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Anaval brigade is a body ofsailors serving in a ground combat role to augment land forces.
Prior to theFederation of Australia, several of the Australian colonies had their own Naval Brigades withNew South Wales also having a separate Naval Artillery Volunteers who mannedcoast artillery.[1] These units took part in the suppression of theBoxer Rebellion in China.
During theGerman Revolution of 1918–19, mutineering sailors of theImperial German Navy formed theVolksmarinedivision, the best-trained and organised force available to the revolutionary socialists. They defeated regular army troops and battled the right-wingFreikorps over the direction of postwar Germany.
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During theOctober Revolution andRussian Civil War, Bolshevik sailors were involved in storming theWinter Palace. When theNazis invaded Russia, sailors were diverted from the battleships to aid in the defence ofLeningrad andSevastopol. Throughout the war, Russian naval infantry distinguished themselves in land combat, and eventually earnedspecial forces status.
Within theRoyal Navy, a naval brigade is a large temporary detachment ofRoyal Marines and ofseamen from the Royal Navy formed to undertake operations on shore, particularly during the mid- to late-19th century. Seamen were specifically trained in land-based warfare at thegunnery school atHMSExcellent inPortsmouth.
The Royal Navy fought only one ship-to-ship action (HMS Shah andAmethyst against the Peruvian shipHuascar in 1877) between 1850 and 1914, so, for much of that period, its only active service was on shore, through naval brigades formed from the men aboard its vessels. Naval brigades were used in engagements including:
Thefield gun competition commemorates the participation of a naval brigade in therelief of Ladysmith during theBoer War, when 12-pounder guns fromHMS Terrible andPowerful were dragged across almost 200 mi (320 km) of rough terrain fromDurban in October 1899.
ARoyal Naval Division—later designated the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division—was formed in theFirst World War to make use of surplus reserves of the Royal Navy who were not required at sea. It included two naval brigades and abrigade of Royal Marines, and fought in the defence ofAntwerp in 1914, theBattle of Gallipoli in 1915, and theBattle of the Somme in 1916. Few naval personnel remained in the Division by July 1916, and it was redesignated as the 63rd Division. The division was demobilised in April 1919.
During thesiege of Veracruz of 1847 in theMexican–American War, a naval contingent of 1200 men joined the landing force.
During theAmerican Civil War, both sides employed naval brigades at thesiege of Petersburg. TheConfederate naval brigade was commanded by CaptainJohn R. Tucker. It was attached toGeorge Washington Custis Lee's Division, under Lieutenant GeneralRichard Ewell's Richmond Defense Forces. During the retreat to Appomattox, the brigade was captured at theBattle of Sayler's Creek on 6 April 1865. s. TheUnion naval brigade was under theArmy of the James under Major GeneralBenjamin Butler. It was commanded by Brigadier GeneralCharles K. Graham and was not assigned to either of the two corps of the army.
During the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan,individual augmentees from the United States Navy served in the Army to make up for a shortfall of army personnel.