MEN AT ARMS is the first volume of Evelyn Waugh's masterful WW II trilogy about war, religion and politics. It is followed by OFFICERS AND GENTLEMEN and THE END OF THE BATTLE. Meet Guy Crouchback, a 35-year-old divorced Catholic. Though the armed services really don't want him, he manfully succeeds in joining the Royal Corps of Halberdiers. There he meets Apthorpe, an eccentric African who is devoted to his "thunderbox" (aka chemical closet). Together they make quite a team. "A highly entertaining novel. Waugh's sharp wit and sure satirical touch are always at work." (The Atlantic)