The Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF), 海軍陸戦隊 Tokubetsu Rikusentai were the marine troops of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). They saw extensive service in the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and the Pacific theatre of World War II.

Prior to the late 1920s the IJN did not have a separate marine force, it used naval landing forces or rikusentai formed from individual ships's crews, who received infantry training as part of their basic training, for special and/or temporary missions.

In the late 1920s, the navy began to form Special Naval Landing Forces as standing regiments. These forces were raised at — and took their names from — the four main naval bases in Japan: Kure, Maizuru, Sasebo, and Yokosuka. These bases all raised more than one SNLF and others were later raised from IJN personnel in China, at Hankow, and Shanghai, for service in Canton and on the Yangtze River. The strengths of each SNLF ranged from the prewar peak of 1,200 to a later 650 personnel. There was also a special detachment in the Kwantung area, garrisoning the ports of Dairen and Ryojun.

Some received parachute training and the SNLF conducted more parachute drops than the Imperial Japanese Army's 1st Parachute Brigade.

The original SNLF personnel were well-trained, high quality troops with good morale and they performed well against unprepared and unorganized opposition. However, when faced with determined resistance, such as at the Battle of Milne Bay in late 1942, they often experienced heavy casualties.

(Note: the Army also raised amphibious units called Sea Landing Brigades . These 3,500-strong brigades were used to assault and then garrison islands.)

SNLF Units

• Kure Naval Base
  • 1st Kure SNLF
  • 2nd Kure SNLF
• Maizuru Naval Base
  • 1st Maizuru SNLF
  • 2nd Maizuru SNLF
• Sasebo Naval Base
  • 1st Sasebo SNLF
  • 2nd Sasebo SNLF
  • 8th(?) Sasebo SNLF
  • Sasebo Combined SNLF (Combined 1st and 2nd Sasebo SNLF)
• Yokosuka Naval Base
  • 1st Yokosuka SNLF (Parachute trained)
  • 2nd Yokosuka SNLF
  • 3rd Yokosuka SNLF (Parachute trained)
  • 4th Yokosuka SNLF
• Butai Yokosuka: the IJN combined the 1st and 3rd SNLF's into one force for larger operations.

External links

• Website about the JSNLF
• Early War JSNLF