San Marco Regiment The San Marco Regiment ( Italian : " Reggimento San Marco " ) , located in Brindisi , are the marines of the Italian Navy . Until the middle of the 1990s the unit was known as the “ San Marco Battalion ” ( " Battaglione San Marco " ) , until it was expanded beyond battalion size because of the new geopolitical situation after the end of the Cold War and an increasing number of international missions . In 2013 it entered the San Marco Marine Brigade . History . The San Marco Regiment traces its history back to the La Marina Regiment , formed in 1713 . During the Wars of Italian Independence the Italian Marines were known as the Fanteria Real Marina , units of specially selected sailors who were skilled marksmen . The regiment also played an important role in Peking during the Boxer Rebellion and in the Italo - Turkish War . With the beginning of the Italian campaign during World War I , the unit was named the Brigata Marina ( Naval Brigade ) , and included two regiments , one infantry and one artillery . The brigade ' s infantry battalions were drawn from various Army and customs units , in addition to sailors from the torpedoed Italian navy cruiser " Amalfi " who were hastily equipped as infantry . Following the Battle of Caporetto in October – November 1917 , the Italian front had almost collapsed and the Marina Brigade fought in the defence of Venice during the Battle of the Piave River . After the war , the grateful city presented a flag with the Lion of Saint Mark , from Venice ' s coat of arms , to the marines of the Naval Brigade . The Naval Brigade was renamed the San Marco Brigade because of the connection with Venice , and the Italian Ship of the same name that was sunk in World War I Between the two world wars only a “ San Marco Battalion ” existed . A special unit of the battalion was sent to garrison the Italian concession in Tianjin , China in 1924 and stayed there until it was interned by the Japanese in 1943 , when Italy declared war on the Axis . In the confusion , one post resisted , holding out against Japanese attacks for 24 hours before surrendering . The interned Italians were then given the choice to represent the collaborationist fascist government , or become prisoners of war . The San Marco Battalion also served during the Second Italo - Abyssinian War . At the beginning of the Second World War the regiment increased in size , and prepared for amphibious landings at Cape Martin in France which never happened . . The regiment expanded to seven battalions before the final desert battles in 1943 , including the " Battaglione Nuotatori " who were trained as parachutists in 1941 . The 3rd Battalion of the ' San Marco ' Regiment , which became known as the " Tobruk " battalion , repelled landings by British Commandos at Tobruk during the night of 13 / 14 September in 1942 , in the course of the botched Operation Agreement . As a result , 200 British Commandos were taken prisoner . The regiment fought at Tobruk and Tunisia , where it defended the Mareth line during April and May 1943 . The " Tobruk " Battalion was later destroyed on the night of 5 April 1943 while defending the Oidane - el - Hachana line against an attack on Wadi Akarit by the British 69th Infantry Brigade and Gurkha units from the Indian Army 4th Infantry Division . " When we were about ten yards away we had reached the top of the slit trench and we killed any of the survivors , " recalled British infantryman Bill Cheall , who had just seen his section leader shot down by a San Marco Marine . " It was no time for pussy footing , we were intoxicated with rage and had to kill them to pay for our fallen pal . " German General Hans - Jürgen von Arnim later said of the San Marco Marines fighting abilities in Tunisia in 1943 , that they were " the best soldiers I ever commanded " . Following the Italian surrender in 1943 , many San Marco marines fought for the Allies against the Germans , however the 4th ( " Caorle " ) Battalion fought for the Axis until the end of the war . The San Marco Marine Regiment was deactivated in 1956 but was reformed on 1 January 1965 to battalion strength ( Marina Battaglione " San Marco " ) in Venice with 750 personnel . During the Italian - Yugoslav tensions of Trieste and Istria , the Yugoslav head of state Tito requested the Italian government move the unit from Venice , because he believed it represented a possible aggression against Yugoslavia , and that it was not necessary for the defense of Italy according to the 1947 Paris Peace Treaty . The battalion was then shifted to Brindisi Naval Base in Southern Italy and integrated completely