Lagunari

The Lagunari (from the Italian "laguna" = lagoon) are amphibious troops of the Italian Army. Today's Lagunari regiment " Serenissima " has its headquarters in Mestre, near Venice and is subordinate to the Pozzuolo del Friuli Cavalry Brigade .

Mission

During the Cold war, the regiment was stationed in the lagoon-rich south flank of the northeast Italian front. Today the Lagunari are intended for international missions, particularly in cosatal regions and in areas rich in inland waterways.

Organization

The regiment consists of a staff unit(Malcontenta di Mira - Mestre) and supply company (Mestre), an amphibious transportation company (Sant'Andrea island near Venice) and a battalion of naval infantry. The naval infantry battalion is organized like a normal infantry battalion with VTLM multipurpose vehicles and Puma armoured vehicles. The transportation company includes landing boats and smaller speedboats as well has AAV7 amphibious assault vehicles.

History

Units known as "Lagunari" served in earlier time as pioneers (for duty in the lagoon areas.) In the First World War they were equipped with pontoons to provide mobility support to artillery units within the northeast Italian lagoon regions.

In 1951, the Italian army again raised a unit of "Lagunari"; this time however as a corps within the infantry arm. Italy's V Corps saw a need for flank security adjacent to its land front. An amphibious unit was necessary due to the nature of the marshy terrain and many small islands. The original mission, therefore, was quite different from that of the Italian navy's San Marco battalion of Venice which was a more typical 'sea-landing' force and in any case was relocated to southern Italy. Up to the army reforms in 1975, the Lagunari Regiment consisted of several battalions (including armor). Afterwards, it was reduced to one Lagunari battalion "Serenissima" which carried on the traditions of the regiment. In 1992, regiments were re-instituted and the Lagunari regiment comprised an infantry battalion and a support battalion. The latter was reduced in the 1990s to one company. The regiment was subordinate to V Corps. but afterwards it came under the "Protection Forces Command" in Milan and then to the above-mentioned "Pozzuolo del Friuli" Brigade.

Even today, the Lagunari benefit from strong local support in the Venice area (from which they had traditionally been recruited). They are now intended for international missions and are to be used particularly into inland water-rich areas. Plans to integrate the Lagunari into an amphibious brigade containing all Italian naval infantry, including the San Marco Regiment in the 1990s, partly because of the distance between bases (Venice to Brindisi. In 2006, to establish closer co-operation between thr two regiments, a common operations staff (" Forza Nazionale di Proiezione dal Mare ") was established in Brindisi. The Italian navy can, if necessary, fall back on the Lagunari and other support forces of the army. The San Marco regiment can also come within the scope of land operations under army control. Both organizations were used together for the first time together, with support forces, in the framework UNIVERSITY-FELL after the Lebanon war 2006 as part of the international mission (as part of the so-called. Initially entry Force, September 2006).

Both " the Lagunari " the army and San Marco Regiment of the navy are heir to the traditions of the naval infantry of the earlier Republic of Venice.

See also

* Marines

External links

* [http://www.associazionelagunari.it Lagunari association] Italian only