"In 1940, the commerce raiders Orion, Komet, Pinguin and Kormoron left Germany disguised as neutral freighters. Flying false flags, as part of Nazi Germany's strategy to attack the British Empire's maritime trade on a global scale, they waged a deadly 'pirate war' in the South Seas, sinking or capturing 62 ships ... creating chaos across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans ... Before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Orion and Komet hunted Allied freighters in seemingly peaceful South Pacific and New Zealand waters ... [This] is also the story of the Allied sailors who encountered the raiders and fought suicidal battles against a superior foe. Additionally, it describes the experiences of the men, women and children who endured captivity on board the raiders as prisoners of the Third Reich"--Publisher's description.