When Heinrich Sevin first approaches the front lines, he records the "first soldier's grave" as something extraordinary in his diary. Death will soon become a part of his daily life, depicted in much more gruesome images. Like other soldiers, Sevin experiences extreme situations between the dangers of death and boredom. The vast military machinery on the Eastern Front of World War I, with the battles of the Carpathians, the Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive, and the Brusilov Offensive, is distilled into the experiences of a platoon leader in a machine gun unit. This is a first publication featuring more than 70 illustrations and background information. "The Russians are firing their howitzers close to us. We wait every second for it to crash right among us. One feels helpless; courage is of no use; everything depends on whether the Russian gunner adjusts the barrel a tenth higher or lower.".