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» Forum Category: PT Boats of WWII
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» Forum Name: PT Boats - General
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» Topic: PT Boats that supported USN special warfare units during WWII
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Greetings,

I am currently writing an Osprey book about US Navy special warfare units of WWII that will include the Amphibious Scouts & Raiders, Beach Jumpers, Naval Combat Demolition Units, Underwater Demolition Teams, and US Naval Group China which was part of SACO. I found some photographs at the National Archives but I am looking for more that I can publish in my book.

I am trying to locate photographs of Beach Jumper personnel and the special equipment they used to simulate nighttime amphibious landings to deceive the enemy. Along with Air-Sea Rescue boats, PT Boats supported their operations in the Mediterranean and off the Philippines:

PT Boats from RON-15 supported the Beach Jumpers as part of Demonstration Group 80.4 off Sicily and Italy in the summer of 1943.

In June 1944 PT Boats from RON-29 (and possibly RON-15) supported the Beach Jumpers off Elba and during Operation Dragoon off southern France in August 1944.

PT Boats from RON-8, RON-24, and RON-25 supported the Beach Jumpers as part of Diversionary Task Group 77.11 off Luzon in the Philippines in January 1945.

PT Boats also dropped off Amphibious Scouts & Raiders off the Italian coast (RON-15?) and those from the Seventh Amphibious Force Scouts in the southern Philippines in 1945.

Does anybody have any photographs of the Amphibious Scouts & Raiders and the Beach Jumpers while they were being supported by PT Boats? Pictures taken by the PT Boat crewmen of these special units would be a plus.

Please contact me at Historybooks76@Hotmail.com if you can help.
Thank you.

Eugene Liptak
Tucson, Arizona USA



Posted By: GI Gene | Posted on: Nov 11, 2012 - 4:00pm
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



Hi Gene,
Sounds very interesting. Sorry I have nothing to add. I think the PT127 website has a photo that shows some possible Beach Jumpers or Alamo Scouts or some type of SF on PT127 with a bunch of Philipinos they liberated. Bob Douglas was the crewman on the PT127 and his son Mark is the webmaster. You may have some luck finding more info there. Also one of our members, Lance Zedric is an expert on the Alamo Scouts. He may be of assistance as well. One final thing is that I know there were two PT boats used to take some Australian Special Forces "Z Force" I think, that went in and rescued the Sultan of Ternate (west of Halmahera) and his family from the Japanese in 1945. PT 364 had one of our crewmen Kenny Morris on it. I have the deck logs from both boats used in the rescue. Good luck in your search. Jerry PT658 Portland.

Jerry Gilmartin

Posted By: Jerry Gilmartin | Posted on: Nov 12, 2012 - 6:29pm
Total Posts: 1469 | Joined: Oct 8, 2006 - 11:16pm



Hi Eugene,
Please look on page 41 of my book AMERICAN PT BOATS IN WW II, VOL. I, and
page 59 and 60 for pictures of Douglas Fairbanks, jr. who was involved with the beach
jumpers. I can no longer furnish any pictures for they were all stored away after the book
was published. I suggest you write to National Archives for pictures on beach jumpers.
Good luck with your book.
Victor


Victor K Chun

Posted By: victorkchun | Posted on: Nov 13, 2012 - 8:46am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered



Thanks for the information guys!



Posted By: GI Gene | Posted on: Nov 18, 2012 - 11:56am
Total Posts: | Joined: Unregistered