Navy SEALs Evolved from World War II Underwater Demolition Teams

After 10 years as a Marine, Adam Schwarze joined the US Navy as a Naval Special Warfare Officer in 2012. Meritoriously promoted multiple times, Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze is stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The only military branch to conduct operations from sea, air, and land, the Navy SEALs evolved out of underwater demolition teams formed during World War II. Originally used in Europe, these teams, known as UDTs, became critical in the amphibious landings required in the Pacific theater. In 1943, poor intelligence and lack of understanding of tides and beachhead conditions led to mass casualties at a landing in Tarawa, which prompted the need for formalized amphibious combat training.

A graduate of the US Naval Academy, Draper Kauffman created the UDT framework, recruiting the Navy’s best men and putting them through a series of courses involving swimming, explosives training, and small-craft handling. The UDTs’ first large-scale deployment came during the attack on the Mariana Islands and the Battle of Saipan in June 1944, and they continued to play a role in every significant US amphibious assault. In March and April 1945, nearly 1,000 UDT members participated in an operation in Okinawa. Once the war ended, UDT 21 was the first US military unit deployed to Japan, accepting the surrender of a Japanese unit.

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