The Frogmen of World War II: An Oral History of the U.S. Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams Review

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(More customer reviews)"Navy Frogmen of World War II" combines two subjects that have enjoyed enormous popularity in recent years: World War II exploits and Special Operations. The Navy Frogmen were a precursor to the Navy Seals, and were often engaged in some of the most dangerous behind-enemy-lines operations. It's hazardous enough to storm a beach in full combat gear during an amphibious invasion, but even more perilous to scout or destroy obstacles on that same beach clad in only swim trunks and armed with a dive knife. Obviously, these men and their courage are worthy of our attention and praise. The prologue and the comments in between the oral testimonies establish that both the Army and the Navy had equivalent units intended to scout and clear potential landing areas, while also providing some thematic background on their development.
The oral comments themselves are interesting, but there is a tendency for repetition. There are too many comments about training and not enough about actual operations. The author should have edited the comments or streamlined the material to cover the various aspects of the Navy Frogmen operations. As it is, the repetition tends to get tedious. The oral history is a great approach to military history, and the stories of these men need to be captured, but this book could be better.


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As countless battlefronts in the Pacific, African, and European theaters called for direct amphibious assaults against islands and beachheads, a small corps of exceptionally skilled fighting men was formed -- the U.S. Navy underwater warriors. Beginning in 1943, these men undertook never-before-attempted missions ranging from eye-to-eye recon of enemy-held positions to staging the demolition of shoreline obstacles and clearing the way for landing craft.Here, in their own words, are the true stories of these aquatic commandos, whose daring exploits and bravery would pave the way for thousands of American fighting men around the globe -- and whose recolitionary training and fighting methods would evolve into the modern specail forces known as the Navy SEALs.

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