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Old August 4th 03, 07:38 PM
robert arndt
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"Keith Willshaw" wrote in message ...
"robert arndt" wrote in message
om...
The oldest marine corps in the world was established on 26 Feb 1537,
by the way.


I kinda doubt that , I seem to recall the Phoenicians were pretty
good at that type of warfare a couple of millenia earlier and the
Athenians did a fair number of amphib operations too.

Keith


Spain was the first country to acquire a marine force when Charles V
created the Campanias Viejas del Mar de Napole in 1537. From Lepante
in 1571 to Cuba in 1898 Spanish marines fought in all battles that
made Spain a great maritime nation.

Rob


We know from Herodotus that both the Romans and Phoenicians
had marines. It was at Mylae, west of Messana and south of Lipari
that Hannibal lost to the Romans who had equipped their quinqueremes
with the corvus and packed them full of marines who stormed the
Carthaginian ships.

Keith


You are confusing ancient amphibious warfare with the creation of a
DEDICATED MARINE FORCE. The ancients crammed ships full of foot
soldiers and landed them on hostile shores- so what? Riverine warfare
had been going on since 3000 BC but none of the nations/empires
involved created a highly specialized marine force exclusively for
amphibious warfare. That didn't happen until Spain created the first
in 1537 followed by France in 1662 with the "Premiere Compagnie de la
Mer" raised by Cardinal de Richelieu, the chief minister to the King,
followed by Britain in 1664 with the Duke of York and Albany's
"Maritime Regiment of Foot".

Rob

p.s. Pirates and Vikings were also noted for their amphibious
landings, so do you consider them marines as well? Of course not!