Special Naval Landing Forces

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The Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF; Japanese: 海軍特別陸戦隊, romanized: Kaigun Tokubetsu Rikusentai) were 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 of 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" in the West. 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 are distinct from the Naval Landing Forces, which were primarily ad-hoc units of naval personnel formed into naval infantry units whom rarely performed...

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