See Also

Amphibious warfare

This article is about a military strategy involving land troops dispatched from naval ships. For the industrial music Industrial music

Industrial music is a loose term for a number of different styles of electronic and experimental music.... 

 group featuring former Kittie Kittie

Kittie is a Canadian [i] alternative metal [i], all-women band [i] from London, Ontario [i]. ... 

 guitarist, Fallon Bowman Fallon Bowman

Fallon Bowman is a musician [i] from Ontario [i], Canada [i], best known for her involvement with Kittie [i] ... 

, see Amphibious Assault.
Amphibious warfare is the utilization of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops unto non-contigious enemy held terrain. Airborne operations Airborne forces

Airborne forces are military [i] units, usually light infantry [i], set up to be moved by aircraft [i] a ... 

 have slowly eroded this primacy as larger and more capable air transports have been fielded. In this modern era amphibious warfare persists in the form of commando insertion by fast patrol boat Patrol boat

A patrol boat is a small naval vessel [i] generally designed for coastal defence duties. ... 

s, zodiacs and mini-submersibles Midget submarine

A midget submarine is a small submarine [i], typically with one or two crew and no on-board living accom ... 

.

Discussions

  Discussion Features

   Ask a question about 'Amphibious warfare'

   Start a new discussion about 'Amphibious warfare'

   Answer questions about 'Amphibious warfare'

   'Amphibious warfare' discussion forum


Encyclopedia

This article is about a military strategy involving land troops dispatched from naval ships. For the industrial music Industrial music

Industrial music is a loose term for a number of different styles of electronic and experimental music.... 

 group featuring former Kittie Kittie

Kittie is a Canadian [i] alternative metal [i], all-women band [i] from London, Ontario [i].... 

 guitarist, Fallon Bowman Fallon Bowman

Fallon Bowman is a musician [i] from Ontario [i], Canada [i], best known for her involvement with Kittie [i] ... 

, see Amphibious Assault.


Amphibious warfare is the utilization of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops unto non-contigious enemy held terrain. Airborne operations Airborne forces

Airborne forces are military [i] units, usually light infantry [i], set up to be moved by aircraft [i] a ... 

 have slowly eroded this primacy as larger and more capable air transports have been fielded. In this modern era amphibious warfare persists in the form of commando insertion by fast patrol boat Patrol boat

A patrol boat is a small naval vessel [i] generally designed for coastal defence duties. ... 

s, zodiacs and mini-submersibles Midget submarine

A midget submarine is a small submarine [i], typically with one or two crew and no on-board living accom ... 

. Debatably, states with modest airlift potential may view amphibious operations as a viable means of troop deployment.

In the modern era of warfare, an amphibious landing of infantry troops on a beachhead is the most complex of all military maneuvers. The undertaking requires an intricate coordination of numerous military specialties, including air power Aerial warfare

Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft [i] and other flying machines for the purposes of warfare [i] ... 

, naval gunfire Naval gunfire support

Naval gunfire support is a US term for the use of naval artillery [i] to provide fire support [i] suppor ... 

, naval transport, logistical planning Logistics

Logistics is the art and science of managing and controlling the flow of goods, energy, information and ... 

, specialized equipment, land warfare, tactics Military tactics

[i] in [[battle]... 

, and extensive training in the nuances of this maneuver for all personnel involved.

An amphibious landing is distinguished from an airborne landing in the following respects: an airborne landing can take place virtually anywhere, while an amphibious landing must occur on a suitable ocean-facing beach Beach

A beach or strand is a geological [i] formation consisting of loose rock [i] particl ... 

; and an airborne landing in most cases must be supported almost exclusively from the air, while an amphibious landing can be supported by both air and naval shipping.

History

Recorded amphibious warfare predates the 18th century by a couple of millennia: the Sea Peoples that menanced the Egyptians from the reign of Akhenaten Akhenaten

Akhenaten, known as Amenhotep IV at the start of his reign, was a Pharaoh [i] of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt [i] ... 

 as captured on the reliefs at Medinet Habu and Karnak Karnak

Al-Karnak is a small village in Egypt [i], located on the banks of the River Nile [i] some 2.5 km north ... 

, the Helenic Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece is the period in Greek history [i] which lasted for around one thousand years and ended w ... 

 city states whom routinely resorted to opposed assaults upon each others shore's which they reflected upon in their plays and other expressions of art, the landing at Marathon Battle of Marathon

The Battle of Marathon was the culmination of King Darius I of Persia [i]'s first major attempt to conq... 

 by the ancient Iranians Iran


Throughout history, Iran has been of great geostrategic [i] importance because of its centr ... 

 on the 9th of Sept. 490 BC which history records as the largest amphibious operation for 2400 years until eclipsed by Gallipoli Gallipoli

Gallipoli, called Gelibolu in modern Turkish [i], , is a town in northwestern Turkey [i] ... 

