Into Enemy Waters: A World War II Story of the Demolition Divers Who Became the Navy SEALS
With echoes of Unbroken; the derring-do and bravado of The Right Stuff; and the battle-forged camaraderie of Band of Brothers, this is the World War II story of 95-year-old veteran George Morgan and the Underwater Demolition Teams. Forerunners of the Navy SEALs, the elite unit was given nearly impossible pre-invasion missions from D-Day to the most crucial landings in the Pacific Theater.

Into Enemy Waters details the origins and heroic missions of World War II’s most elite and daring unit of warriors, told through the eyes of one of its last living members, 95-year-old George Morgan.

Morgan was just a wiry, 17-year-old lifeguard from New Jersey when he joined the Navy's new combat demolition unit, tasked to blow up enemy coastal defenses ahead of landings by Allied forces. His first assignment: Omaha Beach on D-Day.

When he returned stateside, Morgan learned that his service was only beginning. Outfitted with swim trunks, a dive mask, and fins, he was sent to Hawaii and then on to deployments in the Pacific as a member of the elite and pioneering Underwater Demolition Teams. GIs called them "half fish, half nuts." Today, we call them frogmen—and Navy SEALS.

Led by maverick Naval Reserve Officer Draper Kauffman, Morgan would spend the fierce final year of the war swimming up to enemy controlled beaches to gather intel and detonate underwater barriers. He'd have to master the sea, muster superhuman grit, and overcome the demons of Omaha Beach.

Moving closer to Japan, the enemy's island defenses were growing more elaborate and its soldiers more fanatical. From the black sand beaches of Iwo Jima to the shark infested reefs of Okinawa, to the cold seas of Tokyo Bay, teenaged George Morgan was there before most, fighting for his life. And for all of us.

1140960123
Into Enemy Waters: A World War II Story of the Demolition Divers Who Became the Navy SEALS
With echoes of Unbroken; the derring-do and bravado of The Right Stuff; and the battle-forged camaraderie of Band of Brothers, this is the World War II story of 95-year-old veteran George Morgan and the Underwater Demolition Teams. Forerunners of the Navy SEALs, the elite unit was given nearly impossible pre-invasion missions from D-Day to the most crucial landings in the Pacific Theater.

Into Enemy Waters details the origins and heroic missions of World War II’s most elite and daring unit of warriors, told through the eyes of one of its last living members, 95-year-old George Morgan.

Morgan was just a wiry, 17-year-old lifeguard from New Jersey when he joined the Navy's new combat demolition unit, tasked to blow up enemy coastal defenses ahead of landings by Allied forces. His first assignment: Omaha Beach on D-Day.

When he returned stateside, Morgan learned that his service was only beginning. Outfitted with swim trunks, a dive mask, and fins, he was sent to Hawaii and then on to deployments in the Pacific as a member of the elite and pioneering Underwater Demolition Teams. GIs called them "half fish, half nuts." Today, we call them frogmen—and Navy SEALS.

Led by maverick Naval Reserve Officer Draper Kauffman, Morgan would spend the fierce final year of the war swimming up to enemy controlled beaches to gather intel and detonate underwater barriers. He'd have to master the sea, muster superhuman grit, and overcome the demons of Omaha Beach.

Moving closer to Japan, the enemy's island defenses were growing more elaborate and its soldiers more fanatical. From the black sand beaches of Iwo Jima to the shark infested reefs of Okinawa, to the cold seas of Tokyo Bay, teenaged George Morgan was there before most, fighting for his life. And for all of us.

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Into Enemy Waters: A World War II Story of the Demolition Divers Who Became the Navy SEALS

Into Enemy Waters: A World War II Story of the Demolition Divers Who Became the Navy SEALS

by Andrew Dubbins
Into Enemy Waters: A World War II Story of the Demolition Divers Who Became the Navy SEALS

Into Enemy Waters: A World War II Story of the Demolition Divers Who Became the Navy SEALS

by Andrew Dubbins

Hardcover

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Overview

With echoes of Unbroken; the derring-do and bravado of The Right Stuff; and the battle-forged camaraderie of Band of Brothers, this is the World War II story of 95-year-old veteran George Morgan and the Underwater Demolition Teams. Forerunners of the Navy SEALs, the elite unit was given nearly impossible pre-invasion missions from D-Day to the most crucial landings in the Pacific Theater.

Into Enemy Waters details the origins and heroic missions of World War II’s most elite and daring unit of warriors, told through the eyes of one of its last living members, 95-year-old George Morgan.

Morgan was just a wiry, 17-year-old lifeguard from New Jersey when he joined the Navy's new combat demolition unit, tasked to blow up enemy coastal defenses ahead of landings by Allied forces. His first assignment: Omaha Beach on D-Day.

When he returned stateside, Morgan learned that his service was only beginning. Outfitted with swim trunks, a dive mask, and fins, he was sent to Hawaii and then on to deployments in the Pacific as a member of the elite and pioneering Underwater Demolition Teams. GIs called them "half fish, half nuts." Today, we call them frogmen—and Navy SEALS.

Led by maverick Naval Reserve Officer Draper Kauffman, Morgan would spend the fierce final year of the war swimming up to enemy controlled beaches to gather intel and detonate underwater barriers. He'd have to master the sea, muster superhuman grit, and overcome the demons of Omaha Beach.

Moving closer to Japan, the enemy's island defenses were growing more elaborate and its soldiers more fanatical. From the black sand beaches of Iwo Jima to the shark infested reefs of Okinawa, to the cold seas of Tokyo Bay, teenaged George Morgan was there before most, fighting for his life. And for all of us.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781635767728
Publisher: Diversion Books
Publication date: 08/23/2022
Pages: 352
Sales rank: 1,018,653
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Andrew Dubbins is an award-winning journalist and author, based in Los Angeles. His work has appeared in Alta, Los Angeles magazine, The Daily Beast, Slate, and other publications. He was named “Journalist of the Year” by the Los Angeles Press Club in 2021, and several of his narrative non-fiction stories have been optioned for film and TV.

Table of Contents

Prologue xiii

Part I The Atlantic

1 The Crash 3

2 Shadow of War 13

3 Bomb Disposal 19

4 The Lifeguard 31

5 Coastal Defenses 39

6 Fort Pierce 47

7 The Demolitioneers 53

8 Overlord 64

9 Rising Tide 70

Part II The Pacific

10 Amphibians 83

11 The Lagoon 90

12 Combat Swimmers 97

13 The Whale 108

14 Setting Sail 117

15 The Elite 121

16 The Floating City 130

Part III Into Enemy Waters

17 Sulphur Island 137

18 Falling Leaves 146

19 Black Sand 154

20 The Catchers 160

21 Blessman 168

22 The Flag 176

23 The Reef 185

24 Kamikaze 194

25 Pulling Teeth 203

26 Easter 208

27 Typhoon 217

28 Black Skies 224

29 R&R 233

Part IV The Last Island

30 The Big One 243

31 The Sword 250

32 Coronado 260

Epilogue 269

Acknowledgments 277

Sources 279

Index 313

About the Author 319

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