Although the "Serenissima" Lagunari Regiment – more commonly called just "Lagunari", from the term lagoon due to their specialty – is the youngest specialty and the only amphibious assault infantry unit of the Italian Army, it boasts very ancient history and traditions, which we will retrace in this article on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of their recognition.
Key points
• The beginnings
• The recognition
• Operativity
• Missions
3' reading
• The beginnings
The illustrious ancestors of the Lagunari were the infantrymen, embarked by the Venetian doge Enrico Dandolo at the time of the Fourth Crusade for the conquest of Constantinople (1204): from the mid-1500s and through various improvements, they then became the "Fanti da mar" of the Serenissima Republic of Venice. From these, they will inherit as symbols the winged lion of Venice, which will become the protagonist of their coat of arms, and the battle cry: San Marco! (which means Saint Mark!, and we’ll later see why).
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Image 1: Lagunari’s arm badge
At their constitution in 1951, it was an inter-force unit known as the "Lagunari Forces Sector", composed of personnel from both the Army (Piave and Marghera Battalions, amphibious vehicles company) and the Navy (San Marco Battalion) under the command of a Rear Admiral: the former as an amphibious mechanized component, the latter as the main landing force. At the beginnings and during the "Cold War", the task of Lagunari mainly consisted in the protection of Venetian and Upper Adriatic coasts and lagoons from possible landings by the forces of the "Warsaw Pact", becoming in effect one of the first lines of defense of North-East of Italy. However, the particularly marshy and lacustrine nature of those coasts required appropriate amphibious means, but above all, soldiers trained to operate and fight in such harsh environments. Therefore, since 1957, the Lagunari Forces Sector has been undergoing several changes, first replacing each component of the Navy with the Isonzo Battalion; then, assuming the new name "Lagunari Grouping"; again, constituting the Lagunari Support Department with the amphibious and floating armored vehicles; until obtaining the official delivery of the War Flag, on October 25th, 1959 in San Marco Square in Venice, and, in 1964, the dignity of "Serenissima Lagunari Regiment".
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Image 2: Lagunari company of honor attending an official ceremony in San Marco Square, Venice
• The recognition
Finally, on June 25th, 1984, by Decree of the President of the Republic, the "Lagunari" Specialty was recognized and at the same time, San Marco (Saint Mark) was declared patron saint of the Amphibious Troops: this date has since been celebrated as an anniversary. Later on, more renovations will follow in compliance with the reorganization of the Army, until 2007, the year from which Lagunari have been belonging to the large inter-force unit "Force of Projection from the Sea" together with the San Marco Brigade of the Navy, with which they share the amphibious nature of unit, and the symbols of Venice. Today, the Lagunari Regiment is composed entirely of professional soldiers, with the various Commands located between the land bases of Mestre and Malcontenta and the amphibious base of Sant'Andrea in Venice, on the Island of Vignole.
• Operativity
The Lagunari, the only amphibious assault unit of the Italian Army, are able to operate autonomously on any type of terrain and, due to their amphibious vehicles and their specific training (all Lagunari must earn the Amphibious Qualification Patent), they are a decisive element among the rapid deployment forces of the Italian Defense. Trained to intervene both in inland waters - such as rivers, lakes and lagoons -, and both at sea (boarding activities) and across the sea (landing operations), they carry out the tasks of amphibious assault infantry through reconnaissance, landings on hostile beaches and amphibious raids. Among the vehicles at their disposal, it is worth mentioning the protected 4x4 Iveco VLTM "Lince" ; the Assault Amphibious Vehicle or AAV-7, which is an armored amphibious assault vehicle capable of transporting 21 soldiers, in addition to the crew of 3 people; and other smaller units, such as various landing boats, speedboats, inflatable boats, RHIBs and kayaks.
Image 3: Lagunari on a landing operation aboard the AAV7 (Joint Stars training, 2018)
• Missions
On the national territory, the Lagunari have taken part in many operations related to natural disasters – such as earthquakes and floodings - and in Safe Roads Operation in support of the Italian Police. In the international arena, there are numerous missions abroad they have taken part in and for which they have been awarded with the Silver Medal for Army Valor in 2006. Among these: the deployment in Kosovo, first in Đakovica, for the NATO/KFOR Operation (Joint Guardian, 1999-2000), then in Peć, Klina and Goraždevac (Consistent Effort and Decisive Endavour, 2001-2002); Ancient Babylon Operation in Nassiriya, from 2003 to 2005, sadly known because, during its development, Captain Massimo Ficuciello and 1st Corporal Major Matteo Vanzan lost their lives; in 2006-2007, and then again in 2013, the Regiment conducted the Leonte Operation, in South Lebanon, to ensure the conditions of security and stability necessary for the application and the compliance with United Nations Resolution 1701; they also operated in Afghanistan, first in ISAF Operation (2010-2012), then in Resolute Support Operation (2019). Among the most recent missions, it is worth mentioning the operations in Lebanon and Somalia in 2022: in southern Lebanon, at the head of UNIFIL Italbatt under the UN flag, with the aim of monitoring compliance with the ceasefire and with the Blue Line (Resolution 1701 of 11 August 2006 United Nations Security Council); in Somalia, as part of the EUTM-S Mission with Advising, Mentoring and Training activities, contributing to the development of territorial control capabilities by the Somali Security Forces.
“Come lo scoglio infrango, come l'onda travolgo” - which can be translated as "Like the rock I break, like the wave I overwhelm" - this is the official motto of the Lagunari, to whom we want to pay tribute with this article on the occasion of their 39th anniversary on next Sunday, June 25th.
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Image 4: Lagunari boarding party during a training
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Source: public domain images (including cover image)