San Marco Regiment

The San Marco regiment, located in Brindisi, are the Marines of the Italian Navy. Until the middle of the 90's it was called the “San Marco battalion”, it was later expanded because of the new geopolitical situation after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the increasing number of international missions.

History

Beginnings

In the 19th Century the Italian navy contained small units of infantry trained navy sailors, who were permanently stationed on warships. These units were, however, soon again dissolved.

WWI

During World War One and after the battle of Karfreit (October November 1917), to help stop the collapse of the Isonzo - front and during the retreat to Piave, forced the Italian general staff to get sailors from the warships to lower Piave against the German and Austria-Hungarian army. The Naval Brigade (Brigata Marina) was formed. After the end of war the grateful city lent a flag with Lion of Saint Mark to the soldiers organized into one regiment. The regiment was designated after patron the lagoon city Marina Reggimento "San Marco".

Interwar

Between the two world wars only a “San Marco battalion” existed. A special Unit of the Battalion was deployed to Shanhaikwan, China in 1924 and it stayed there until it was interned by the Japanese in 1943. They also saw service during the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.

WWII

In the Second World War again to the regiment rose to the occasion, it fought particularly hard at Tobruk and Tunisia, where it stubbornly defended the Mareth line in April/May 1943, the last positions that the Axis forces in North Africa maintained. It should be recalled that it was the 3rd Battalion of the 'San Marco' Regiment that repelled the British Commando landings that took place at Tobruk on the night of 13/14 September 1942 aimed at retaking the town from the Italian garrison. The San Marco Marines were responsible for taking over 200 Royal Commandos prisoner on this occasion. The Regiment had expanded to seven battalions before the final desert battles in 1943, including one which was parachute (the Battaglione Nuotatori) trained in 1941. German General Hans-Jürgen von Arnim later said of the San Marco Marines' fighting abilities in Tunisia in 1943, that they were "the best soldiers I ever commanded." * [http://www.avalanchepress.com/Italy_marines.php]

From autumn 1943 to 1945 both the Allies and the Salo Republic had a San Marco Regiment. The battalions served as assault battalions or as anti-landing units.

The British raised a three battalion regiment which was deactivated after the war while the Germans created a San Marco Division (aka the 3rd Marine Division) for the Salo Republic in 1944.

Post WWII

On 1 January 1965 it was again set up as a battalion (Marina Battaglione "San Marco") in Venice with 750 personnel from both the navy and army.

During the Italian-Yugoslav tensions because of Triest - and Istria, the Yugoslav head of state Tito in the middle of the fifties, asked Italy for the departure of this elite unit from Venice . Tito's opinion was that it served as aggressive instrument against Yugoslavia and was not necessary for the defense of Italy against Warsaw Pact. The battalion was then shifted to Brindisi in Southern Italy and was integrated completely into the Italian navy.

In Venice the Italian army reconstituted its Lagunari troops. From 1982 to 1984 the battalion took part in international peacekeeping missions in Lebanon.

Today

Today the “San Marco regiment” consists of the Amphibious Battalion “Grado” and Support Battalion “Golametto” and contains approximately 1,500 soldiers. Together with the Logistics and Training Regiment “Carlotto”, a landing boats and helicopters, they can conduct assaults and landings. Also, if necessary the San Marcos can be reinforced by the Lagunari. This naval command is connected by unified operations staff and it also closely with the Spanish marines and concerns themselves today particularly with international peace employments.

The San Marco regiment and the Lagunari were used together for the first time in operation UNIVERSITY-FELL after 2006 Lebanon war in a peacekeeping mission as the “Initial entry Force”, September 2006.

Organization

*Naval Disembarkation Force
** San Marco Regiment
*** Assault Battalion Grado ( Degree )
*** Logistic Battalion " Golametto "
*** Naval Operations Company
*** Special Operations Company
** Carlotto Regiment
*** Logistic Battalion " Cortellazzo "
*** Battalion schools " Caorle ".
** Disembarkation Group

Support Elements

The support elements of the regiment include a telecommunications centre, a coordination center for fire support, air observer and coastal defense forces belongs beside the staff.

Special Forces

Special forces exist in the form of a separate company (“" Demolitori di Ostacoli Antisbarco DOA "”). Tasked primarily with the clearing of landing zones and the removal of barriers, obstacles and mines. The soldiers can be landed by helicopters and speedboats or set off from submarines. In different regard the employment modalities of this unit resemble those combat floats. The training takes place among other things with the Italian Combat Fleet Command COMSUBIN.

Boarding Teams

Another separate company, the Naval Operation Company, leads the so-called Boarding teams. These about 8 to 10 man units who serve to the inspect of ship, e.g. in embargo measures. This company consists of about 180 men.

Grado battalion

The Grado battalion contains the actual naval infantry component of the Italian navy. The battalion consists of a staff and supply company, three naval infantry companies, plus a heavy company.

Each of the three combat companies consists three 37 man platoons and a 21 man fire support section. These companies can be brought ashore with amphibious vehicles and boats or with helicopters. In other cases they can operate as mechanized infantry with a modified version of the M113 (“VCC-1”).

The heavy company forms the combat support component of the battalion with their air defense and antitank weapons as well as with its 120mm mortar .

Golametto battalion

Logistical support is conducted by the Golametto battalion. It contains transport and a logistics companies, as well as a medical unit. The members of this battalion are fully trained naval infantrymen, who give landing operations the necessary technical and logistic support to the Grado battalion ("combat service support"). General tasks of support fall into the scope of responsibility of the Carlotto regiment, which supplies the Golametto battalion before the employment depending upon situation concerning orders with the necessary materials.

Heraldry

The soldiers of the San Marco regiment are designated as Marine Riflemen. Their rank system is like the Italian army's except that enlisted men are distinguished by a sailor's collar on his uniform and a dark blue or black beret. Both the Lagunari and the San Marco Marines have the Lion of Saint Mark in their coat of arms and to lead the century-long traditions of the venezian naval infantry further, those particularly in the Adriatic and in the eastern Mediterranean (Crete, Cyprus) They also fought against the Turks on Cyprus. Plans to consolidate both organizations together were temporarily given up in the middle of the nineties. Today however a close co-operation, which 2005 exists by the mechanism of a common operations staff in Brindisi was continued to strengthen between the two regiments (" Forza di Proiezione dal Mare ").

Equipment

light weapons

* Beretta 92FS (pistol, 9mm)
* Heckler&Koch MP5 (submachine gun)
* Beretta PM12 S2 (submachine gun)
* Beretta AR70/90 (assault rifle, 5.56mm)
* M203 (grenade launcher, 40mm)
* FN Minimi (light machine gun, 5.56mm)
* MG42/59 (machine gun, 7.62x51mm)
* Browning M2 (heavy machine gun, 12.7mm)
* Barret 12,7 mm (sniper rifle)
* McMillan 12,7 mm (sniper rifle)
* Accuracy .388 (sniper rifle)
* Panzerfaust 3(anti tank rocket)
* Instalaza C90 (anti tank rocket)
* TOW (antitank defense guided weapon)
* MILAN (antitank defense guided weapon)
* Stinger (air defense guided weapon)
* Mortar (81mm)
* mortar (120mm)

armored vehicles

* VCC-1 APC (" M113 ")
* VCC-2 APC
* LVTP-7 (" AAV7-A1 ")

unarmored vehicles

* VM-90

External links

* [http://www.avalanchepress.com/Italy_marines.php Ital Marines at Avalanche Press]
* [http://www.btgsanmarco.it/englishversion/englishversion1.htm Official site (in English)]