Kindervater (KIHN-duhr-VAH-tuhr) Himmelstoss forces him, a bed-wetter, to share a bed with Tjaden, also a bed-wetter. Ironically, his name means “child father.”
Ginger Second Company’s red-haired cook who worries that he has cooked enough rations for one hundred fifty men when only eighty remain; he cares more about conserving food than about the number of fallen soldiers.
Tiejen (TEE-juhn) A soldier who calls for his mother and holds off a doctor with a dagger, then falls dead.
Sergeant Oellrich (UHRL-rihk) A sniper who takes pride in the accuracy of his shooting.
Heinrich Bredemeyer (HYN-rihk BRAY-duh-MY-r) A soldier who informs Paul’s mother about front-line dangers.
Mittelstaedt (MIHT-tuhl-shteht) Paul’s friend who commands the home guard and uses his authority to humiliate Kantorek, their former schoolmaster, even parroting some of Kantorek’s favorite sneers. To circumvent punishment, Mittelstaedt relies on his ongoing relationship with the daughter of his superior officer.
Boettcher (BETT-chuhr) A spruce, proud soldier, he was formerly a porter, a staff employee, at Paul’s school. Boettcher shares with Kantorek the job of pushing a barrow to fetch bread.
Josef Hamacher (YO-suhf HAH-mah-kuhr) An inmate at the Catholic hospital who shares a ward with Albert, Paul, and Peter, Hamacher has a “shooting license” because he is considered brain damaged and shares inside information about the Dead Room.
Chief Surgeon A staff member at the Catholic hospital, he delights in experimental operations on the flat feet of soldiers, whom he ruins for life.
Little Peter An undersized, curly-haired ward mate suffering a severe lung wound. He resists being taken to the “Dead Room,” then amazes his buddies by becoming the first patient to return.
Franz Wächter (frahnz VEHK-tuhr) A ward mate, he suffers an arm wound that hemorrhages during the night. Failing rapidly, Franz is taken to the Dead Room and never returns.
Sister Libertine A nun at the Catholic hospital, she cheerfully assists Paul and Albert and jubilantly wheels Peter back from the Dead Room.
Berger (BAYR-guhr) The most powerful soldier in the Second Company. During the summer of 1918, he commits an error in judgment and is wounded while trying to rescue a messenger dog under fire.
Gérard Duval (zhuh-RAHRD doo-VAHL) A French soldier, a typesetter in civilian life, he is knifed to death by Paul. Seized with guilt for killing him, Paul searches Duval’s wallet for an address and discovers letters and pictures of Duval’s wife and child.
Johann Lewandowski (YOH-hahn LAY-vahn-DOW-skee) A forty-year-old Polish veteran, he has occupied a ward in the Catholic hospital for ten months while recovering from an abdominal wound. His wardmates keep watch while he makes love with his wife, Marja, whom he hasn’t seen for two years.
Kemmerich’s Mother A hometown friend of the Bäumer family, Franz’s mother humiliates her son by following him to the station and imploring Paul to watch over her son. Later, unable to bear the thought of Franz suffering at length, she forces Paul to take a strong oath that the report of her son’s instant death is the truth.
Paul’s Mother A long-suffering, self-sacrificing woman with recurrent cancer, Paul’s mother scrimps to provide him with potato-cakes, whortleberry jam, and warm woolen underpants. During his last night at home on his first furlough, she sits late by his bedside to express her concern for his welfare. Later, she receives treatment at a charity ward in Luisa Hospital.
Paul’s Sister Scarcely described in the text, Paul’s sister greets him at the door when he returns on leave and helps him tie his tie when he dresses in civilian clothes. Together, Paul and his sister wait in line for meat scraps, but come home empty-handed.
Paul’s Father Sharing a strained relationship with his son, Paul’s father accompanies his son to the local tavern and later visits him at the camp on the moors before Paul returns to the front.
Three French Girls Occupants of a house across the canal from Paul’s billet, the girls, unable to buy food, welcome soldiers who pay their way with army rations. The brunette, Paul’s pick of the three, proves more interested in food than in the men who supply it.
Kaiser The authority figure who leads Germany during the Great War and whom Paul’s friends perceive as the cause of the war.
