MWSA Book Review

The Frogmen Of World War II – An Oral History Of The U.S. Navy’s Underwater Demolition Units

Authors:  Chet Cunningham

Publisher: Pocket Star Books – A division of Simon & Schuster, Inc

Reviewer: Bill McDonald – President of the MWSA

World War II Frogmen – Stories in their own words!

The memories of frogmen from WWII, whose heroic exploits underwater doing everything from intelligence gathering to demolition, is captured and preserved for history in this moving chronicle. Author Chet Cunningham once again takes the oral personal histories of old warriors and weaves them into a book called “The Frogmen Of World War II.” The title only partially tells the reader what to expect. The author has a way of taking small memories from many men and like a good artist he creates an over all picture of the war from the point of view of these undersea heroes.

Cunningham allows us to sample the life and death situations that faced these men. His book takes us through the end of the War with Japan. He uses his writing talents to pay homage to what was really the birthing of the SEALS many years later on. He captures the emotions and the feelings that these men experienced through careful placement and editing of their stories. The author does not drown out the voices of these men with some ego laced comments but ties it all together so that the individual stories flow along as if just one story. It is a smooth transition from one story to the next. The stories are powerful, moving, and at times very emotional and always action packed!

The book is backed up by lots of researched facts and footnotes. Readers will enjoy this book because it is not dry history. It is emotionally alive and full of action. You will find yourself engrossed in the plight that these men faced and your respect for them will only grow. These men were real heroes and the author does well in letting them tell their own stories without much interference.

I fully recommend this book and give it the MWSA HIGHEST BOOK RATING – FIVE STARS!