After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Hitler’s subsequent declaration of war, the United States found itself fighting on two fronts: in Pacific Asia and Europe.
To prepare for these arduous campaigns, with the expectation that amphibious landings would certainly form part of the coming battles, the US Navy founded the Amphibious Training Base at Little Creek, Virginia, in August 1942. Two naval special forces units known as the Amphibious Scouts and Raiders (S&R) were established to prepare for Operation Torch in North Africa. They were