Special Naval Landing Forces

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Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) 海軍特別陸戦隊 Kaigun Tokubetsu Rikusentai
The ensign of the Special Naval Landing Force
Active	1932–1945
Country	Empire of Japan
Allegiance	Emperor of Japan
Branch	Imperial Japanese Navy
Type	Marines
Role	Amphibious warfare Anti-aircraft warfare Armoured warfare Close-quarters combat Cold-weather warfare Combined arms Counter-battery fire Demolition Fire support Maneuver warfare Raiding Jungle warfare Reconnaissance Urban warfare
Size	Division
Engagements	Second Sino-Japanese War World War II

The Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF; Japanese: 海軍特別陸戦隊, romanized: Kaigun Tokubetsu Rikusentai) were the marines of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and were a part of the IJN land forces. They saw extensive service in the Second Sino-Japanese War and in the Pacific theatre of World War II. The SNLF should not be confused with the Naval Landing Forces, which were primarily ad-hoc units of naval personnel formed into naval infantry units whom rarely performed proper amphibious operations and were primarily utilized in a defensive role ashore.