The novel by Lothar-Gunter Buchheim tells about the military campaign of a German submarine during the Second World War. People, by the will of fate and time, are put in a situation where it is necessary to kill in order to live - this is the main idea of ​ ​ the book. This is a tough and dynamic work in which each character is a person with a capital letter. The author shows in great detail the combat everyday life of submariners, the routine of death in war, realistically recreates the oppressive atmosphere of the submarine.