Books: Tales of the Atlantic

CLEAR THE DECKS! (242 pp.)—Daniel V. Gallery—Morrow ($3.50).

This narrative of World War II might well be called "Tales of the North Atlantic." It is unusual among war memoirs in that its author is a bright, youngish (50) rear admiral of naval aviation with no intention of retiring—he currently commands a carrier division in the Atlantic and Mediterranean from the flag bridge of the Coral Sea.

Dan Gallery started the war as commander of the fleet air base at Reykjavik, Iceland. His relationship with the U.S. Army Air Force was sometimes-less than cordial. One day when the Air Force reported 13 German JU-88s...