The Portuguese Marine Corps ( pt, Corpo de Fuzileiros, meaning literally "Corps of Fusiliers") constitutes the Elite Commando Raid Force and Special Operations branch of the
Portuguese Navy
The Portuguese Navy ( pt, Marinha Portuguesa, also known as ''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'' or as ''Armada Portuguesa'') is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Port ...
. It has roles similar to the ones of the
USMC Reconnaissance Battalions and of the
Royal Marine Commandos
The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marines ...
. The Corps is specialised in
amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducte ...
, coastal reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare, raids,
maritime interdiction
Maritime Interception (or naval interdiction) operations (MIOs) are naval operations, that aim to delay, disrupt, or destroy enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area before they do any harm against friendly forces, similar to air interd ...
and
boarding operations. It is an elite
light infantry
Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...
force, operating as a
rapid-reaction force
A rapid reaction force is a military or police unit designed to respond in very short time frames to emergencies. When used in reference to police forces such as SWAT teams, the time frame is minutes, while in military applications, such as with t ...
. Today’s Corpo de Fuzileiros is the premier raid force. The ''fuzileiros'' remains an all-volunteer force with an intensive screening and selection process followed by combat-focused training. ''Fuzileiros'' are resourced to maintain exceptional proficiency, experience and readiness.
History
The Portuguese Marines ( pt, Fuzileiros) have their direct origin in the oldest permanent military unit of Portugal, the Regiment of the Navy of the Crown of Portugal (''
Terço
A ''tercio'' (; Spanish for " third") was a military unit of the Spanish Army during the reign of the Spanish Habsburgs in the early modern period. The tercios were renowned for the effectiveness of their battlefield formations, forming the ...
da Armada da Coroa de Portugal''), created in 1618. However, since 1585, specialized troops existed to provide artillery and riflemen in the Portuguese warships. The Regiment of the Navy was soon considered an elite unit. As the
King of Portugal
This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution.
Through the n ...
did not have a
royal guard
A royal guard is a group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, such as the emperor or empress, king or queen, or prince or princess. They often are an elite unit of the regular arm ...
(only the ceremonial
Royal Guard of the Halberdiers
The Royal Guard of the Archers (Portuguese: ''Guarda Real dos Archeiros'') was the palace guard of the Portuguese Monarchs from the 16th century until the end of the monarchy in Portugal in 1910. Its members were armed with halberds, the Guard be ...
), this Regiment was also used in the role of bodyguard of the Monarchs.
In the 18th century, a second regiment of naval infantry was created. In 1791, a Regiment of Naval Artillery was added to the force.
In 1797, in the reign of
Queen Maria I, all the regiments of the Navy were merged and integrated into the new Royal Brigade of the Navy (''Brigada Real da Marinha''), which included three divisions: Fusiliers (''fuzileiros''), Artillerymen (''artilheiros'') and Artificers (''artifices e lastradores''). In 1807, the Brigade was reorganized, going to be made of three battalions, all of them of Artillerymen.
![Trident Juncture 2015 (22587269110)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Trident_Juncture_2015_%2822587269110%29.jpg)
In 1808, the
Army of Napoleon invaded and occupied Portugal. In order not to be captured and, so, to maintain secure the Portuguese sovereignty,
the Royal Family and most of the Court relocated to the Portuguese colony of Brazil, on board of the Portuguese fleet and accompanied by the majority of the Royal Brigade of the Navy. This contingent of the Brigade continued to remain in Brazil, even after its independence in 1822, given origin to what is now the
Brazilian Marine Corps )
, colors=Red and white
, colors_label=Colors
, march=
, mascot=
, battles = Invasion of Cayenne (1809) Banda Oriental Conquest (1816)War of Independence (1821–1824)Confederation of the Equator(1824)Cisplatine War(1825–1828)Ragamuffin War(183 ...
. In 1809, a force of the Brigade in Brazil participated in the
Portuguese conquest of French Guiana
The Portuguese conquest of French Guiana, also known as Conquest of Cayenne (Portuguese: ''Conquista de Caiena''), was a military operation against Cayenne, capital of the South American colony of French Guiana, launched in January 1809 in the ...
.
With most of the original force of the Brigade remaining in Brazil, in 1822 it started to be reconstituted in Portugal. In 1823, it was organized in two battalions.
During the
Portuguese Civil War
The Liberal Wars (), also known as the Portuguese Civil War (), the War of the Two Brothers () or Miguelite War (), was a war between liberal constitutionalists and conservative absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 18 ...
