May 19, 2021
In this recently colorized photo from 1944, an underwater demolitions team of frogmen shares a meal aboard the USS Burrfish, a Balao-class Navy submarine.
World War II truly exemplified the definition of a “world war.” Fought on multiple continents by both land and sea, the Axis and Allied powers waged brutal warfare upon one another through any means necessary. The theater of the Pacific which spanned thousands of miles, dotted with hundreds of atolls and islands, made for especially difficult fighting terrain. One branch of American forces that played an especially crucial role in these adverse conditions were the frogmen and UDT (underwater demolition team) of the Navy. These brave soldiers trained to swim miles, in the dark, sometimes wearing shoes to complete their missions. One particular team lost three of their men never to be found again despite seven decades of searching.
UDT & The Frogmen’s Role
Primarily, the UDT and their Frogmen counterparts would conduct clandestine surveillance missions around the many Japanese military bases established on tiny Pacific islands. Outfitted with minimalist gear, these soldiers would swim miles in pitch black ocean, hundreds of feet deep, often without any moonlight to light their way.
For Freedom & Country
Worse, the UDT teams needed to wear shoes to protect their feet as they measured reef depths for potential boat incursions. They didn’t even have the benefit of wetsuits, instead they wore simple swim trunks and black paint camouflage. Their only defense against the 59-degree waters came in the form of cocoa butter or heavy grease lathered over their bodies. Swimming in murky lakes during broad daylight makes most people nervous. Can you imagine swimming in the depths of the Pacific ocean in pitch blackness?
The Formation Of The Frogmen
After the “unacceptable” death toll of Marines in the Battle of Tarawa, the higher-ups in the U.S military made plans for their island-hopping campaign in the Pacific. The powers that be realized their current forces lacked the training for such oceanic fighting. That’s when the Navy created the Frogmen: volunteer sailors who trained specifically for the marine environment. They required “physical strength, endurance, swimming ability, courage, coolness, and good judgment.”
Frogmen At Iwo Jima
Armed only with Ka-Br combat knives, demolition packs, and mine detectors, four teams of Frogmen set off to gather intelligence, clear mines, and collect sand samples in tobacco sacks. Without a doubt, Iwo Jima was a bloodbath. As one Frogmen recounted, “Gunfire splashed all around us, mortars and heavy shells, which doused us. The noise even underwater was deafening, and the metal falling around was terrifying. The idea was to run a chart of the beach to determine its slope. We were also looking for obstacles and mines.”
Bravest Of The Brave
For those wondering, the sand samples were vital in determining if a beach could support vehicles. Arthur D. Hettema, a Seabee and member of Team 15, recalled, “We could see the gun emplacements on the beach. After several surface dives to look for possible electric cables connected to mines, we swam to the breaker line.”
Saving Lives
Despite their best attempts Japanese forces spotted reconnaissance teams and unleashed hell. A total of 40 troops were killed, including 15 frogmen. The after-action report stated that the Frogmen “were gallant under the mortar and small-arms fire as they made their reconnaissance right up to the water’s edge. All exhibited an eagerness to carry out their mission.” Without their sacrifice, it’s very likely the battle of Iwo Jima could have gone much worse.
Members of UDT 10
On August 18th, 1944, members of UDT 10 left the USS Burrfish to conduct surveillance in the Yap Islands. John Ball, Emmet Carpenter, Howard Roeder, John Mac-Mahon, and Robert Black made up their team. After an hour and 1,100 yards of paddling in the dark, they reached the outer shelf of the reef. They debated aborting their mission due to the reef depth when a wave washed them into the relative shallows.
From there Ball and Roeder stayed with their small boat, Ball because he was boat master and Roeder because he was exhausted from the turbulent waters. They were ordered to wait no more than two hours as the three others continued toward the island to complete the mission. Carpenter, Mac-Mahon, and Black were never seen again.
Searching For Answers
Once the war ended, thousands upon thousands of man-hours were spent searching for captured POWs. The Japanese did not give up answers easily, as many officers were charged with ghastly war crimes. Many terrible acts occur during war but the Japanese became infamous for their heinous brutality. After decades of goose chases, it was established that Carpenter, Mac-Mahon, and Black were most likely executed. However, their remains have never been found and the search continues.
The image at the top of this post was colorized by Ahmet Asar, a Kurdish-American photographer and artist. You can see more of his colorizations on his Flickr page, and his professional portfolio at AsarStudios.com.