The Real REASON Hell Week was Created | Breaking down the origins of BUD/S

About this video

The guest explains that Hell Week was created by Draper Kauffman in 1943 to prepare Naval Combat Demolition Units for the mission of destroying beach obstacles ahead of D-Day. Kauffman, a Navy reject who had fought in the French Army, been a POW, and served in British bomb disposal, compressed an 8-week Scouts and Raiders curriculum into 5.5 days based on advice that training should be “10 times as hard” given the mission’s difficulty. The NCDUs suffered 52% casualties on Omaha Beach, validating the extreme training and ensuring Hell Week’s continuation in what would become SEAL training.

Key takeaways

• The guest recounts that Hell Week originated when Draper Kauffman compressed an 8-week training program into 5.5 days to prepare NCDUs for the dangerous mission of clearing beach obstacles on D-Day
• According to the guest, NCDUs on Omaha Beach suffered 52% casualties (32 killed, 65 wounded out of 190), one of the highest casualty rates of D-Day, which convinced planners to keep the extreme training
• The guest argues that understanding this history provides meaningful context for modern BUD/S training practices and connects current service members to the institution’s founding mission

Episode details: published July 22, 2026 · 8.1K views · 24:23 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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