(1828-1834), the Royal Brigade of the Navy aligned on the side of the
Miguelite forces. On the opposite side however, the Liberals created a Battalion of the Navy (''Batalhão de Marinha''). In 1832, the Liberal Battalion of the Navy was augmented and transformed in a Regiment (''Regimento da Armada'') with four battalions.
In 1836, already after the end of the Civil War, the Royal Brigade of the Navy was extinguished. It was replaced by the new Naval Battalion (''Batalhão Naval'') created in 1837.
In each of the ships' crews of the Portuguese Navy, only the officers and the members of the embarked detachments of the Naval Battalion (and previously of the former Royal Brigade of the Navy) were military personnel, with the sailors being civilians. The different status of the several parts of the crews always created issues.
In 1851, the decision was taken to militarize the sailors, with the creation of the Corps of Military Seamen (''Corpo de Marinheiros Militares''). This Corps started to be responsible for the providing of the ships' crews. It was organized in 22 crew companies, each one subdivided in two half-companies, plus a depot company. Each of these companies and half companies was intended to constitute the crew of a ship, in rotation. All seamen of the Corps received a general training that included seamanship, artillery, infantry, bladed weapon combat, boarding and amphibious landing. In each company, a number of seamen received an advanced training in naval artillery, constituting its squad or artillerymen. This military training meant that the seamen were able to assume the responsibility to perform also the role of naval infantry when needed, what made unnecessary the existence of the Naval Battalion, which was then dissolved.
From this date, whenever there was a need to perform an amphibious operation, landing detachments were constituted with seamen taken from the ships' crews. For the colonial campaigns of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and for the
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, larger naval infantry forces and naval battalions were organized in the Corps of Seamen itself.
In 1924, a permanent unit of naval infantry was again created, this being the new Brigade of the Naval Guard (''Brigada da Guarda Naval''). However, it ceased to exist in 1934, with the role of naval infantry being again entirely assumed by the regular seamen when needed.
The Elite Naval Infantry only reappeared as permanent force in 1961, with the beginning of the
Colonial War
Colonial war (in some contexts referred to as small war) is a blanket term relating to the various conflicts that arose as the result of overseas territories being settled by foreign powers creating a colony. The term especially refers to wars ...
. Besides the Marines School (''Escola de Fuzileiros''), two types of operational marine units were created at that time, these being the detachments of special marines (DFE, ''destacamentos de fuzileiros especiais'') and the companies of marines (CF, ''companhias de fuzileiros''). While the DFE were designed to operate as amphibious assault units, the CF were focused in the naval patrolling and in the defense of naval ships and facilities. During this war, and up to 1975, more than 14,000 marines fought in
Portuguese Guinea
Portuguese Guinea ( pt, Guiné), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a West African colony of Portugal from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as Gu ...
,
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
and
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
.
Until 1975, a unified Marine Corps Command did not exist, with the diverse DFE and CF being separate units, depending from the several naval and maritime defense commands of the areas where they operated. In this year, the Marine Corps (''Corpo de Fuzileiros'') was created, unifying all marine units under a single command and become Elite Commando Raid Force.
Organization
![Portugese Marines Corps Structure](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Portugese_Marines_Corps_Structure.png)
Since 2015, the Portuguese Marine Corps is organized into:
* Marines Corps Command (''Comando do Corpo de Fuzileiros'');
* Marines Corps support departments (Administrative and Financial, Operations, Resources Management and General Support);
* Marines School (''Escola de Fuzileiros'')- training unit
* 1st Marine Battalion (''Batalhão de Fuzileiros Nº1'' (BF1)) -
force protection
Force protection (FP) refers to the concept of protecting military personnel, family members, civilians, facilities, equipment and operations from threats or hazards in order to preserve operational effectiveness and contribute to mission succes ...
unit. Includes:
# Naval Police Unit (''Unidade de Polícia Naval'' (UPN)) -
military police
Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...
unit
# Landing Means Unit (''Unidade de Meios de Desembarque'' (UMD)) -
landing craft
Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...
unit
# Boarding Platoon-VBSS (PelBoard) -
naval boarding
Naval boarding action is an offensive tactic used in naval warfare to come up against (or alongside) an enemy marine vessel and attack by inserting combatants aboard that vessel. The goal of boarding is to invade and overrun the enemy personn ...
unit
* 2nd Marine Battalion (''Batalhão de Fuzileiros Nº2'' (BF2)) -
force projection
Power projection (or force projection or strength projection), in international relations, is the capacity of a state to deploy and sustain forces outside its territory. The ability of a state to project its power into an area may serve as an e ...
unit. Includes three permanent Marine forces:
# 1st Marine Task Unit (FFZ1) - landing
task unit
# 2nd Marine Task Unit (FFZ2) - landing task unit
# 3rd Marine Task Unit (FFZ3) - landing task unit
*
Special Actions Detachment
The Special Actions Detachment ( pt, Destacamento de Ações Especiais) or DAE is the special operations maritime unit of the Portuguese Navy. It is part of the Portuguese Marine Corps. Raised in 1985, the DAE is one of the smallest special f ...
