This was an old book of my father’s gifted to him back upon its issuance in 1956. The above photo is of a later version than the one I possess. The first edition of these are actually a bit of a collector’s item in the military world going for $50 and up if it is in decent shape.
The core of the work regards the formation and early missions of the Navy teams that would eventually be dubbed “SEALs” but when created were UDT or Underwater Demolition Teams. Covering their creation in the middle of WWII it is interesting to see the start of what would become the world’s foremost kinetic operators. The original UDT efforts were decidedly not offensive in nature. Their tasks throughout all of WWII and into Korea were exclusively related to reconnaissance and obstacle destruction in preparation for amphibious landings. From North Africa to Normandy and particularly the Pacific, UDT teams blew up tank traps, determined water depths, cleared shipwrecks, located mines and so on. The title of the book “Naked Warriors” derives from the fact these teams were essentially unarmed. In fact they often were scolded when they became overzealous in joining the Marines or Army ashore and taking action to the enemy—quite a different role from how the SEALs are viewed today.
The book itself is a good primer or recap of that development and early operational history of these UDTs in a chronological order. So it makes a great reference book for research and the history of this area of Navy operations. The book is quite dry however. It includes a few anecdotes and comments on the characters who play various roles in the actions covered but it is not a narrative of any sort. Its more a collection of “The UDT teams were formed here…they first were seeing action here…then this other team was over there…then a commander thought they would succeed here”. As a historical record? Excellent and one that records the important deeds and actions of exceptionally brave men. So, its essentially a great synopsis of after action reporting. A work of art or crafted word it is not. Keep it on your shelf for reference, not for pleasure.