First SEALs

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]
.

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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

B
EGINNING 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.

PROLOGUE

NOVEMBER 1942,
SHOREHAM HOTEL, WASHINGTON, D.C.

At the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and Calvert Street in Washington, D.C., stands the well-appointed Shoreham Hotel. Built in 1930, the impressive art deco structure boasts 832 luxurious guest rooms, several elegantly furnished ballrooms, high-ceilinged dining rooms, and a sumptuous lobby illuminated by a host of glittering chandeliers. The hotel features nearly every amenity a discerning traveler or even a president could desire. At the behest of Franklin D. Roosevelt's staff, the hotel quietly added a special ramp and elevator to accommodate the president's wheelchair, allowing the Shoreham to serve as the venue for FDR's first inaugural ball and host inauguration galas for every subsequent president throughout the twentieth century.