US Marine Raiders (1942): Birth of the Special Forces
Added 2023-05-26 14:30:38 +0000 UTCWe explore the vaunted story of the US Marine Raiders which emerged in WW2 to act as the tip of the spear for offensives against Japan in the Pacific War.
We begin with an overview of the state of the US Marine Corps following the Great War. It was in these years that the forces slowly came into play which would eventually birth the Marine Raiders. One major factor was the development of Amphibious Operations Doctrine which increasingly called for the use of special first wave units meant to soften enemy defenses prior to a landing. To this end, the Marine Corps would begin allocating time and resources towards this effort as war loomed on the horizon in the Pacific. Key to these efforts would be two commanders who ended up leading the First and Second Raider Battalions, namely Merritt Edson and Evans Carlson.
