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The adjective ‘amphibious’ describes a creature that can dwell on land and in water. Its ultimate origin is Greek, with amphi meaning ‘both’ and bios ‘life’. So, when combined, the meaning is that of a thing conducting a dual life, such as a frog, which may live in both environments.
An early use of the word in a military context came in a 1915 edition of The Illustrated War News, which described an Austrian army vehicle as a ‘new and ingenious amphibious automobile’ that possessed ‘features both of a boat and of a motor car’.
Though there have been many amphibious assaults throughout history, such actions are probably most closely associated with World War II. Amphibious warfare involved using land, sea, and air forces to put soldiers ashore in order to hold a beachhead. This was usually a prelude to an eventual expansion of the territory gained.
The invasion of Normandy was unquestionably the war’s greatest amphibious undertaking, but there were many others. These included Operation Jubilee, the August 1942 cross-Channel raid on the French port of Dieppe. There was also Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa in November of that year which spelled the beginning of the end for Axis forces there.
Perhaps the most notable practitioners of amphibious warfare were the US Marines, who seized several Japanese island strongholds, such as Tarawa (1943), Peleliu (1944), and Iwo Jima (1945), in the face of ferocious opposition. The Marines proved adept at using amtracs (amphibious tractors) and Higgins boats (landing craft) to deposit men on the beaches.
Another seagoing vehicle of immense importance to the Allies was the LST (landing ship, tank). Winston Churchill described this capacious beach-landing craft as being the ‘foundation of all of our amphibious operations’.
