German Navy Troops/Marines/Naval Infantry???

[ANZAC74]

Hello All:

I'd like to know if the German Navy has something that could compare in its missions (amphibious assaults, security......) with the US, UK, Marines.
I've been looking at the German Navy official website but it appears to be nothing about this subject.

Any help would be appreciated
Thanks in advance
ANZAC

[duck]

Within the framework of NATO, there is a danish-german-polish corps assigned to the defense of the baltic sea ports and beaches. Our polish friends would know better, but I would expect a marine component in the danish or polish units of the corps. The only german unit similar to the Royal Marines/ÚSMC would be their Kampfschwimmer/recon company.

[Tiger]

The Kampfschwimmer are the German Navy special forces, it's a Navy SEAL-type unit so they can't be compared to USMC or Royal Marines.

[duck]

Why not, even if their level of professionalism is high. The basic mission of all recon forces is the same, maybe the SEAL/Kampfschwimmer types have additional UDT skills. The USMC have their own high-skill Force Recon people, the Royal Marines as well, including the SBS. Don't let names fool you, the mission and tasks count.

[Piccolo]

lol, that's a pretty bad comparison, Duck. You are comparing a entire force of conventional forces (Numbering in the thousands), to a SOF which, from what I have read, only has about 100 or less in it's service. Thats like saying a entire brigade from the 101st is better then one SF ODA. JMO, anyway.

[Kitsune]

Piccolo is right, Duck. The "Kampfschwimmer" are a unit best compared to the SeALs (they do crosstrain with them). During training nearly all applicants are weeded out. At any given time there are only about 30 to 40 Kampfsschwimmer with "Combat Ready" Status.

To the original question. No there is nothing like the Marines in Germany. The German Navy has so called "Navy Securing Troops"...but they are a bit different from Marines. You see, Britain and and the US both have military forces bent on foreign intervention. For both countries the Navy was always main protector, the army had often to fight overseas. Germany isn't so lucky. We are sourrounded by other nations on nearly all sides. Because of this our army is our main protection force and that always kept our navy (and the naval transport capacity) comparatively small. Especially after WWII Germany focused on self defense only (because German military intervention was not popular with the other European nations) so there is no "Marine Corps" in Germany.
This may well change during the next one or two decades since after the collapse of the Soviet Union self defense only at home seems not to make sense for Germany any more...a nation now "sourounded by friends". So there are more and more voices that demand more intervention capable forces...and with them a German Marine Corps may very well be created.

p-)