Infanteria de Marina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Infantería de Marina or Spanish Marines is a branch of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for providing amphibious warfare from the sea utilizing the mobility of the Spanish Navy. The Infantería de Marina is integrated in the Spanish Navy Structure.
It was formed in 1537 by Charles I of Spain (also known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor), making it the oldest Marine Corps in the world, drawing from the Compañías Viejas del Mar de Nápoles.
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[edit] Mission
The Infantería de Marina is an elite corps, highly specialised in amphibious warfare, that is, to project an amphibious force onto a hostile, or potentially hostile, coast. Its ability to embark on a short term notice with (land, air and naval) Navy assets, makes it a unit with a high strategic value. Adding to this a high degree of training, and the capability to deploy swiftly in international waters, results in a potent disuasory force available at a short notice in distant regions.
One of the main characteristics of a marine is the uniform that he wears. On the sleeves of the Spanish Marines are the three "Sardinetas", which marks it as a member of the Royal House Corps. This was earned in 1762 for a heroic, though finally defeated defence of the Castillo del Morro of Havana, Cuba against a British expedition. The only other unit to wear the sardinetas and red trouser stripes is the Spanish Royal Guard.
Spanish Marines have modern assets to comply with its mission, having personnel specialised in artillery, sapping, helicopters, special operations, communications, tanks, among others. Some vehicles form the Grupo Mecanizado Anfibio del Tercio de Armada (the Mechanized Amphibious Group of the Navy Tercio).
The Marines of Spain are not only a fleet force, but as the Spanih Royal Marine Guard Company are responsible for the defence and security forces of naval bases and facilities, the naval schools and training units, and all the facilities that support the Marines themselves.
The most famous Spanish marine is without a doubt Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, author of the novel Don Quixote, who was wounded in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. Another famous writer, Calderón de la Barca, also served with the marines.
[edit] History
[edit] First period
The Infantería de Armada (Navy Infantry) was created by Charles V in 1537, when he permanently assigned the Compañías Viejas del Mar de Nápoles (Naples Old Sea Companies) to the Escuadras de Galeras del Mediterráneo (Mediterranean Galley Squadrons). But it was Philip II who established today's concept of a Landing Force. This was pure naval power projection ashore by forces coming from ships and able to fight, and not been downgraded by the fact of being based on board. This is the period of the famous Tercios (literally "One Third", due to its organisation: one third of musketeers, one third of spearers and the left third of pikers):
- Tercio Nuevo de la Mar de Nápoles.
- Tercio de la Armada del Mar Océano.
- Tercio de Galeras de Sicilia.
- Tercio Viejo del Mar Océano y de Infantería Napolitana.
Of the Tercios above, the first is considered the core of the Infantería de Marina, and it bears in its coat of arms two crossed anchors that became the Corps' coat of arms until 1931.
In 1704, the Tercios became regiments: Regimientos de Bajeles (Vessel's Regiments), Regimiento de la Armada (Navy Regiment), R. del Mar de Nápoles (Naples' Sea Regiment), and R. de Marina de Sicilia (Sicily's Navy Regiment), detaching some small units to the Army, and the main body remained in the Navy becoming the Cuerpo de Batallones de Marina (Navy Battalions Corps).
Just a few of the battles that the marines served in during this very busy period were:
- Algiers expedition (1541).
- Battle of Lepanto (1571).
- Tunisia expedition (1573).
- The conquest of Terceira Island (Azores) (1582).
- Great Britain expedition (1599).
- San Salvador (Brazil) expedition (1625).
[edit] Second period
In 1717 the Cuerpo de Batallones de Marina was definitively settled and organized, reaching its full strength of twelve battalions. The first ones were named: Armada, Bajeles, Marina, Oceano, Mediterráneo and Barlovento. Their mission was to form the "Main body of landing columns and ship's soldiers tasks" in a time that boarding was still a critical part of battle at sea. They were also gun crews.
In a 1793, a woman, Ana Maria de Soto, desguised as a man, and answering to the name of Antonio Maria de Soto, enlisted in the 6th company of 11º Battalion of the Navy, being licensed with pension and honors in 1798, when shw was discovered of being a woman. She was the first female Marine of the world.
The major actions they took part in during this period were:
- Sardinia, 1717.
- Naples and Sicily, 1732.
- Defence of Havana, 1762.
- Algiers expedition, 1775.
- Battle of Pensacola (1781).
- Siege of Toulon, 1793.
- Defense of Ferrol, 1800.
- Recapture of Buenos Aires, 1806.
[edit] Third period
Though Spain's empire was dismembered in the nineteenth century the marines continued to be active abroad.
Its most important actions in this period were:
- Santo Domingo (1804)
- Cochinchina (Vietnam) (1858).
- Mexico (1862).
- Cuba and Philippines (1898).
- Morocco (1911)
These actions were the scenarios for the Batallones Expedicionarios (Expeditionary Battalions), some of them lasting up to ten years in campaigning abroad.
[edit] Fourth period
At the end of the WW I, the Battle of Gallipoli made almost all countries abandon the idea of amphibious assault. The world's marine corps fell into a deep crisis, with the Infantería de Marina being no exception, though it enjoyed success in its innovative Alhucemas amphibious assault in 1925, when it employed coordinated air and naval gunfire to support the assault.
The "Expeditionary Mission", was considered a "colonial force", and denounced as an instrument of imperialism, and so condemned to extinction by the government of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931.
During the bitterly fought Spanish Civil War the Corp split and served both sides, performing garrison duties, leading landing parties, and providing expert gun and machine gun crews. After the civil war the defeated republic's death decree for the Infantería Marina was revoked and its strength was increased during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
[edit] Fifth period
In 1957, the Grupo Especial Anfibio (Amphibious Special Group) was created, and the Infantería de Marina returned to its primary duty as a Landing Force Mission. In 1958 it established a beachhead in Spanish Sahara and Ifni during the Ifni War. The capabilities and strength of the Infantería de Marina were increased: new amphibious vehicles, anti-tank weapons, individual equipment and artillery.
The Tercio de Armada became the main amphibious unit and has experienced several restructures that led to the E-01 Plan, which defines the requirements and structures from the year 2000 for the Infantería de Marina. The Spanish Marines have been present in Europe, Central America and Asia in an anonymous role as an "emergency force" ready to evacuate civilians in conflict areas, or as a deterrence force in providing cover for the actions of allied forces.
[edit] See also
- Alonso Pita da Veiga at the "Battle of Pavia" surrendered King Francis I of France (1513-1525)
- Miguel de Cervantes Spain's most famous marine, injured at the Battle of Lepanto (1571), where the Spanish marines played a decisive part.
