Fleet Landing Exercises
| Fleet Landing Exercises | |
|---|---|
Badge of the United States Marine Corps
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| Active | 1935 to 1941 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | |
| Role | Amphibious Warfare · Expeditionary Warfare |
| Size | 1935: 1,500 Marines 1936: 1,800 Marines 1937: 2,700 Marines, 800 Army 1938: 1,850 Marines, 600 Army 1939: 2,200 Marines 1940: 2,250 Marines 1941: |
| Garrison/HQ | Fleet Marine Force, established 7 December 1933 |
The Fleet Landing Exercises, or FLEX were amphibious landing exercises conducted by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps between 1935 and 1941. The purpose of these exercises was to formulate a workable amphibious warfare doctrine. The development of the necessary craft and other equipment, and the proper tactical deployment of them were also results. Finally, the exercises demonstrated the usefulness of a standing body of Marines, the Fleet Marine Force, specially prepared for amphibious expeditions.
The history of amphibious warfare predates Greek antiquity. In United States history, early in the Revolution, Colonial marines were used to conduct amphibious landings and raids such as the Battle of Nassau, and the Penobscot Expedition. Amphibious operations were mounted in the American Civil War, and also prominently in the Spanish American War. Though this history produced a system of landing procedures, the advent of the motor vehicle (the tank in particular) and the airplane required planners to think more critically about the feasibility of amphibious operations.
In Panama, during the 1920s, the Marine Corps conducted a few modest experiments concerning modern amphibious warfare. At the beginning of the 1930s American defense policy shifted as the threat of the expansionist Japanese Empire became more apparent. The establishment of the Fleet Marine Force and greater concentration on the feasibility of amphibious assault were the direct result. Developing the ability to capture Japanese held islands during a Pacific war against Japan was a vital part of US war contingency plans; War Plan Orange. It was not until these contingency plans described the necessity of amphibious capability that testing key maneuvers in amphibious landings was funded.
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Wikipedia