Marines

[captnenglish]

I'm pretty sure that naval personnel were used as infantry in Danzig 1939 and during the Invasions of Denmark and Norway in 1940. I'm also sure that Naval personnel were used as combat Engineers during the bridgehead from Kerch and when capturing the Baltic ports. From about 1944 much naval personnel was used as infantry all over Gemany's shrinking Reich in a similar vain the the Luftwaffe's feld-divisionen.

I'm not sure if the Germans ever had much in the way of specialised combat marines. I would suspect yes, but only of battallion strength. The Coastal artillery were all infantry trained.

I know that naval personneel was used as infantry during the invasions of Norway and Denmark as I have seen photos, and I have suspected for a while that they would have been used during the later stages of the war (1944-45), but I am looking for proof; snyway your post is all the evdence I need at the moment.

[panzermahn]

Hi Panzermahn,

Could you be more specific about Kos? I seem to recall that there was a specialist Brandenburger sea landing (Kustenjaeger?) unit involved, but were there naval marines as well?

Cheers,

Sid.

Hi Sid,

Apologies for taking a long time to reply to your message. I need to check Anthony Roger's book Churchill's Folly. There is a mention of a German marine unit.

Please give me some time.

Thanks and regards
Panzermahn

[phylo_roadking]

I'm pretty sure that naval personnel were used as infantry in Danzig 1939 and during the Invasions of Denmark and Norway in 1940.

The survivors of the sunk or beached KM destroyers were mustered as a couple of battalions of scratch infantry at Narvik, with Norwegian uniforms liberated from a nearby depot to repalce their own sodden naval uniforms.

This doesn't make them "Marines" in the classic sense, as in specifically-trained and operating amphibious troops, just naval personnel operating ashore.

[Simon Orchard]

I'm pretty sure that naval personnel were used as infantry in Danzig 1939 and during the Invasions of Denmark and Norway in 1940.

The survivors of the sunk or beached KM destroyers were mustered as a couple of battalions of scratch infantry at Narvik, with Norwegian uniforms liberated from a nearby depot to repalce their own sodden naval uniforms.

This doesn't make them "Marines" in the classic sense, as in specifically-trained and operating amphibious troops, just naval personnel operating ashore.

The Norwegian equipment taken at the Norwegian army depot of Elvegårdsmoen supplemented rather than replaced naval uniforms. The 'couple of battalions' was in fact Marine Regiment 'Berger' and numbered roughly 3 000 men, larger in numbers than the Heer present during the campaign.


Another 'marine like' KM formation that i don't think has been brought up yet is the Marine Einsatz Kommandos, part of the K-Verbande they were closer in role to the British Commandos of the early to mid-war period rather than regular seaborne infantry like the USMC.