"Clear the Decks by Daniel Gallery" Topic

I had never read this book and now I can say that I am very happy that I did. Well written and the author is not full of himself. He was commanding the USS Guadalcanal, when she the U-515. Anybody else ever read this?

I read it years ago, way before the ULTRA books came out. Which is interesting, since I seem to remember him saying something to the effect that the German sailor POWS were kept incommunicado until after the war, so the secret of the code books being captured would not get out.

I may be wrong about, since it was a while back that I read it.

oops, should read, captured the U-515

John, you recall correctly. I own the book and reread it from time to time.

I particularly like the story of how he buffaloed the Panama canal defenders during a training exercise. One wonders what might have happened if he'd been in Halsey's or Spruance's shoes for one of the big Pacific carrier battles.

Gallery was an excellent tale-spinner. His post-war "Cap'n Fatso" stories are great.

Indeed, if you can find them his other books are great, hilarious reads. Most of the stories in them are actual recountings of real incidents.

They actually kept the sub and the crew incommunicado to avoid having the Germans find out. Originally the U-505 was to be towed to Casablanca, a hotbed of German spies. Instead it was turned around and hauled to Bermuda? I think. Gallery had announced his intention of capturing a U-boat and was told "No way. We already have everything we need." When he radioed the news there was apoplexy that he had ignored orders. There was some thought to a courts-martial but that would have revealed the fact we had the sub, plus created a hero out of Gallery, which they didn't want. Instead they buried the sub, crew and most of the fleet personnel until the end of the war.

The sub is on display in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry in a new indoor area. If you get a chance you must see it. The chance to walk through a WWII Nazi U-boat shouldn't be missed.

I still have most of his books boxed up. Time to get them out again. Good read