Because of inaccurate information regarding the reef and a neap tide which kept the water even lower than usual, the sea height was not sufficient enough for the Higgins boats to cross. While US Marines riding in LVTs were able to crawl across the reef blocking the entrance to the lagoon on the island of Betio, the following landing waves were in Higgins boats, which required a minimum of five feet of water to pass safely above the reef. US Navy commanders got a crash course on what faulty intelligence, a lack of understanding of the tides or knowledge of the current conditions on the beachhead could lead to during the disastrous landings at Tarawa in November 1943. However, it would be in the Pacific, and the amphibious landings taking place across the whole theater, where UDT would come into their own.

Underwater Demolition Teams, or UDT, were originally used in Europe and would go on to play a role in the Normandy landings on D-Day. And even then, when it finally came time to use the solution, they often found that its primary use would actually be more effective in another place.

As critical needs arose in the drive across the Pacific, the Americans had to be able to quickly assess a situation and quickly come up with a solution, often in the field, and often with little to no testing. In order for the United States and its Allies to win World War II, necessity became the mother of invention. Courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command. Over eight tons of TNT were used in the explosion which scattered debris for 800 yards.

Above Image: UDT men blasting coral and rock to form a channel to the beach during the invasion of Morotai on September 15, 1944.

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