The closing months of the year were troubled ones in the Europe of 1938. Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Chancellor, was determined to extend Germany’s boundaries despite the conciliatory diplomacy of both Britain and France.
Kriegsmarine officer, Kapitan zur See Johan Kamenz, the newly appointed captain of the pocket battleship Weisbaden, is more excited however at the prospect of commanding such a powerful warship than with the manoeuvrings of his political masters. He does not believe that either Hitler or Chamberlain want a repeat of the disastrous war of 1914-18.
Before taking up his new appointment he is sent to visit the German Embassy in London, there to learn of Royal Navy warship deployments. His ambitious wife, Marie Therese, is not persuaded to accompany him on his visit, preferring instead to accept an invitation to stay at Karinhall, the hunting lodge of Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering, widower of her school friend Karin.
At a London Embassy reception Johan Kamenz meets Captain Forbes-Houghton, captain of the battleship HMS Ramillies, someone he is destined to meet again. He also meets the captain’s daughter, to whom he is attracted, an attraction that is to have consequences for both of them over the months to come, when Johan realises war leaves little room for sentiment.
War is finally declared, and Kapitan zur See Kamenz must deploy Weisbaden into battle against their new enemy, the British Royal Navy. The ensuing sea fights and cat and mouse chases become a true test of his mettle and of those who serve under him; their guns are set against overwhelming odds and this is a world where only the most cunning can survive.
