Scouts and Raiders - by John Dwyer (Hardcover)

About the Book

The history of the Scouts & Raiders of World War II is the story of the original ancestors of today's elite SEAL teams. As the Navy's first special warfare commandos these highly trained and skilled officer/enlisted boat crews conducted pre-assault recons of landing beaches, hydrographic recons, marked assault beaches, and guided in assault waves from 36-foot Scout boats, rubber boats, and kayaks at North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Southern France, and Normandy, earning numerous decorations for heroism, including 8 Navy Crosses. In the Mediterranean, S&Rs trained elite units such as Rangers and the 1st Special Service Force, and were assigned to Special Operations Task Group 80.4 and the Adriatic Special Operations Group, working with Allied units supporting Tito's partisans.

In the Pacific, S&Rs served as Scout Intelligence Officers, Amphibious Scouts, Beachmasters, and with Underwater Demolition Teams with 5th and 7th Amphibious Forces from Kwajalein to Okinawa and in the Philippines campaign. They served in Admiral Milton Miles' U.S. Naval Group, China, training Nationalist Chinese guerrillas, participating in raids and ambushes and conducting behind-the-lines overland recons, disguised as coolies to escape detection by Japanese forces. Highly trained, skilled and brave, the Scouts & Raiders were the Navy's first special warfare commandos. This book will be useful for anyone interested in military/naval history, amphibious operations and special warfare. It tells, for the first time, the story of the Scouts & Raiders, a unique World War II unit.

Book Synopsis

The history of the Scouts & Raiders of World War II is the story of the original ancestors of today's elite SEAL teams. As the Navy's first special warfare commandos these highly trained and skilled officer/enlisted boat crews conducted pre-assault recons of landing beaches, hydrographic recons, marked assault beaches, and guided in assault waves from 36-foot Scout boats, rubber boats, and kayaks at North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Southern France, and Normandy, earning numerous decorations for heroism, including 8 Navy Crosses. In the Mediterranean, S&Rs trained elite units such as Rangers and the 1st Special Service Force, and were assigned to Special Operations Task Group 80.4 and the Adriatic Special Operations Group, working with Allied units supporting Tito's partisans.

In the Pacific, S&Rs served as Scout Intelligence Officers, Amphibious Scouts, Beachmasters, and with Underwater Demolition Teams with 5th and 7th Amphibious Forces from Kwajalein to Okinawa and in the Philippines campaign. They served in Admiral Milton Miles' U.S. Naval Group, China, training Nationalist Chinese guerrillas, participating in raids and ambushes and conducting behind-the-lines overland recons, disguised as coolies to escape detection by Japanese forces. Highly trained, skilled and brave, the Scouts & Raiders were the Navy's first special warfare commandos. This book will be useful for anyone interested in military/naval history, amphibious operations and special warfare. It tells, for the first time, the story of the Scouts & Raiders, a unique World War II unit.

Review Quotes

?For those interested in small units and their activities during the war, this book fills a useful niche. The firm focus on individuals and careful attention to personal histories and anecdotes make this book interesting to read.?-The Northern Mariner

?Rating: Excellent This account of thearte of opperations in the North Africa, Elba, the Adriatic, France, Okinawa and SACO(sino-American Cooperative Orangation) in China, Pacific, China, Korea at Normandy and the Mederaian during WWII is the best account to provide essential historical information.?- The Bookseller's Network

?Scouts and Raiders' of World War II. . . . Their development, training and actions in both theaters of war are recounted in detail in this well-researched history.?-Proceedings

"For those interested in small units and their activities during the war, this book fills a useful niche. The firm focus on individuals and careful attention to personal histories and anecdotes make this book interesting to read."-The Northern Mariner

"Scouts and Raiders' of World War II. . . . Their development, training and actions in both theaters of war are recounted in detail in this well-researched history."-Proceedings

"Rating: Excellent This account of thearte of opperations in the North Africa, Elba, the Adriatic, France, Okinawa and SACO(sino-American Cooperative Orangation) in China, Pacific, China, Korea at Normandy and the Mederaian during WWII is the best account to provide essential historical information."- The Bookseller's Network

About the Author

JOHN B. DWYER is a professional naval/military writer and historian. He is the author of Seaborne Deception: The History of U.S. Navy Beach Jumpers (Praeger, 1992). He also has published numerous articles on the military, and especially on naval topics, in journals devoted to military operations and history.