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Summary
The war diary of former German naval officer Otto Giese recounts
a seafaring career of extraordinary scope. It begins with the dawning of World
War II, while the author is a junior on board the ocean liner SS Columbus, and
continues through his confinement in a British prisoner-of-war camp after the
war. Readers will be moved by the author's ability to put a human face on the
German experience of the war.
The book contains more
than 100 Leica-quality photographs, an exceptional assortment taken by Giese throughout
his wartime service that offers a unique historical overview. Also included are
vivid accounts of the scuttling of the Columbus, furtive blockade running, and
the arduous life of the men who served in Germany's fleet of "grey wolves"
as they prowled the polar sea and other remote corners of the world.
Even with Germany's surrender, the war was far from over for
Giese and his comrades, who remained deep in the Malayan jungle until captured
by the British and imprisoned in the infamous Changi Jail. Interspersed among
tales of hardship and loss are colorful anecdotes that relay joy and camaraderie.
Whether it be plots to escape detention at Angel Island, the unlikely processing
of German seamen at Ellis Island, or a stint "policing" guerrilla warfare
in the Malayan jungle, the author greets the incongruous moments of the war and
life with equanimity. At the same time his memories offer an in wavering assessment
of the dictates of duty.
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