This wasn't one of my favorites, but it was still very informative and a useful volume in the series's offerings on World War II. This one focused specifically on what were then, at the time of publication in the 1960s, the ancestors of modern-day Navy SEALs. These units were then called the Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs), amphibious units tasked with specialized missions in units which are now classified as Naval Special Warfare.
They first went active in August, 1942, in the Pacific theater, and were renamed SEALS in 1983. Their initial missions primarily involved reconnaissance and underwater demolition, primarily of obstacles which were obstructing amphibious landings, most notably during the Normandy invasions. The teams changed with the times, however, and the UDTs became more specialized during the Korean and Vietnam Wars - only the Korean conflict is really discussed in this book, however.
The impetus for the development of these units was that the US Navy had experienced a number of disastrous landings during World War I, so leadership began experimenting with new techniques as early as the 1930s, which stood them in good stead when the US entered WWII. A school was then established, first at Little Creek, Virginia, and later in Coronado, California - the latter is still the primary base for SEAL training today.
In 1942, the US Army and Navy also jointly founded an amphibious assault school at Fort Pierce, Florida, where Commander Phil H. Bucklew, known as the Father of Naval Special Warfare, established a curriculum which formed the basis for all future amphibious training.
The book discusses many of the most famous campaigns during WWII, which serves as a good introduction to the ingenuity the men showed while performing never-before-attempted activities in US warfare. They began to specialize in demolition and the use of high explosives in addition to reconnaissance, whereupon a demolition school was established at Camp Peary, Virginia.
These teams played a critical role during the Invasion of Normandy, making significant contributions to the overall success of the operation by reporting on and clearing, in some cases, three-ton steel barricades in the tidal zone. On Omaha beach, for example, UDTs created thirteen gaps to allow for landings, although the cost in lives was heavy, resulting in more than 90 casualties, killed and wounded, out of 175 men.
It's astonishing to remember that many of the tools of the trade were completely unknown during WWII. Even during the Korean conflict, SCUBA was a totally new phenomenon, and "wet suits" were almost a complete novelty at the time of publication! During WWII, to keep warm, men were painted with everything from cocoa butter to axle grease dyed silver as a form of camouflage, which, as the book notes, was apparently TOO successful on occasion! With no means of electronic communication or a ready way to identify friend from foe, many Navy frogmen barely escaped with their lives due to friendly fire!
I'm not a military historian and it's not a topic I know very much about, but boys would probably show far more interest in the subject matter than I typically do. However, it's also an act of appreciation and a display of genuine gratitude to read of the hardships faced by these men, who sacrificed their lives in the effort to win the war. We all need to know of and appreciate the efforts of these men whose creativity and dedication contributed to the success of both the European and Pacific war efforts - men whose generation did nothing less than save the world.
They first went active in August, 1942, in the Pacific theater, and were renamed SEALS in 1983. Their initial missions primarily involved reconnaissance and underwater demolition, primarily of obstacles which were obstructing amphibious landings, most notably during the Normandy invasions. The teams changed with the times, however, and the UDTs became more specialized during the Korean and Vietnam Wars - only the Korean conflict is really discussed in this book, however.
The impetus for the development of these units was that the US Navy had experienced a number of disastrous landings during World War I, so leadership began experimenting with new techniques as early as the 1930s, which stood them in good stead when the US entered WWII. A school was then established, first at Little Creek, Virginia, and later in Coronado, California - the latter is still the primary base for SEAL training today.
In 1942, the US Army and Navy also jointly founded an amphibious assault school at Fort Pierce, Florida, where Commander Phil H. Bucklew, known as the Father of Naval Special Warfare, established a curriculum which formed the basis for all future amphibious training.
The book discusses many of the most famous campaigns during WWII, which serves as a good introduction to the ingenuity the men showed while performing never-before-attempted activities in US warfare. They began to specialize in demolition and the use of high explosives in addition to reconnaissance, whereupon a demolition school was established at Camp Peary, Virginia.
These teams played a critical role during the Invasion of Normandy, making significant contributions to the overall success of the operation by reporting on and clearing, in some cases, three-ton steel barricades in the tidal zone. On Omaha beach, for example, UDTs created thirteen gaps to allow for landings, although the cost in lives was heavy, resulting in more than 90 casualties, killed and wounded, out of 175 men.
It's astonishing to remember that many of the tools of the trade were completely unknown during WWII. Even during the Korean conflict, SCUBA was a totally new phenomenon, and "wet suits" were almost a complete novelty at the time of publication! During WWII, to keep warm, men were painted with everything from cocoa butter to axle grease dyed silver as a form of camouflage, which, as the book notes, was apparently TOO successful on occasion! With no means of electronic communication or a ready way to identify friend from foe, many Navy frogmen barely escaped with their lives due to friendly fire!
I'm not a military historian and it's not a topic I know very much about, but boys would probably show far more interest in the subject matter than I typically do. However, it's also an act of appreciation and a display of genuine gratitude to read of the hardships faced by these men, who sacrificed their lives in the effort to win the war. We all need to know of and appreciate the efforts of these men whose creativity and dedication contributed to the success of both the European and Pacific war efforts - men whose generation did nothing less than save the world.
