given the impression that the troops
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