into the Italian Navy . In Venice , the Italian Army reconstituted its Lagunari amphibious infantry . From 1982 to 1984 the San Marco battalion took part in international UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon . Today the San Marco Marine Regiment consists of the Amphibious Battalion " Grado " and the Support Battalion " Golametto " with approximately 1 , 500 marines . Combined with the Logistics and Training Regiment “ Carlotto ” , landing boats and helicopters , the San Marco Regiment can conduct amphibious assaults and landings . If necessary , the San Marco Regiment can be reinforced by the Army ' s Lagunari . The naval command is connected by a unified operations staff and is closely associated with the Spanish Marines through the SILF joint landing force . The San Marco Regiment has been active in international peace - keeping operations . Since the early 1980s the unit has deployed to Lebanon , the Persian Gulf , Somalia , Albania , Bosnia - Herzegovina , Kosovo , East Timor , Eritrea and Iraq . The San Marco and the Lagunari were used together for the first time in operation UNIFIL after the 2006 Lebanon war in a peacekeeping mission as the “ Initial Entry Force ” in September 2006 . Two marines from the San Marco Regiment , Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone , are currently under trial in India and face murder charges for allegedly shooting dead two Indian fishermen , Ajeesh Pinki and Gelastine , 20 . 5 nm off the coast of Kerala . The 2012 Italian shooting in the Laccadive Sea created a diplomatic dispute between Italy and India over matters of court jurisdiction and functional immunity . The diplomatic row developed into a stand - off with India in March 2013 and resulted in the resignation of Italian foreign minister Giulio Terzi on 26 March 2013 . Court proceedings have continued . Organization . The support elements of the regiment include a telecommunications center ; a coordination center for fire support ; air observer and coastal defense forces ; and staff . Advanced force and reconnaissance operations are undertaken by a separate company ( “ " Demolitori di Ostacoli Antisbarco DOA " ” ) , tasked primarily with the clearing of landing zones and the removal of barriers , obstacles and mines . The marines can be landed by helicopters , speedboats or from submarines . The " DOA " trains with the commando frogmen of the Italian Fleet Command Special Forces COMBUSIN GOI , who themselves are drawn largely from the ranks of the San Marco marines . COMBUSIN wear an emerald green beret . Another separate company , consisting of about 180 men , the Naval Operation Company , leads the Boarding teams . These units of about 8 to 10 men conduct boardings and inspections of shipping , e . g . in embargo measures . The Grado battalion contains the actual naval infantry component of the Italian Navy . The battalion consists of a staff and supply company , three naval infantry companies , plus a ' heavy ' company . Each of the three combat companies consists of three 37 man platoons and a 21 man fire support section . These companies can be brought ashore with amphibious vehicles and boats or with helicopters . In other cases they can operate as mechanized infantry with a modified version of the M113 ( “ VCC - 1 ” ) . The heavy company forms the combat support component of the battalion with their air defense and anti - armour weapons as well as with the 120mm mortar . Logistical support is conducted by the Golametto battalion . It contains transport and logistics companies , as well as a medical unit . The members of this battalion are fully trained naval infantrymen , who give landing operations the necessary combat logistical and technical support to the Grado battalion . General tasks of support fall into the scope of responsibility of the Carlotto regiment , which supplies the Golametto battalion with the necessary materials before deployment depending upon operational orders . Heraldry . The marines of the San Marco Regiment are designated as Marine Riflemen . Their rank system is similar to the Italian Army except that enlisted men are distinguished by a sailor ' s collar on the uniform and a dark navy blue beret . Both the Navy ' s San Marco marines and the Army ' s Lagunari amphibious infantry have the Lion of Saint Mark in their coat of arms . Plans to consolidate both organizations together was abandoned in the mid - 1990s . Today , however , close co - operation exists because of a common operations staff in Brindisi , which has continued to strengthen ties between the two units ( " Forza di Proiezione dal Mare " ) .