As mentioned above, it's about the East German Army's 666th TSF Squadron (tactical surface fighter) known as the Schwarzesmarken, a super elite unit that fights Betas on the front lines (they usually carry out laserjagds (laser hunts) in which they go to the back of enemy lines and kill the laser units that basically overpower human forces if they aren't eliminated)

Now on to the more important stuff. At this point in time it's 1983. Basically, to summarize the setting of Schwarzesmarken, it's the Cold War with BETAs added into the mix. Germany is split into the West and East, with the East receiving most of the BETA attacks and the West flourishing. It's a relatively dangerous time for the East, especially since there are a lot of conflicts between political parties. (Guess what kind? Lol you got it. Communism and capitalism and all that stuff) And then you have the soldiers who are dedicated to fighting for the sake of the country and the people. That's the 666th squadron. With the BETA threat looming over them, they have to somehow beat them back, show the world (the UN) that East Germany is just as strong as West Germany, and clean up internal conflicts so that power is rightfully given to the people. In other words, it's less about the BETAs and more about the internal political conflicts that are destroying East Germany. The stuff about ignoring allied distress calls is kind of extraneous since it really doesn't change much of the story.

We have our beloved MC Theodore Eberbach (just love the naming sense) who is a member of the 666th. He's pretty much apathetic to everything, especially since a few years ago his mom, dad, and his little sister were killed by the Stasi (aka the secret police, you know, the ones that go around killing people and make the party look good). So why is he fighting for them? I don't know, and he doesn't know either, at least in the beginning. He fights, and along the way he meets someone who changes his views on the war, Katia Waldheim, and later finds out that his captain Irisdina Bernhard (who he thought was a heartless informer who killed her own brother because she was a loyal dog of the Stasi) was actually part of a resistance that is attempting to overthrow the current government. He decides to fight for the people, they win, etc.

However, theres a good amount of tragedy mixed into this.

The character development was relatively simplified, and a lot of things were exaggerated but the tension in the story kept me on my toes, especially since the author threw a lot of curveballs. But is it a fantastic story? Not really, but its not bad.