First SEALs: The Untold Story of the Forging of America’s Most Elite Unit PDF
Preview First SEALs: The Untold Story of the Forging of America’s Most Elite Unit
FIRST SEALS Copyright © 2014 by Patrick K. O’Donnell All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information, address Da Capo Press, 44 Farnsworth Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02210. Book design by Cynthia Young Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data O’Donnell, Patrick K., 1969– First SEALs : the untold story of the forging of America’s most elite unit / Patrick K. O’Donnell. — First edition. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-306-82173-8 (e-book) 1. World War, 1939–1945—Commando operations—United States. 2. United States. Navy—Commando troops— History. 3. United States. Navy. SEALs—History. 4. United States. Navy. Underwater Demolition Teams—History. 5. United States. Office of Strategic Services—History. 6. World War, 1939–1945—Campaigns—Mediterranean Region. 7. World War, 1939–1945—Campaigns—Italy. 8. World War, 1939-1945—Campaigns—Austria. 9. World War, 1939–1945—Amphibious operations. I. Title. II. Title: First SEALs, the untold story. D794.5.O37 2014 940.54'8673—dc23 2014026097 First Da Capo Press edition 2014 Published by Da Capo Press A Member of the Perseus Books Group www.dacapopress.com Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected]. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Jack Taylor and the renaissance men of the Maritime Unit To Lily To Dawn CONTENTS List of Maps Preface Prologue 1 “Cavities in the Lion’s Mouth”: The Birth of Underwater Combat Swimming 2 Area D 3 The Race to Design a Rebreather 4 Combat Swimmers 5 Silver Springs SEA 6 Crazy Yanks: The Maritime Unit’s Beachhead in Egypt 7 Pirate Yachts and Spies of the Cloth 8 “Haggling, bribing, fines, delays, inspections, bullshit,” 9 Treasure Island 10 The Yankee, Operation Audrey, and the Boot 11 “The Little Pearl Harbor,” 12 The Ultimate Rescue 13 Back to Albania 14 No Picnic 15 The Kelly Plan 16 Ossining 17 Swimmer Commandos AIR 18 The Dupont Mission 19 “I was promised this mission, and I want it,” LAND 20 Vienna Captivity 21 Decima MAS Strikes Back 22 The Eighth Army Detachment 23 Stella 24 Indiana Jones 25 Surviving 26 Mauthausen 27 Last Acts 28 God Bless America 29 Sunset 30 “This is the first time I’ve ever been in the movies,” Epilogue The First SEALs after the War Acknowledgments Notes Index LIST OF MAPS OSS Training Grounds in the Washington Area Eastern Mediterranean Area of Operations Catalina Island-Treasure Island-Pacific Area of Operations Italy and Yugoslavia Area of Operations Northern Italy and Austria Area of Operations PREFACE BEGINNING IN THE SUMMER OF 1942, an extraordinary group of men embarked on an experiment that would alter the course of modern warfare. A dentist, a Hollywood star, a British World War I veteran, an archaeologist, California surfers, a medical student, and even former enemies of America united to pioneer U.S. Sea, Air, and Land operations. They combined intelligence gathering with special operations, much like today’s Navy SEALs. Known as the Maritime Unit, these were America’s first swimmer commandos, an elite breed of warrior-spies decades ahead of their time. Technically, there were no SEALs in World War II, as the unit officially formed in 1962. But the Maritime Unit bent the norm to create tactics, technology, and a philosophy that live on in the modern U.S. Navy SEALs and shape the battlefield of today. No other American World War II unit was quite like it. The men of the Maritime Unit maintained their vows of silence. Their story was classified, lost, and buried in miles of warehoused government records. Now, the World War II generation is in its twilight, and the last of these extraordinary men are slowly fading away. This is their story.
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