In essence, this is the story of U-223, commanded by Karl-Jurgen Wächter from the time of her commissioning in Kiel in January 1943 through a murderous career to her eventual but dramatic demise in the Mediterranean in March 1944. At the same time, the book covers the declining fortunes of the U-boat arm as a whole from early 1943 when it seemed invincible and seriously threatened the Allies with defeat to the end of the war.