Special Naval Landing Forces
| Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) 海軍特別陸戦隊 Kaigun Tokubetsu Rikusentai | |
|---|---|
The ensign of the Special Naval Landing Force | |
| Active | 1932–1945 |
| Country | Empire of Japan |
| Allegiance | Emperor of Japan |
| Branch | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Type | Marines |
| Role | Amphibious warfare Anti-aircraft warfare Armoured warfare Close-quarters combat Cold-weather warfare Combined arms Counter-battery fire Demolition Fire support Maneuver warfare Raiding Jungle warfare Reconnaissance Urban warfare |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | Second Sino-Japanese War World War II |
The Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF; Japanese: 海軍特別陸戦隊, romanized: Kaigun Tokubetsu Rikusentai) were standalone naval infantry units in the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and were a part of the IJN land forces. They saw extensive service in the Second Sino-Japanese War and in the Pacific theatre of World War II. While not existing as a dedicated naval infantry branch nor classified as "marines" by the IJN, they functioned as the infantry of the Navy, and engaged in many coastal or amphibious operations, leading to them being referred to as "Imperial marines" or simply "Japanese marines" by a number of Western sources.
The IJN's marine paratroopers were designated as SNLF units, though they were operationally subordinated to the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. IJN armored units were generally subordinated to SNLF units and fielded a variety of light tanks, medium tanks and armored cars.
The SNLF should not be confused with the Naval Landing Forces, which were primarily ad-hoc units of naval personnel formed into naval infantry units whom rarely performed proper amphibious operations and were primarily utilized in a defensive role ashore, particularly post-1942, though the SNLF were also employed in increasingly defensive roles as World War II came to a close.