. More current amphibious landings have been conducted by small commando forces of various states and non-state actors; Israel Israel

Israel , officially the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia [i] on the so ... 

, Tamil Tigers Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , also known as the Tamil Tigers, is a politico-military organisati... 

 etc. And there exists intense debate over mainland China China

China is a cultural region [i] and ancient civilization [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

 's potential to conduct amphibious operations against Taiwan Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia [i], but the term "Taiwan" is also commonly used to collectively refer ... 

 . With the bulk of the world's population concentrated near the sea, chances are good that future conflict may entail the use of amphibious assets.

18th century

In 1759, during the siege of Quebec the British troops attempted on a number of occasions to cross the Saint Lawrence River Saint Lawrence River

The Saint Lawrence River is a large west-to-east flowing river [i] in the middle latitudes of North America [i] ... 

 in force. An attempt to land some 4,000 troops in the face of resistance failed. Ultimately a landing was managed at a relatively undefended site and British troops gained a foothold allowing 5,000 to take part in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham Battle of the Plains of Abraham

The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, fought September 13 [i], 1759 [i], was a decisive battle of the North American [i] ... 

 which led to the surrender of the city.

In 1776, Samuel Nicholas Samuel Nicholas

Samuel Nicholas was the first officer commissioned in the United States [i] Continental Marines [i] and... 

 and the Continental Marines, the "progenitor" of the United States Marine Corps United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the U.S. military [i], respons ... 

, made a first successful landing in the Battle of Nassau Battle of Nassau

The Battle of Nassau was a naval action and amphibious assault [i] by American forces ... 

.

In 1781, the Spanish field marshall, Bernardo de Gálvez, successfully captured British controlled Fort George by ampibious assault in the Battle of Pensacola. In 1782 captured the British naval base at New Providence New Providence

New Providence is an island, one of the most populous in the Bahamas [i].
... 

 in the Bahamas The Bahamas

The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is an independent English [i]-speaking nation in the West Indies [i] ... 

.

19th century

During the American Civil War, the United States made several amphibious assaults all along the Confederate coastline. Port Royal, South Carolina was the first of many attacks. Along with others on Roanoke Island, NC, Galveston, TX, Morris and James Islands, SC, Fort Sumter, SC, Norfolk, VA, and several others. The largest was at Fort Fisher, which was the largest and most powerful fort in the world at the time, protecting the entrance of Wilmington, North Carolina. The assaulting force of over 15,000 men and 70 warships comprising of over 600 guns, was the most powerful amphibious assault in world history and was not surpassed until D-Day 1944.

An early form of amphibious warfare was employed during the War of the Pacific War of the Pacific

The War of the Pacific, sometimes called the Saltpeter [i] War in reference to its original cause, ... 

 in 1879, and saw coordination of army, navy and specialized units.

The first amphibious assault of the war took place as 2,100 Chile Chile

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America [i] occupying a long coast ... 

an troops successfully took Pisagua from 1,200 Peru Peru

Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America [i], bordering Ecuador [i]... 

vian and Bolivia Bolivia

Bolivia, officially the Republic of Bolivia , named after Simon Bolivar [i], is a landlocked [i] country [i] ... 

n defenders on 2 November 1879. Chilean Navy Chilean Navy

The Chilean Navy is the naval force of Chile [i].... 

 ships bombarded Allied beach defenses for several hours at dawn, followed by open, oared boats landing Army infantry and sapper units into waist-deep water, under enemy fire. An outnumbered first landing wave fought at the beach; the second and third waves in the following hours were able to overcome resistance and move inland. By the end of the day, an expeditionary army of 10,000 had disembarked at the captured port.

Additional amphibious assaults would be carried out thorough the war. By early 1881, Chilean commanders were using purpose-built, flat-bottomed landing craft that would deliver troops in shallow water closer to the beach.

Landing tactics and operations were closely observed by neutral parties during the war: two Royal Navy Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom [i] is the oldest of the British armed services [i] ... 

 ships monitored the Battle of Pisagua; U.S. Navy United States Navy

The United States Navy is the branch of the United States armed forces [i] responsible for conducting naval [i] ... 

 observer Lt. Theodorus B.M. Mason included an account on his report The War on the Pacific Coast of South America.


