Generals Die in Bed - Plot

The story starts in Montreal with an unnamed soldier of 20 years old who is getting ready to leave with the Canadian army to go fight the Germans in Europe, mostly in France and Belgium, during World War I. He already starts to build close relationships with some of the fellow soldiers: Brown, Cleary, Fry, Broadbent and Anderson. Soon after, the story shifts to the trenches, where the conditions are unsanitary with lice and fat rats. The narrator (which is still and will stay unknown) changes his perspective about war. When he thought war contained glory and glamour, he finds himself wrong when his comrades start to die, beginning with Brown. A while later, he is emotionally affected when he kills a German with his bayonet. His emotional status worsens when another of his friend dies. The narrator then goes on leave for 10 days in England, where a prostitute makes him forget about the war. When he comes back, an attempt to raid the Germans takes place where the rest of his friends, except Broadbent dies. The general tells the new team that the Germans sank a hospital ship, and organizes another raid, this time to kill everyone. The narrator has wounded his foot, and discover that Broadbent was mortally wounded too. Broadbent’s leg is hanging by a string of flesh, but then dies by blood loss. Then the war is over. The recruits are told that the general lied, the Germans didn’t sink a hospital ship. It was a ship filled with weapons. He then realizes war is basically a chess game for the generals, and the soldiers are just young boys, listening to the orders, with meaningless ideals