The 'manual' of the Underwater Demolition Teams During World War 2 the US Navy saw the need for specialized teams that could clear the way for amphibious assaults in many theatres of war. Underwater Demolition Teams would remove natural and man-made underwater obstacles which are likely to obstruct landing operations.. With not much more than swim shorts, mask, fins and explosives these commandos were sent in advance of major landings on beach recon missions or to clear underwater obstacles and booby traps. This manual outlines and describes the mission and tactical use of Underwater Demolition Teams, duties of team members, selection of trainees, organization of the school, methods and facilities for training, description and length of courses, instructional references, and training aids. • handling and use of explosives • underwater reconnaissance • removal of obstacles • mines and booby traps • seamanship • night vision and observation • use of rubber boats • physical conditioning • long distance surf swimming Illustrated with over 90 pictures and charts. A must-have for students of WWII special operations or U.S. Navy UDT aka 'Frog Men.' Bonus content: This volume also includes an additional 40+ page after-action report on the preparation, and results of the NCDU teams deployed in support the Normandy Invasions on D-Day, which includes their specific recommendations for future amphibious landings.

Originally created in 1965 as a textbook for new operators, this UDT Handbook contains chapters about diving, communications, demolitions, intelligence, first aid, map reading, weapons, survival, and more.

Project Delta - Origins of LRRP, Recondo in Vietnam This document collection includes the original 1970 Combat Recon Manual by Project Delta. It also includes the Special Forces updated version from 1995, and a third book on WW2 Jungle Fighting. Project DELTA was the first of the four Special reconnaissance (SR) units with a Greek letter formed by the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) during the Vietnam War to collect operational intelligence in remote areas of South Vietnam. Project DELTA was established at Nha Trang in 1964 and consisted of six reconnaissance hunter-killer teams each composed of two United States Special Forces (USSF) and four Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces (LLDB) and later supported by the 91st Ranger battalion. It was designated Detachment B-52, 5th Special Forces Group. DELTA's mission included operational and strategic reconnaissance into long-held Viet Cong areas and the direction of air strikes on them. They were also to conduct bomb damage assessment, conduct small scale reconnaissance and hunter-killer operations, capture and interrogate VC / NVA, tap communications, bug compounds and offices, rescue downed aircrew and prisoners of war, emplace point minefields and other booby traps, conduct psychological operations, and perform counter intelligence operations. They were to focus on base areas and infiltration routes in the border areas. During its storied history, Project DELTA captured or destroyed numerous major enemy installations and supply routes. It was awarded numerous honors including the Valorous Unit Award, RVN Cross of Gallantry, RVN Civil Actions Honor Medal (PC) and the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon. Project DELTA was deactivated in June of 1970. The successful Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) training program was originally established by Detachment B-52 of the 5th Special Forces Group (Project Delta). The Project Delta course was first established in May 1964 and would eventually evolve into the famous Vietnam RECONDO school. BONUS book: This ebook collection also contains a historical report on Jungle Warfare, written in 1942 just months into the Guadalcanal campaign during World War II. Via interviews with front lines Marines and Army soldiers it goes into great details of how the Japanese fought, weapons and tactical reports with specifics on what worked and what didn't. This no holds-barred feedback help U.S. military adapt and supply what our troops needed to succeed in the jungle of the Pacific war. Of note is comments from a one, Lt. Col. L.B. Fuller, the legendary 'Chesty' Fuller of Marine Corp fame to this very day.

While the M1 Garand is the iconic US rifle of the WWII era, it had a strong competitor, the Johnson Semi-Automatic. Developed as a possible replacement for the Garand, it addressed several of the drawbacks of the M1: a larger 10-rnd magazine that could be topped up with strippers, the ability to take a vertical external magazine and had a fully automatic light machine gun version as well. This 'handbook' seems to actually be a long form promotional booklet created by Johnson to help promote and sell its virtues to various government customers about the advantages of his rifle vs. the M1 Garand. There is even a section comparing the two point by point. It covers description, a detailed explanation of functioning, operation and disassembly (with diagrams/photos). It is a terrific resource for the historian or for those with in interest in military arms. Of note, the Johnson while not adopted by the US Army was used in small numbers in the early Pacific campaigns by the US Marines, and one USMC Cap. Robert Hugo Dunlap carried one into battle on Iwo Jima, subsequently winning the Medal of Honor based on his actions. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in the Johnson rifle and how it works.

