This book addresses a common tendency in post-1970s histories to attribute the Allied success almost solely to the Ultra intelligence (decrypted German signals).
This book focuses on the turning points of the campaign and the broad relationship of Ultra to these other elements, rather than a blow-by-blow account of the entire battle.
This book's primary purpose is to counteract the "Ultra-centric" view of the Battle of the Atlantic. While earlier histories often attributed Allied success almost entirely to the "Ultra" code-breaking achievements, Gardner argues that while Ultra was an important "piece of a multi-dimensional jigsaw," it was not the sole decisive factor. He contends that the Allied victory was instead the result of a complex, interrelated pattern of factors.