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

by Chet Cunningham

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.

Genres: History

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 28, 2004

About the author

aka Jess Cody, Cathy Cunningham, Lionel Derrick (with Mark Roberts 2), Keith Douglass (with William H Keith), J.D. Bondie, Chad Calhoun, G.A. Carrington, Kit Dalton, Dirk Fletcher, Don Pendleton

Since his first novel was published in 1968 Chet Cunningham has written and had published nearly 300 works of fiction and 15 non fiction books. He is equally adept on horseback, in the techno-thriller arena, or recounting military history. His output includes 125 westerns and 50 men's action/adventure novels.

Reviews

[Iain · Rating 2 out of 5]

A missed opportunity. An expansive collection of accounts that range from colorful vignettes thru dry recitations of dates of service. Readers interested in the former would do well to skim through, reading only those accounts greater than a page in length. Given that the accounts are grouped by unit and theater, there is also a great deal of repetition.

I was reading Lt. Gen. Moore's "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young" concurrently with this title, and the contrast could not be more stark.

I can't help but imagine how much better the work would have been with stronger editorial control and a cohesive discussion of historical context.

[Katie Haasch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looks at a snapshot of what the Frogmen (Underwater Demolition Units) did for training, what type of action they saw and what boats/ ships they were on.