World War I

During World War I, amphibious warfare was still in its infancy: tactics and equipment were rudimentary and required much improvisation.

During this period, British Royal Marine Light Infantry Royal Marines

His/Her Majesty's Royal Marines, also known as the Royal Marines, are the Royal Navy [i]'s Light Infantry [i] ... 

  were used primarily as naval parties onboard Royal Navy Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom [i] is the oldest of the British armed services [i] ... 

 warships to maintain discipline and man ships' guns. The RMLI joined a new Royal Navy Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom [i] is the oldest of the British armed services [i] ... 

 division - the Royal Naval Division British 63rd (Royal Naval) Division

The British 63rd Division was a First World War [i] division [i] of the New Army [i] ... 

 - formed in 1914 to fight on land; however, throughout the conflict, army units were depended upon to provide the bulk - if not all - of troops used in amphibious landings.

The first amphibious assault of the war ended in disaster in 1914. A large British Indian Army force was directed to launch an amphibious assault on Tanga Tanga, Tanzania

Tanga is both the name of the most northerly seaport [i] city of Tanzania [i], and the surrounding Tanga Region [i] ... 

, German East Africa German East Africa

German East Africa was Germany's [i] colony [i] in East Africa [i], including what is now Burundi [i] ... 

. British actions prior to the assault, however, alerted the Germans to prepare to repel an invasion. The Indian forces suffered heavy casualties when they advanced on the city Battle of Tanga

The Battle of Tanga was the blundered attempt by the British Indian Army [i] to capture German East Africa [i] ... 

, forcing them to withdraw back to their boats, leaving much of their equipment behind.

The Allied invasion against the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , is also sometimes known in the West [i] as the Turkish Empire. ... 

 at the Battle of Gallipoli Battle of Gallipoli

The Battle of Gallipoli took place on the Turkish peninsula [i] of Gallipoli [i] from April 1915 [i] to ... 

 in 1915 proved even more disastrous than Tanga, in part due to incompetence at the high command.

Soldiers were landed via open, oared whaleboat Whaleboat

A whaleboat is a type of open boat [i] that is relatively narrow and pointed at both ends, enabling it t ... 

s and tugs at Anzac Cove Landing at Anzac Cove

[i] invasion of the [[Gallipoli]... 

 and Helles Landing at Cape Helles

The landing at Cape Helles [i] was part of the amphibious invasion [i] of the Gallipoli [i] ... 

. At V Beach, Helles, the landing troops - inexperienced at amphibious landings - were effectively slaughtered by the Ottoman defenders, most not even making it out of their landing craft. The Royal Dublin Fusiliers The Royal Dublin Fusiliers

The Royal Dublin Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army [i]. ... 

, for example, lost almost all their officers including their commander and suffered over 500 casualties.

In a second landing at Suvla Landing at Suvla Bay

The landing at Suvla Bay was an amphibious landing [i] made at Suvla [i] on the Aegean [i] ... 

 in August, the forerunner of modern landing craft - the armoured 'Beetle' - was first used by the British.


World War II

By the Second World War tactics and equipment had moved on. Purpose built landing craft Landing craft

Landing craft are boats [i] and seagoing vehicles used to convey a landing force [i] from the sea t ... 

 were used at the evacuation from Dunkirk Dunkirk

Dunkirk is a harbor city and a commune [i] in the northernmost part of France [i], in ... 

  and an amphibious operation was tried out at Dieppe in 1942. The operation proved a failure but the lessons hard learned were used later.
Arguably the most famous amphibious assault was the Normandy landings Battle of Normandy

The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 [i] between Nazi Germany [i] in Western Europe [i] and the in ... 

 on 6 June, 1944, in which British, Canadian, French and US forces were landed at Utah Utah Beach

Utah Beach was the codename for one of the Allied [i] landing beaches during the World War II [i] D-Day [i] ... 

, Omaha Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach was the Allied [i] codename for one of the principal landing points duri ... 

, Gold Gold Beach

Gold Beach was the Allied [i] codename [i] for the centre invasion beach during the World War II [i] Allied [i] ... 

, Juno Juno Beach

Juno Beach was one of the landing sites for Allied invaders on the coast of Normandy [i] during D-Day, t ... 

 and Sword Sword Beach

Sword Beach was the codename of one of the five main landing beaches in Operation Neptune, the initi... 

 Beaches. The organizational planning of the landing itself was in the hands of Admiral Bertram Ramsay Bertram Ramsay

Admiral [i] Sir Bertram Home Ramsay, KCB [i] KBE [i] MVO [i] ... 

