Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"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.

What genius puts Naval aviator wings on the cover of a UDT book? The publisher should've gotten something THAT simple correct. That mistake alone cost the book a star in the rating, and it wasn't the author's fault.

However... this is an interesting and necessary read for UDT history, but a little disappointing. A lot of work goes into these oral histories, though, and the author is to be commended. Agree with some of the other comments. Too much training; needed more action. The Naked Warriors is the first book to read on the subject, followed by America's First Frogman and The Water is Never Cold.

The memories of frogmen from WWII, whose heroic exploits underwater doing everything from intelligence gathering to demolition, is captured and preserved for history in this moving chronicle. Author Chet Cunningham once again takes the oral personal histories of old warriors and weaves them into a book called "The Frogmen Of World War II". The title only partially tells the reader what to expect. The author has a way of taking small memories from many men and like a good artist he creates an over all picture of the war from the point of view of these undersea heroes.

Cunningham allows us to sample the life and death situations that faced these men. His book takes us through the end of the War with Japan. He uses his writing talents to pay homage to what was really the birthing of the SEALS many years later on. He captures the emotions and the feelings that these men experienced through careful placement and editing of their stories. The author does not drown out the voices of these men with some ego laced comments but ties it altogether so that all the individual stories flow along as if one just story. It is a smooth transition from one story to the next. The stories are powerful, moving, and at times very emotional and always action packed!

The book is backed up by lots of researched facts and footnotes. Readers will enjoy this book because it is not dry history. It is emotionally alive and full of action. You will find yourself engrossed in the plight that these men faced and your respect for them will only grow. These men were real heroes and the author does well in letting them tell their own stories without much interference.

I fully recommend this book and give it the MWSA HIGHEST BOOK RATING - FIVE STARS!

I was somewhat disappointed with this book. While it covers the UDT teams it also covers the Scouts & Raiders (S&R) of which I knew nothing. As other reviewers pointed out a good bit of the book is repeats of the training they went through. Hidden in here is something I have long thought about and never seen or heard of and that was who were men that blew up the obstacles on Omaha and Utah beaches at Normandy? I had thought they were all Army engineers, I had no idea that Naval personnel were in the assault waves let alone S&R teams trained to blow the obstacles. Many of the Pacific locations described were places my Dad was at with the 41st Infantry Division. The UDT section was generally more informative than the S&R section since it delt more with actual operations as opposed to training. I found it very interesting that the author listed the men that made up the teams, those the survived and those that paid the ultimate price. All and all this is a very informative book for anyone interested in World War II.

This a good read and the frogmen undoubtedly posessed of courage and determination that few of us can imagine, let alone emulate. but the blurb is hyped overstatement. " never before attempted" ? The Italians had frogmen active in ww 1. The Italians and British had active marine commandos in combat for two years before the U.S even entered ww2.

This is a well-written book about the brave men of world war II. Imagine venturing into places that the average person wouldn't want to go. Imagine venturing into that same place under fire and without weapons. Imagine you're wearig nothing but swim trunks and carrying just a small dive knife. Imagine doing all this all the while knowing you may not go home. These are what the men of the Underwater Demoliton Team did time after time in WWII.

This is an interesting read with voices from the men that were actually there. "Before there were Navy Seals, there were the Frogment of World War II". The author's thorough research is evident and abundant. A great deal of work goes into these oral histories. The author is to be commended. The book focuses a great deal on training and lacks any photos, but we must remember that the missions these men participated in were top secret and not to be discussed. Probably even now.

Overall a good read for those interested in this subject or WWII in general.