The Spanish Navy Marines or Infantería de Marina (Naval infantry) is a corps within the Spanish Navy responsible for providing amphibious warfare from the sea utilizing naval platforms and resources. It is fully integrated into the Spanish Navy Structure.
The Corps was formed in 1537 by Charles I of Spain (also known as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor), making it the oldest extant marine corps in the world, drawing from the Compañías Viejas del Mar de Nápoles.
Mission
The Spanish Navy Marines 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 given in recognition for a heroic last stand in the Castillo del Morro of Havana, Cuba against a British expedition in 1762. 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, as the Spanish Royal Marine Guard Company are responsible for the defence and security forces of naval bases and facilities, naval schools and training units, and all 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.
History
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 Sea Old 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 a pure naval power projection ashore by forces deployed from ships that could maintain their ability to fight despite 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
spearmen and the final third of
pikemen):
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 Spanish Navy Marines, 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).
The battles that the marines served in during this very busy period included:
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).
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, disguised as a man, and answering to the name of Antonio Maria de Soto, enlisted in the 6th company of 11° Battalion of the Navy, being licensed with pension and honors in 1798, when she was discovered to be 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.
Battle of Cartagena de Indias, 1741.
Defence of Havana, 1762.
Algiers expedition, 1775.
Battle of Pensacola (1781).
Siege of Toulon, 1793.
Defense of Ferrol, Spain, 1800.
Recapture of Buenos Aires, 1806.
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 carried out by the Batallones Expedicionarios (Expeditionary Battalions), some of them campaigning abroad for up to ten years.
Fourth period
At the end of the
World War 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 Spanish Navy Marines being no exception, though it enjoyed success during the
Third Rif War in its innovative
Alhucemas amphibious assault in 1925, when it employed coordinated
air and
naval gunfire to support the assault.
The "Expeditionary Mission", was officially determined to be a "colonial force", and so denounced as an instrument of imperialism. It was sentenced to extinction by the Spanish republican government in 1931.
Before it was officially disbanded, the bitterly fought Spanish Civil War intervened and the corp split and served both sides, performing garrison duties, leading landing parties, and providing expert artillery 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.
Fifth period
In 1957, the
Grupo Especial Anfibio (Amphibious Special Group) was created, and the Spanish Navy Marines 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 Spanish Navy Marines were increased: new amphibious vehicles, anti-tank weapons, individual equipment and artillery.
The Tercio de Armada (TeAr) 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 Spanish Navy Marines. 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.
Today the main fighting Force of the Spanish Marine Infantry is the Marine Infantry Brigade, which includes the following units:
Marine Infantry Brigade (BRIMAR)
*HQ Unit
*1st Landing Battalion
*2nd Landing Battalion
*3rd Mechanized Landing Battalion (Include a Tank Company)
*Special Operations Unit (Battalion sized)
*Artillery Landing Group
*Mixed Arms Group
*Combat Service Support Group
Other Marine Infantry units include:
Protection Forces (FUPRO)
*Third of North (Northern Battalion)
*Third of Levante (Eastern Battalion)
*Third of the South (South Battalion)
*Canarias Security Unit
*Headquarters Security Group, Madrid
Equipment
.]]
Infantry Weapons
Assault Rifles
Heckler & Koch G36
Sniper Rifles
Accuracy International Arctic Warfare
Barrett M95
Submachine Guns
Heckler & Koch MP5
Machine Guns
FN Minimi (5,56 Nato, 7,62 Nato)
CETME Ameli
Rheinmetall MG-3
M2HB
Anti-Tank Weapons
C-100
C-90C
Artillery
coming ashore]]
ECIA 81 mm mortar
M-109A2. Six vehicles
M-56
Guided Missiles
TOW 2A (anti-tank)
Mistral (anti-aircraft)
Vehicles
during an exhibition In the
Sardinero beach in
Santander, in celebration of Armed Forces Day (Dia de las Fuerzas Armadas) in 2009.]]
M-60A3 TTS
Piranha IIIC 8x8
AAV-7A
Humvee
See also
Marine (military)
Unidad de Operaciones Especiales (UOE)
Alonso Pita da Veiga at the "Battle of Pavia" captured 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.
Salve Marinera, Spanish Navy anthem. Some of its best versions are sung by choruses of the Infanteria de Marina
References
;Notes
External links
Official site
El Tercio de Armada (BRIMAR) (SP Marines Brigade)
Spanish Marines History
Spanish Marines Portal
Spanish Marines Articles
Salve marinera - Anthem (by the Chorus of Infanteria de Marina and Escuela Nacional de Marineria) and Video
Category:Spanish Navy
Category:Military of Spain
Infanteria de Marina
Category:Marines
Category:1537 establishments
