• First SEALs

  • The Untold Story of the Forging of America's Most Elite Unit
  • By: Patrick K. O'Donnell
  • Narrated by: John Pruden
  • Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (615 ratings)

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First SEALs  By  cover art

First SEALs

By: Patrick K. O'Donnell
Narrated by: John Pruden
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Publisher's summary

From best-selling author Patrick K. O'Donnell comes the untold story of World War II's first special operations combat swimmers - the forerunners of today's Navy SEALs.

In the summer of 1942, an extraordinary group of men - among them a dentist, a medical student, a Hollywood star, an archaeologist, a British commando, and even former enemies of the Allies - formed an exceptional unit that would later become the US Navy's Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams. Known as the Maritime Unit, it comprised America's first swimmer-commandos, an elite breed of warrior-spies who were decades ahead of their time when they created the tactics, technology, and philosophy that live on in the Navy SEALs and shape the battlefield of today.

During the war, the unit conducted some of the most daring operations behind enemy lines, but after the war its astonishing record was classified, lost, and buried - until now. In First SEALs, Patrick K. O'Donnell tells the remarkable story of World War II's Maritime Unit - one of the greatest untold stories of World War II.

©2014 Patrick K. O'Donnell (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about First SEALs

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

This story had NOTHING to do with SEALs!

The story title is deceiving. This is only about WW2 OSS operations...much of which was disconnected from maritime operations. I really didn't like it. Oh, BTW, I should know as I'm a recently retired SEAL. Skip this book.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Make this a movie!

Somebody call Netflix and get this deal signed already! The events and characters from this are strait out of a blockbuster hit. I can’t believe that I had never heard of these stories before!

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Uneven

Much of the book deals with the minutia of organization. The details of missions are uneven and sparse.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very informative

Easy listen and very informative , learned a lot more about OSS than just their legendary stories but also the struggles they dealt with as a new organization and how they adapted.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding

This book was entertaining, informative, educational, enlightening, and really outstanding. I recommend this book for everyone who wants to understand our history and be proud of the people who have fought for freedom. Thank you so much for writing this book.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

kinda spins off

halfway through the book I forgot what it was about. Is this book about the origins of the SEALS, is it a POW book, is it a WWII book? I'm not sure.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

really great storytelling slightly confusing

great story with amazing tales only complaint is that its not very linear and is somtimes hard to follow

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Misleading headline

While this is a very good book on the history of the OSS, there is not much, other than some talk in the epilogue that provides much connection to the Navy Seals. I wish the author would have tied them together better in the story. Still a good read as is his book The Brenner Assignment.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Shhh don’ t wake me

it’s a good thing this book was free and I have insomnia; otherwise I would have complained it was too expensive and put me to sleep.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Mostly a documentary.

Good story, but more of a history lesson compared to other books about Navy Seals.

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