military turned to the Navy’s special operations forces to gather intelligence and navigate the islands of the South Pacific ahead of Allied invasions. Invasion of Okinawa–1945Īfter the loss of more than 3,000 Marines in the Battle of Tarawa in November 1943, the U.S. This 52 percent casualty rate represented the bloodiest single day in the history of Naval Special Warfare. Of the NCDU personnel on Omaha and Utah Beaches, a total of 37 were killed and 71 wounded all casualties were the result of enemy action, not mishandling of the explosives. The NCDUs at Omaha Beach were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, one of only three presented for military actions at Normandy.
Approaching under heavy German fire, the demolitionists used explosives to clear the way for the massive invasion of some 5,000 vessels, 11,000 planes and more than 150,000 Allied soldiers and sailors. On June 6, 1944, some 175 members of Naval Combat Demolition Units (NCDUs)- predecessors of the Navy SEALS–were among the first invading forces to arrive on the beaches of Normandy.
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