. It covered the landing of the troops and their re-supply.

Other large amphibious actions in the European Theatre European Theatre of World War II

The European Theatre was an area of heavy fighting across Europe [i], during World War II [i], from 1 September [i] ... 

 in WWII include:
  • North Africa Operation Torch

    Operation Torch was the British [i]-American [i] invasion of French North Africa [i] ... 

  • Sicily Allied invasion of Sicily

    Husky was also the codename of Australia [i]n military support to Sierra Leone [i] ending in February... 

  • Salerno
  • Anzio Operation Shingle

    Operation Shingle, during the Italian Campaign [i] of World War II [i], was an Allied [i] amphibi ... 

  • Southern France Operation Dragoon

    Operation Dragoon was the Allied [i] invasion of southern France [i], on 15 August [i], 1944 [i], ... 




In the Pacific Theatre Pacific Theater of Operations

The Pacific Theatre of Operations is the term used in the United States [i] for all military activity in ... 

, almost every campaign involved "island hopping Island hopping

Island hopping is a term that has several different definitions as it is applied in various fields.... 

" assaults from the sea. Some of the famous ones are mentioned:
  • Battle of Guadalcanal Guadalcanal campaign

    The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal , was fought between August 7 [i]... 

  • Battle of Tarawa Battle of Tarawa

    The Battle of Tarawa was a battle in the Pacific Theatre [i] of World War II [i], largely fo ... 

  • Battle of Saipan Battle of Saipan

    The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign [i] of World War II [i], fought on ... 

  • Battle of the Philippines
  • Battle of Iwo Jima Battle of Iwo Jima

    The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought between the United States of America [i] and the Empire of Japan [i] ... 

  • Battle of Okinawa Battle of Okinawa

    The Battle of Okinawa, fought on the island of Okinawa [i] in the Ryukyu Islands [i] , 26 ... 



Post-World War II


During the Korean War Korean War

The Korean War began on June 25 [i], 1950 [i] and ended with a truce [i] on July 27 [i], 1953 [i] . ... 

 the U.S. Marine Corps United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the U.S. military [i], respons ... 

 landed at Inchon Battle of Inchon

The Battle of Inchon was a decisive invasion and battle [i] during the Korean War [i].... 

. Conceived of and commanded by US United States

The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., a... 

 General Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur was an American [i] general [i] and Medal of Honor [i] recipient, who w ... 

, this landing is considered by many military historians to have been a tactical jewel, one of the most brilliant amphibious maneuvers in history. The success of this battle eventually resulted in intervention by Chinese People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China , is a country [i] in East Asia [i]. ... 

 forces on behalf of North Korea North Korea

[i]n [[country]... 

.

The Royal Marines made their first post-WWII amphibious assault during the Suez War Suez Crisis

The Suez Crisis was a war [i] fought on Egyptian territory in 1956. ... 

 of 1956 when they successfully landed at Suez on 6 November. In the Falklands War Falklands War

The Falklands War was fought in 1982 between Argentina [i] and the United Kingdom [i] over the Falkland Islands [i] ... 

, the Royal Marines' 3 Commando Brigade, landed at Port San Carlos on 21 May 1982.

During the Second Persian Gulf War Gulf War

The Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq [i] and a coalition [i] force of approximately 20 nations led b... 

, a large amphibious assault force, composed of US Marines United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the U.S. military [i], respons ... 

 and naval support, was positioned off the coast of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. This force was composed of 40 amphibious assault ships, the largest such force to be assembled since the Battle of Inchon. The object was to fix the six Iraqi divisions deployed along the Kuwaiti coast. Due to early misadventure, the mission for this amphibious force turned into a feint. Nevertheless, the operation was extremely successful in keeping more than 41,000 Iraqi forces from repositioning to the main battlefield. As a result, the Marines maneuvered through the Iraq defense of southern Kuwait and outflanked the Iraqi coastal defense forces.

The most recent amphibious assault has been carried out by the Royal Marines when they landed at the Al-Faw Peninsula Al-Faw Peninsula

The al-Faw peninsula [i] is a marshy region adjoining the Persian Gulf [i] in the extreme south-east of ... 

 on 20 March, 2003 during the Iraqi War 2003 invasion of Iraq

The 2003 invasion of Iraq, termed "Operation Iraqi Freedom" by the US [i] administration, ... 

.

See also

  • List of amphibious warfare ships
  • United States Marine Corps United States Marine Corps

    The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the U.S. military [i], respons ... 



References







Categories: