30 Major Battles of World War II That Shaped Modern Warfare Forever
World War II is the bloodiest conflict in history. These are the 30 most important battles and operations that took place between 1939 and 1945.
amphibious operation
The Allies invaded Italy in 1943, but by 1944, they had progressed only as far as the Gustav Line south of Rome. So, the Allies staged a massive <anchor>amphibious operation</anchor> to force the defenders to split their forces or be surrounded—but quick success depended on a rapid break-out from the beachhead.
Are Amphibious Assaults Still Relevant?
Are Amphibious Assaults Still Relevant?

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1. [Military](/military/)
2. [Weapons](/military/weapons/)
3. [Are Amphibious Assaults Still Relevant?](/military/weapons/a26963/are-amphibious-assaults-still-relevant/)

# Are Amphibious Assaults Still Relevant?

U.S. Marines practice an attack in the Baltics, but the question lingers.

By [Kyle Mizokami](/author/14085/kyle-mizokami/ "Kyle Mizokami")Published: Jun 16, 2017 4:50 PM EDT

![bookmarks](/_assets/design-tokens/fre/static/icons/saved.ad81f1a.svg?primary=%2523ffffff)Save Article

![Army, Soldier, Military, Military uniform, Military organization, Military person, Infantry, Troop, Marines, Military camouflage, ](https://hips.hearstapps.com/pop.h-cdn.co/assets/17/24/4000x2666/gallery-1497644284-3488811.jpg?resize=640:*)[![pinterest](/_assets/design-tokens/fre/static/icons/social/pinterest.e8cf655.svg?primary=%2523ffffff)](//pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a26963/are-amphibious-assaults-still-relevant/&description=&media=https://hips.hearstapps.com/pop.h-cdn.co/assets/17/24/1497644284-3488811.jpg?resize=1600:*)

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Stevie Tate.

Amphibious assaults: antiquated or awe-inspiring? That's the question _Stars and Stripes_ posed as it covered an amphibious assault during BALTOPS 2017, NATO's annual military exercises in the Baltic Sea.

The exercise capped off with an amphibious invasion by U.S. Marines from [Marine Corps Europe Africa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps_Forces,_Europe). Marine reservists from the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines disembarked from the landing ship USS _Arlington_, coming ashore on the Polish coast in LCAC hovercraft and Amtrac amphibious vehicles.

The last major amphibious invasion took place during the Korean War at Inchon. Since then the U.S. has threatened a seaborne assault. For example, U.S. Marines on ships tied up thousands of Iraqi troops during the 1991 Persian Gulf War who expected them to storm Kuwait from the sea. But the U.S. hasn't actually staged one of these in an active conflict in decades. During 1991 and the 2003 Iraq wars, the Marines invaded over land.

![Vehicle, Military vehicle, Amphibious assault ship, Ship, Tank, Naval ship, Combat vehicle, Warship, Military, Watercraft, ](https://hips.hearstapps.com/pop.h-cdn.co/assets/17/24/1497644461-3488943.jpg?resize=980:*)[![pinterest](/_assets/design-tokens/fre/static/icons/social/pinterest.e8cf655.svg?primary=%2523ffffff)](//pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a26963/are-amphibious-assaults-still-relevant/&description=&media=https://hips.hearstapps.com/pop.h-cdn.co/assets/17/24/1497644461-3488943.jpg?resize=1600:*)

U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist America A. Henry.

A Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicle comes ashore on the Polish coast.

The Marines would argue that the percentage of coastline hasn't changed, and with the [importance of megacities](http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/09/28/marines-may-see-future-fights-in-mega-cities-planners-say.html) in modern global society—most of which are within twenty miles of the sea—the need for the ability to land troops on a foreign shore is more important than ever.

It's also more dangerous than ever. The proliferation of anti-ship missiles among even small countries and non-state actors such as Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi rebels is forcing the Navy and Marines to rethink the distance from which they launch amphibious landings. Easily concealed, shore-launched anti-ship missiles [such as the ones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-802) that heavily damaged the [UAE transport catamaran ex-HSV _Swift_](http://gcaptain.com/photos-show-catastrophic-damage-to-hsv-swift-following-missile-attack/) and the [Israeli missile corvette INS _Hanit_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Hanit) can reach out and strike ships loaded with sailors and marines sitting five miles off the coast in less than 30 seconds. This gives defenders little time to prepare, and as a result both services are modifying their amphibious doctrine to launch assaults at a safer distance.

The slow shift away from fighting in landlocked Middle Eastern regions and Afghanistan and towards China in the Asia-Pacific and Russia in the Baltic region will likely make America's amphibious capabilities more relevant than ever. As for whether a major amphibious assault ever takes place again is an open question and perhaps even irrelevant: the true success of Navy/Marine amphibious team might not be in a successful assault, but in appearing formidable enough that potential adversaries are deterred from starting a conflict to begin with.

Read more at [_Stars and Stripes_](https://www.stripes.com/news/amphibious-assaults-antiquated-or-awe-inspiring-1.473869#.WUQwMsbMwUR)

![Headshot of Kyle Mizokami](https://hips.hearstapps.com/rover/profile_photos/bf2f096f-4d0a-456b-a131-44babf768632.jpg?fill=1:1&resize=120:*)

[Kyle Mizokami](/author/14085/kyle-mizokami/)

Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at _Popular Mechanics_ since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at _The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News_, and others. He lives in San Francisco.

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