Joint-Service Beach Obstacle Demolition in World War II
Abstract
Combined into gap assault teams to clear beach and underwater obstacles in the landings at Normandy in June 1944, Army combat engineers and naval combat demolition units (NCDUs) experienced D-Day like everyone else terrified beyond measure. What they have yet to receive is full recognition for their joint accomplishment. Some accounts say that the engineers were augmented by NCDUs, while others say that the naval units were augmented by engineers. Both accounts are correct it was a team performance. A gap assault team consisted of twenty-eight Army engineers and an NCDU made up of a Navy officer and twelve enlisted men seven Navy and five Army. Also called boat teams, the NCDUs went into action with engineer combat battalions, assigned to regimental combat teams (RCTs). As part of Assault Force O, the 299th Engineer Combat Battalion was attached to the 16th RCT and the 146th Engineer Combat Battalion to the 116th RCT. Assault Force U, operating from VII Corps, was organized along the same lines. Before World War II, no one had experimented with the demolition of massed obstacles in amphibious assault. Tasked with developing the use of obstacles in defense between the World Wars, the Corps of Engineers had a grasp of practical problems by the end of 1942. They had been experimenting with underwater demolition for two months at an amphibious training base in Florida, when in May 1943 the Navy announced the creation of its own combat demolition program. Striving to develop a joint amphibious doctrine, the Army and the Navy joined forces, each surrendering some of its traditional autonomy, but never unconditionally. To the dismay of political leaders intent on controlling the cost of the war, the two services continued to inaugurate duplicate programs. Wherever the Army went, the Navy was sure to follow, straining to take the lead in all things amphibious. The Navy s ascendancy in landing operations put the future of the Engineer Amphibian Command in doubt.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA596620
Entities
People
- Douglas O'dell
Organizations
- United States Army Engineer School