Of all the fighting forces of the Navy, one of the least understood are the Amphibious Forces. In a general way, of course, the public is aware that special craft, large and small, are designed to hit enemy beaches, disgorge their cargoes of men and material and then back off under their own power. There have been photographs and pictures of the assault waves doing this very thing. But nowhere, until this collection of paintings was put together to showcase the events in World War II, has there been a graphic representation of where these craft came from, how they were operated, and how the officers and crews who manned them were trained.
And yet, the Amphibious Forces are in a very real sense " the infantry of the Navy," with their personnel and equipment, along with their front-line duties, form one of the "fightingest team" afloat.
The artists, whose work is here displayed, have felt and captured the deep and essentially spirit of the Amphibious Forces. Wisely eschewing any attempt to glamorize their subject, they have done us all the great service of presenting their subject in the clear strong light of reality.