Spanish Marine Infantry


The Marine Infantry are the marines of the Spanish Navy. Responsible for conducting amphibious warfare. Fully integrated into the Spanish Navy's structure, the branch's history dates back to 1537 when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor formed the Compañías Viejas del Mar de Nápoles, making it the oldest marine unit in existence.

History

First period

The Infantería de Armada was created by Charles V in 1537, when he permanently assigned the Compañías Viejas del Mar de Nápoles to the Escuadras de Galeras del Mediterráneo. 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 being based on board. This is the period of the famous Tercios :
  • 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 Marine Infantry, 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: Regimiento de Bajeles, Regimiento de la Armada, R. del Mar de Nápoles, and R. de Marina de Sicilia, detaching some small units to the Army, and the main body remained in the Navy becoming the Cuerpo de Batallones de Marina.
The battles that the marines served in during this period included:
In 1717, the Cuerpo de Batallones de Marina was definitively settled and organized into a 12-battalion corps with a corresponding regimental HQ overseeing the supervision of these units. 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 1728 the battalion Mediterráneo and in 1731 the battalion Barlovento were disbanded.
In 1741 there were eight battalions and ten years later another was added. In 1740 a marine artillery corps was founded. At mid 18th century there were 12,000 marine infantry and 3,000 marine gunners. The infantry formed boarding parties while the gunners manned the ship cannons. As needed landing parties were formed. Both corps also garrisoned the navy's coastal fortresses. During the War of Spanish Independence both the marine infantry and the marine artillery were reorganized as an administrative division of seven regiments, mainly fighting on land as part of army divisions in an operational role. 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.
The major actions they took part in during this period were:
The increasing efficiency of the naval artillery made boarding obsolete after the Napoleonic Wars, the marine infantry and marine artillery was merged in 1827 into a brigade, Brigada Real de Marina with focus on artillery. The brigade that consisted of two battalions was renamed the Real Cuerpo de Artillería de Marina in 1833. In the First Carlist War 1834-39, three battalions of marine infantry were organized, serving as field infantry, with an additional battalion raised to reinforce the Royal Guards in Madrid. In 1839 the corps was renamed Cuerpo de Artillería y Infanteriá de Marina. In 1841 the infantry was transferred to the army. The marine artillery remained in the navy under the name of Cuerpo de Artillería de Marina . However, in 1848, the naval infantry was re-established by the formation of a new Corps, Cuerpo de Infantería de Marina, , then as an infantry regiment organized into three battalions and the regimental HQ, as well as support units and the band. The marine artillery was abolished in 1857. The five battalions of marine infantry were reorganized in 1869 to three regiments, one for each naval station. By this time, the mission of the marines changed from naval garrison troops, to a landing force serving mainly in the colonies.
During the Third Carlist War 1872–1876 the marines fought as field infantry. In 1879, the marine infantry academy, the Academia General Central de Infantería de Marina was founded. The colonial wars in the Philippines and on Cuba, with constant landing operations, lead to a reorganization of the marines into three brigades of two regiments each. In 1886 the marines contained four brigades, each with four tercios, while the reorganization of 1893 created three regiments of two battalions each. During the Philippine Revolution and the Spanish–American War the marines fought as part of army divisions.
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:
These actions were carried out by the Batallones Expedicionarios, 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 Marine Infantry 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.
Owing to its high-profile action in the unpopular Rif Wars, the Spanish Navy Marine corps was branded as a leftover of the Spanish colonial era. After the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, the reforms of the armed forces introduced by newly nominated Republican Minister of War Manuel Azaña within the first months of the new government sought to disband the corps.
Before it was officially disbanded, however, the Spanish Civil War intervened and the corps split and served both sides. The garrisons stationed in Ferrol and Cádiz aligned with the Nationalist and the Navy Marines stationed there quickly secured the naval bases there. The detachment stationed on the two gunboats docked in Cartagena sided along with the crew of the gunboats with the Republicans, as well as a detachment in Madrid. During the bitterly fought war the Marines performed garrison duties, led landing parties, and provided expert artillery and machine gun crews. However, the Republican 151 Brigada Mixta who absorbed the marines who aligned with the Republicans fought mostly inland battles far away from the sea under the command of
Commander Pedro Muñoz Caro. They took part in the Battle of the Segre where photographer Robert Capa had a famous photograph taken of them in that battle. Republican Infantería de Marina Lieutenant Colonel Ambrosio Ristori de la Cuadra, killed in action during the Siege of Madrid, was posthumously awarded the Laureate Plate of Madrid.

Fifth period

After the civil war, during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, the strength of the Infantería Marina was increased. In 1957, the Grupo Especial Anfibio was created, and the Spanish Marine Infantry 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 Marine Infantry 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 Spanish Marine Infantry. 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. The current base for the Spanish Marines is in San Fernando.

21st century

The Spanish Marine Infantry have been deployed to various NATO operations such as Afghanistan.

Mission

The Spanish Marine Infantry 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 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 dissuasive 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 at the Morro Castle during the siege of Havana 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 Marines of Spain are not only a fleet force, as the Spanish Royal Marine Guard Company are responsible for the defense and security forces of naval bases and facilities, naval schools and training units, and all facilities that support the Marines themselves.