The Maritime Unit (MU) was a branch of the Office of Strategic Services that enabled maritime warfare for the allies during World War II . MU's mission was to "infiltrate agents and supply resistance groups by sea, conduct maritime sabotage , and to develop specialized maritime surface and subsurface equipment and devices." MU developed specialized boats , equipment, and explosives, fashioned underwater breathing gear, waterproof watches and compasses , an inflatable motorized surfboard, and "a two-man kayak that proved so promising that 275 were ordered by the British."
5-701: MU was originally established as a division of the Special Operations Branch of the OSS but was granted Branch status on June 10, 1942. The Frogmen of the MU are considered pioneers of amphibious, maritime, and underwater warfare. While it was a civilian agency, the United States Navy SEALS state clearly that the OSS Maritime Unit is one of their direct preceding organizations. MU planned and carried out
10-454: The amphibious phases of OSS activities and assisted in the development of the special equipment required. If operations included water, the shoreline, coastal areas, or water approaches, then MU techniques were used. Those techniques were clandestine ferrying, maritime sabotage, and beach and hydrographic reconnaissance. The last living Frogman of the OSS was Henry “Hank” Weldon. Field bases were located away from headquarters. Headquarters
15-869: The operations of the Morale Operations , the Operational Groups, and the Maritime Unit . The primary objective of the Special Operations Branch is the destruction of enemy personnel, materiel, and installations. " Special Operations operators and agents trained first at Camp X , then at Camp David , and several National Park Service properties around the Washington, D.C. area. The concept of OSS Operational Groups (OG) began as Special Operations units within SO Field Bases, but eventually outgrew
20-696: Was located in Washington, DC . The Lambertsen Amphibious Respiratory Unit (LARU) was developed by Christian J. Lambertsen , a captain in the US Army assigned to the MU. Special Operations Branch The Special Operations Branch (SO) was a branch of the Office of Strategic Services during World War II that "pioneered" many of the unconventional warfare , counter-insurgency (COIN), and foreign internal defense tactics and techniques used by today's US Military Special Operations Forces (SOF). Special Operations
25-726: Was the American equivalent of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) of the United Kingdom. The Chief of SO, Millard Preston Goodfellow , reported to the deputy director of Strategic Services Operations. In the Special Operations Field Manual, OSS Director William Donovan writes; " The mission of the Special Operations Branch is to carry out that part of the OSS mission which can be accomplished by certain physical subversive methods as contrasted with
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