The Infamous 'How to Steal a MIG' manual This fascinating Air Force technical report is specifically focused on how a pilot, behind the Iron curtain or enemy lines, could know just enough to start up and fly home a stolen MIG-15 fighter. Finally declassified in 1988, and only released to the public in 2015 via a FOIA request by Governmentattic.org, this unique look at Cold War Air Force intelligence product is a must-read for student’s of Soviet era aviation. Informally as the "How to Steal a MIG" manual, it was interestingly, published by the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson AFB in 1955, a mere two years after the U.S. obtained a functioning Mig-15 from N. Korean defector No Kum-Sok who defected to Kimpo Air Base on 21 September 1953. His MiG-15 was minutely inspected and was test flown by several test pilots, including Chuck Yeager. It is now in the collection of the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio. “This manual has been prepared specifically for the purpose of providing USAF personnel with operating information on the MiG-15.” “Only the information the pilot must know is presented,” “Some procedures which might be considered unorthodox for operational flying of this airplane are recommended because they represent the simplest means of assuring safe flight.”

In depth analysis of German Alpine Units Military Intelligence Service, Special Series Report #28. With over 240 pages of information and nearly 260 images, this 1944 U.S. Intelligence Special Report breaks down the history, makeup, equipment and methods of World War 2 German Mountain troops. Highly detailed and illustrated, the report covers everything from training, deployment methods, weapons and even esoteric topics like supply by air and fixed climbing routes. Chapters include: ⦁ UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA ⦁ TRAINING ⦁ IN THE VALLEY AND IN THE FLAT ⦁ MOUNTAIN WALKING ⦁ ROCK CLIMBING ⦁ ICE CLIMBING ⦁ SKIING ⦁ WEAPONS: ⦁ COMMUNICATIONS ⦁ EVACUATION ⦁ SUPPLY ⦁ PREPARED ROUTES ⦁ AERIAL TRAMWAYS ⦁ BRIDGING ⦁ SUPPLY BY AIR ⦁ SHELTER ⦁ WINTER OPERATIONS An important primary source, this historical War Dept. publication is very well written and presented. Its insights will please anyone interested in the German Alpine operations and campaigns.

A gripping history chronicling the fits and starts of American special operations and the ultimate rise of the Navy SEALs from unarmed frogmen to elite, go-anywhere commandos—as told by one of their own. “Deeply researched, well organized, and incredibly engaging . . . This is our legacy with all the warts, the challenges, and the heroics in one concise volume.”—Admiral William H. McRaven, #1 New York Times bestselling author and former commander, United States Special Operations Command How did the US Navy—the branch of the US military tasked with patrolling the oceans—ever manage to produce a unit of raiders trained to operate on land? And how, against all odds, did that unit become one of the world’s most elite commando forces, routinely striking thousands of miles from the water on the battlefields of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, even Central Africa? Behind the SEALs’ improbable rise lies the most remarkable underdog story in American military history—and in these pages, former Navy SEAL Benjamin H. Milligan captures it as never before. Told through the eyes of remarkable leaders and racing from one longshot, hair-curling raid to the next, By Water Beneath the Walls is the tale of the unit’s heroic naval predecessors, and the evolution of the SEALs themselves. But it’s also the story of the forging of American special operations as a whole—and how the SEALs emerged from the fires as America’s first permanent commando force when again and again some other unit seemed predestined to seize that role. Here Milligan thrillingly captures the outsize feats of the SEALs’ frogmen forefathers in World War II, the Korean War, and elsewhere, even as he plunges us into the second front of interservice rivalries and personal ambition that shaped the SEALs’ evolution. In equally vivid, masterful detail, he chronicles key early missions undertaken by units like the Marine Raiders, Army Rangers, and Green Berets, showing us how these fateful, bloody moments helped create the modern American commando—even as they opened up pivotal opportunities for the Navy. Finally, he takes us alongside as the SEALs at last seize the mantle of commando raiding, and discover the missions of capture/kill and counterterrorism that would define them for decades to come. Now required reading throughout the US special operations community, By Water Beneath the Walls is an essential history of the SEAL teams, a crackling account of desperate last stands and unforgettable characters accomplishing the impossible—and a riveting epic of the dawn of American special operations.