(''Destacamento de Acções Especiais'' (DAE)) -
special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
unit. Constitutes a special operations maritime task unit (SOMTU).
The permanent task units of the BF2 are designed to conduct commando raids and other small scale amphibious operations. To conduct larger scale amphibious operations, the Marine Corps can organize a temporary battalion landing team (''Batalhão Ligeiro de Desembarque''), based on the BF2, reinforced with additional means from the other Marine units and from the General Support Department of the Marine Corps.
The Marine Corps elements are based at the Vale do Zebro facilities (Marines School) and the
Alfeite facilities (former Marines Base).
The sole naval field music formation, the Navy Fanfare (''Fanfarra da Armada'') reports to the Marine Corps Command.
Training
![Portuguese Marines recruits](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Portuguese_Marines_recruits.jpg)
Initial training to become an enlisted ''Fuzileiro'' (
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
) lasts about 42 weeks. The training is conducted at the Marines School (''Escola de Fuzileiros'') in Vale de Zebro. It is physically and mentally rigorous and demanding, with only 15% to 35% of the initial trainees passing and becoming ''Fuzileiros''.
The recruits in training are constantly under stress and pressure from instructors leaving them no respite. All activities are timed and scored: marching several tens of kilometers with equipment and weapon, land and mud obstacle courses, navigation at night on the ground.
The training is punctuated by firearms training and special combat techniques, rappelling and climbing, boating, basic demolitions, communications and hand-to-hand combat.
The later stages of the course are mostly field based exercises mimicking real operations within land and amphibious theaters.
This last phase puts into test what was taught and practised in the initial stages like reconnaissance patrols, assault raids, ambushes, CQB/urban operations, SERE, NBC warfare etc.
The course culminates in a 60 km group march which must be completed in a set time.
After completing their training with success, the ''Fuzileiros'' receive the dark blue beret and the course badge on an official ceremony before being assigned to operational units.
During and after the Fuzileiros Course, Fuzileiros military personnel receive training in areas as varied as:
* Small unit Tactics
* Basic English
* Long-range reconnaissance patrols
* Escape and evasion techniques
* Inactivation of conventional explosive devices
* Advanced First Aid
* Demolitions, mines and traps
* Combat Shooting
* Driving tactical vehicles
* IED dearmament
* Sapper
* Communications
* NBC - Nuclear, Biological and Chemical
* Surveillance and counter-surveillance of the battlefield
* Abandonment of aircraft in immersion
* Shooting
* Hand-to-hand combat
* Fast Rope/Helicast/Rappel
* VBSS
* CQB
Equipment
Infantry weapons
Pistols
*
Glock 17
Glock is a brand of polymer-Receiver (firearms), framed, Recoil operation#Short recoil operation, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H., Glock Ges.m.b.H. The ...
9mm pistol;
Submachine guns
*
Heckler & Koch MP5A3;
*
Walther MPK (only used in military parades);
Assault rifles
*
Heckler & Koch G3 Spuhr 7.62mm;
*
Heckler & Koch G36KV 5.56mm (special operations);
*
Heckler & Koch HK416 A5 5.56mm (special operations);
*
M16A2
The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...
with
M203
The M203 is a single-shot 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older stand-alone M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilizes the high-low propulsion system to keep recoil forces ...
40mm grenade launcher (special operations);
Machine guns
*
FN Minimi Mk3 5.56mm;
*
MG3
The MG 3 is a German general-purpose machine gun chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. The weapon's design is derived from the World War II era MG 42 ''Einheitsmaschinengewehr'' (Universal machine gun) that fired the 7.92×57mm Mauser r ...
7.62mm;
*
M2HB Browning 12.7mm;
Shotguns
*
Remington 870
The Remington Model 870 is a pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, LLC. It is widely used by the public for shooting sports, hunting and self-defense, as well as by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.
De ...
12gauge;
*
Mossberg 590
The Mossberg 500 (M500) is a series of pump action shotguns manufactured by O.F. Mossberg & Sons. The 500 series comprises widely varying models of hammerless repeaters, all of which share the same basic receiver and action, but differ in bore ...
12gauge;
Sniper rifles
*
Heckler & Koch HK417 A2 7.62mm sniper variant (special operations);
*
MSG-90
The Heckler & Koch PSG1 (''Präzisionsschützengewehr'', German for "precision shooting rifle") is a Semi-automatic firearm, semi-automatic sniper rifle designed and produced by the German company Heckler & Koch.
