Book excerpt: “A gripping narrative” of the German submarines that nearly changed the outcome of World War II from the author of Dönitz and the Wolf Packs (Naval Review). 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. “An intimate narrative, one driven by human endurance and frailty.” —Amsterdam Nautical College Newsletter