The idea for the American Frogmen first originated from the Italian "Uomini Rana" who also fought in World War II. The name is said to either have come from the gear that they wore (particularly the shoes) that made them look "frog-like" or their style of kicking to gain depth in the water. The Americans, after the destruction in Tarawa, had decided very quickly that they would need to be more aware of the conditions of each island in order that the Island-Hopping plan work.
Drapel Kauffman is said to have been the father of the Navy SEAL's. As a graduate of the US Naval Academy, Kauffman started thinking about the idea of UDT's (Underwater Demolition Teams). He eventually decided that this would be the best way to search out the conditions of beaches, as well as rid the beaches of obstacles. These men were trained in handling explosives and clearly had to have previous swimming experience. Kauffman sought out the most rugged of the Navy and the Marines. All of the men from the original Frogmen were volunteers and were able to resign at any time.
After Tarawa, the small Frogmen teams were extremely sought after. They had enormous impact on the war, especially in the Pacific, where they demolished 930 obstacles in six days. As part of the Navy, they were an extremely small unit, never at one point numbering above 3000 men.
Because of their success in the war, the Navy SEAL program became a permanent fixture in the American fighting system. A lot of the training for the conditions of explosive handling and extreme water conditioning are still applied in this program today.
https://www.navysealmuseum.org/about-navy-seals/seal-history-the-naval-special-warfare-story/seal-history-origins-of-naval-special-warfare-wwii
http://honorflightaz.org/u-s-navy-frogmen-the-story-of-the-underwater-demolition-teams-udts-of-wwii/
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