Development
This rifle is said t ...
7.62mm sniper rifle;
*
Mauser 86SR
Mauser, originally Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik ("Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory"), was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols has been produced since the 1870s for the German arme ...
7.62mm sniper rifle;
*
AW 7.62mm sniper rifle (special operations);
*
AWSM
The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum or AI-Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially ...
.338 LM sniper rifle (special operations);
*
AW50
The AW50 is a .50 BMG anti-materiel precision rifle designed by Accuracy International. It is a re-engineered version of the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare L96 sniper rifle (the standard issue sniper rifle in the British forces).
Overview
...
12.7mm sniper rifle (special operations);
Grenade launchers
*
M203
The M203 is a single-shot 40 mm under-barrel grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older stand-alone M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilizes the high-low propulsion system to keep recoil forces ...
used on
M16A2 rifle
The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...
(special operations);
*
Heckler & Koch GMG
The GMG (''Granatmaschinengewehr'' or "grenade machine gun") is an automatic grenade launcher developed by Heckler & Koch for the German Army. It is also often referred to as GMW or GraMaWa (''Granatmaschinenwaffe'').
Design details
The GMG f ...
;
Mortars
* 120mm
Tampella B heavy mortar;
* 81mm
L16 medium mortar;
* 60mm fast mortar;
Anti-Tank missiles
*
Carl Gustav M3;
*
MILAN
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
.
Vehicles
* Traxter HD8;
*
Nissan Patrol
The is a series of full-size SUVs manufactured by Nissan in Japan and sold throughout the world.
The Patrol has been available as either a short-wheelbase (SWB) three-door or a long-wheelbase (LWB) five-door chassis since 1951. The LWB version ...
;
*
Land Rover Defender 90/110;
*
Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ73 armed with
MILAN ATGM
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has ...
,
M2HB Browning or
HK GMG
The GMG (''Granatmaschinengewehr'' or "grenade machine gun") is an automatic grenade launcher developed by Heckler & Koch for the German Army. It is also often referred to as GMW or GraMaWa (''Granatmaschinenwaffe'').
Design details
The GMG f ...
;
*
Toyota Hilux
The , stylized as HiLux and historically as Hi-Lux, is a series of pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The majority of these vehicles are sold as pickup truck or cab chassis variants, although they ...
;
*
Mitsubishi L200
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational corporation, multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company ...
;
*
Mercedes-Benz 24 GD;
*
Mercedes-Benz Unimog U1300L;
*
Mercedes-Benz Unimog U1550L;
* Mercedes-Benz Unimog U4000;
*
Mercedes-Benz Atego 1823;
*
Mercedes-Benz Actros 3340 EMPL Fahrzeugwerk EH/TC 30.000;
*
Iveco Trakker 330 with communications shelter;
Amphibious
* 15x
LARC-V
LARC-V (Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo, 5 ton), is an aluminium-hulled amphibious cargo vehicle capable of transporting 5 tons. It was developed in the United States during the 1950s, and is used in a variety of auxiliary roles to this ...
* 3x
rigid inflatable boats armed with
MG 3 machine guns;
* Dozens of Zebro III-class
inflatable boats
An inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. For smaller boats, the floor and hull is often flexible, while for boats longer than , the floor typically consist ...
.
Ranks
Officers
Ratings
See also
*
Portuguese Navy
The Portuguese Navy ( pt, Marinha Portuguesa, also known as ''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'' or as ''Armada Portuguesa'') is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Port ...
*
Special Actions Detachment
The Special Actions Detachment ( pt, Destacamento de Ações Especiais) or DAE is the special operations maritime unit of the Portuguese Navy. It is part of the Portuguese Marine Corps. Raised in 1985, the DAE is one of the smallest special f ...
*
Sapper Divers Detachments
*
List of Portuguese naval ships
*
Portuguese Naval Aviation
The Portuguese Naval Aviation ( pt, Aviação Naval Portuguesa) constituted the air component of the Portuguese Navy, from 1917 to 1957. The Portuguese Air Force maritime patrol units and the Navy's Helicopter Squadron (EHM, ''Esquadrilha de Helic ...
*
Portuguese Colonial War
The Portuguese Colonial War ( pt, Guerra Colonial Portuguesa), also known in Portugal as the Overseas War () or in the former colonies as the War of Liberation (), and also known as the Angolan, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambican War of Independence, ...
References
External links
Portuguese Marine Corps official page
{{Military of Portugal
Marines
Portuguese Navy
1621 establishments in Portugal
Military units and formations established in 1621
Military of Portugal
Special forces of Portugal