COMMANDOS- “Hombres Rana” (Frogmen) of the Dominican Navy

COMMANDOS-
“Hombres Rana”  of the Dominican Navy



The concept of Special Forces begins in the Dominican Republic with the “Hombres Rana” commandos, which has its origin in 1957 when dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo decided to create a special unit to fight certale in enemies of the regime inside and outside the country.
According to Vice Admiral (RIP) Manuel Ramon Montes Arache, one of the creators and unit commander, Trujillo decides to eliminate Venezuelan president Betancourt because of the support it offered Trujillo's opponents in exile, resulting in the Dominican dictator’s desire to eliminate Betancourt and cause damage to its oil infrastructure.
Dr. Zonchini, an Italian who was the personal physician of Dona Julia Molina Trujillo's mother, is the person who comes up with the idea of creating the tyrant elite seal team, making reference to the success they had had Italy with such unit during World War II.

Trujillo was convinced he needed to have his naval commandos capable of conducting military operations by land and sea abroad, with a high degree of accuracy, efficiency and safety.
For the purpose of instructing commandos,foreign instructors where hired, especially Italian veterans of the Second World War, with impressive service records of long and dangerous missions on several fronts in the Mediterranean.
One of the instructors who came in 1956 and settled in Las Calderas Naval Base was instructor Illio Cappoci, a founder in Italy of mini-submarine frogmen who served Mussolini’s Italy during War World II, being highly decorated for his personal courage, and distinguished military services rendered to his country. Another instructor was Victorio Tedesco, former captain of frogmen commands of the Italian Navy during World War II. His unit operated in Gibraltar with a six seater submarine and attacked a British naval flotilla and sank most of the ships that were involved, leaving twelve uninjured occupants of submarines, including himself.

Alberto Cortelleza, another instructor, was Italian captain, skydiving expert, during World War II, fulfilled numerous dangerous missions in enemy territories in different European countries.
Other instructors where Benito Pambianchi, Captain of the Italian navy commandos, Enzo Lobast, Elio Bolpi, a civilian, military karate coach for quick removal of enemies, and Mamoro Matsunaga, civilian, Dominican-Japanese military judo coach.

The selection of personnel for the unit starts in August 1957. Then lieutenant Colonel Montes Arache, evaluated about 2000 crème de la crème, volunteers who came from the Army, Navy, Air Force and even some civilian classes. After rigorous evaluation and slection, the chosen few underwent rigorous training for these men, the result was a platoon of 27 soldiers consisting of 1 officer (Manuel Ramon Montes Arache, commander), 1 sergeant, three sergeants, 6 corporals and 16 privates. This happened in the following promotions who completed 4 with a total of 97 commandos, comparable with the best of the best, of the first world powers involved in World War II and presently. These glorious soldiers showed their heroic military exploits in the battles of the War of April 1965, their high fighting spirit, their great courage and true patriotism.

The foundations for achieving good military formation of this elite body, responded to a conceptual framework concerning strict individual discipline, respect for the inviolability of the military hierarchy and observing the moral and professional ethics, reinforced by institutional and mystical pride in their bodies.
Achieving top physical condition and health, with a balanced diet, continuing medical evaluation, extreme exercises on land and sea, building strength, physical and mental toughness through exercises for hardening of muscles, bones, organs and nervous system.

Also they where assessed for their vision, hearing and smell, which should get high marks.
The frogmen had to qualify in efficient underwater exercises and ground military operations with live munitions and explosives. Learning to fight one on one, one on two, one to three, and so on, with any type of weapon or blunt instrument, pointed or sharp.

These commandos would also learn nomenclatures for frogmen, assemble, disassemble and manage all skills for handguns, assault rifles, and plastic explosives. Should dominate employment in special missions of all types of conventional explosives used in military operations for demolitions and termination of enemy ships.
The commandos learned with great effectiveness the "recovery" techniques, to be taken from the sea by speedboats at high speed, being pursued by the enemy and escape any pursuit to reach their place of departure and take shelter. Another activity which they trained, was to develop military parachuting for surprising hidden missions in enemy territory. They trained in concealment and camouflage, able to transform their appearance and not be easily identified.

Their work assigned to military commands frogmen are of various natures and high risk of death: penetration for secret missions into enemy territory for intelligence, surveillance remove camps, establishing beachheads, commit sabotage in ports in sea and river channels. Mining naval routes, roads and highways, railways, highways, etc., Where the enemy would transport food, water, fuel, medicine, weapons and ammunition. That is, do all covert military operations command and especially mine enemy ships in port. They must learn to survive in the most precarious places and extreme low temperatures, in jungles, swamps, at sea, in deserts and endure long periods of time and control hunger.

According to some experts these soldiers were more complete, than the ranger and the U.S. Green Berets, and equivalent to the seal teams of the US navy.

Commander Montes Arache only received direct orders of the dictator Trujillo himself and unit issues were confidential. The mission of this unit was designed from before their creation. As we highlight above, the frogmen were created with the mission of special operations aimed at eliminating
Trujillo certain enemies, but especially to conduct a special operation in Venezuela aimed to destroy the oil facilities on Lake Maracaibo.

Importantly frogmen were not used to run the mission from Venezuela because international agencies learned of the original plan and Trujillo decided not to sabotage oil installations in Maracaibo but physically eliminate Rómulo Betancourt directly without using the special Commando’s.

The frogmen joined the War of April 1965, when their commander decided not to accept the order of the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Francisco Javier Rivera Caminero, of leaving the scene of Santo Domingo, where he had initiated the revolt and receive command at 27 de febrero Naval Base, to which Arache Montes refused and he decided, without compromising the Commandos Corps members in their personal commitment to go to zona colonial to fight for the constitutionalist forces, for freedom, sovereignty and democracy of his beloved homeland.

When this brave warrior was in nearby Independence park preparing the defense of that sector, 34 members of the frogmen Corps appeared and Sergeant major Peter G. Ovalles Ureña, who commanded at that juncture these soldiers, went to his respected and admired commander, saying: "Mi commandante, commandos present in body and soul to receive their orders."

This action demonstrated the high degree of respect, identification and authority that he dispensed to his subordinates for this honorable Dominican military: Vice Admiral Ramon Manuel Montes Arache. At this historical moment, the Constitutionalists were a military force, without it, many doubt the resistance that could have been achieved without them, since the beginning of the civil war they conducted a stubborn urban guerrilla war, resisting being crushed by powerful domestic and foreign armies.
Fidel Castro and General Bruce Palmer, head of the U.S. occupation troops in the war in April 1965, expressed at different times and separately, their admiration and recognition to the seal teams of the Dominican Navy, as excellent elite combat unit.

The “hombres rana” in the middle of the civil war, around May 1965, opened an academy where they trained other fighters in urban guerrilla warfare and participated in all major battles, as the assault on the National Palace (May 19) US snipers that where posted near the national palace shot Illio Capocci in combat on May 19, 1965 along with Coronel Fernandez Dominguez.

Another one of the instructors Andres Rivierie a French ex-“legion etrangere” merc died, victim of snipers in the fighting on 15 and 16 June.
This unit was disbanded in 1965 at the end of the revolution.