Shooting the war

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 officer 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 "gray 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 war and life with equanimity. At the same time his memoirs offer an unwavering assessment of the dictates of duty.