# Corporal Himmelstoss — All Quiet on the Western Front character guide

> Corporal Himmelstoss in All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Himmelstoss

**First appearance:** 0002-i

## Snapshot

A petty postman turned corporal who drills his recruits with sadistic relish, proving that the army's cruelty begins long before the enemy does.

## Who they are

Himmelstoss is the strictest disciplinarian in the camp and proud of it, a small man with a waxed moustache who makes Paul scrub floors with a toothbrush and stand at attention in the frost. His persecution of Kropp, Tjaden, and Paul teaches them something the front will only confirm: that authority can be as dangerous as artillery. When he finally reaches the trenches, the men's contempt for him becomes a quiet test of what the war has and hasn't changed.

## In the story

### [Chapter 1](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/all_quiet_on_the_western_front_se/chapters/all-quiet-on-the-western-front)

The harsh training corporal who tormented the recruits before they went to the front.

### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/all_quiet_on_the_western_front_se/chapters/ii)

The strict disciplinarian who torments the recruits; his authority is eventually undermined.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/all_quiet_on_the_western_front_se/chapters/iii)

Mentioned as arriving at the front; his past abuses, including the bed-wetting punishment and the 'Change at Löhne' drill, are recounted.

### [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/all_quiet_on_the_western_front_se/chapters/v)

Attempts to assert authority over the men but is met with defiance and insults.

### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/all_quiet_on_the_western_front_se/chapters/vi)

Found hiding with a scratch during an attack; Paul forces him to join the charge.

### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/all_quiet_on_the_western_front_se/chapters/viii)

Mentioned as having given Tjaden his 'education' at the camp.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/all_quiet_on_the_western_front_se/characters/himmelstoss
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/all_quiet_on_the_western_front_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/all_quiet_on_the_western_front_se/characters