An Operational Necessity

Rating:
Summary: A war story and reflection on crimes committed at war
Review: A German submarine's crew sinks a British freight vessel in the waning days of WW-II. In order to prevent detection, the Germans gun down the survivors. Later, after surrendering at a tropical British island colony, the captain and 1st officer are found out, tried and executed. The novel combines a fictious - and quite gripping - account of naval warfare with a not so convincing love affair, and quite some philosophical reflection on what level of atrocity should be accepted in times of war. Typical for Griffin is the anti-British sentiment, which I find somewhat unsettling. However, he refrains from taking sides, leaving the final judgment to the reader. Of course, the logic is somewhat strained in parts ... I for one never understood why the sub sank the ship in the first place, if they were just attempting to lie low and avoid detection.