3rd Marine Infantry Division "San Marco"
military unit
The 3rd Marine Infantry Division "San Marco" (Italian: 3ª Divisione fanteria di marina "San Marco") was one of four divisions raised by the National Republican Army of the Italian Social Republic. It existed from 26 November 1943 until 29 April 1945.
History
The Division was formed from former Italian personnel and new conscripts from Northern Italy. The Division was trained in Germany and was ready for combat in July 1944. It was named for Saint Mark, historically the patron of Venice and the Veneto.
The 14,000 men strong Division was then sent to Liguria and was from July to October 1944, part of the Army Group Liguria under Marshal Graziani. It made defensive preparations against a possible Allied landing and was also engaged in anti-partisan operations.
Unlike the Monterosa Division which was sent to fight against the Americans at the Gothic Line, most of the San Marco Division remained in Liguria for the rest of the war fighting partisans. In August 1944 a unit was sent to France to fight against the Allies near Toulon, and two battalions were deployed along the Gothic Line to reinforce the Italian-German defence.
In Liguria, many soldiers of the Division deserted, and some 2,000 men were killed or wounded in the actions against the partisans.
The public source identifies “3rd Marine Infantry Division "San Marco"” as military unit. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Marine, Infantry and Division.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “3rd Marine Infantry Division "San Marco"”, the useful work is to connect “military unit” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q9133110. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1943, 1945 and 1944.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “3rd Marine Infantry Division "San Marco"”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 3rd Marine Infantry Division "San Marco" primary sources, 3rd Marine Infantry Division "San Marco" archive and Marine research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “3rd Marine Infantry Division "San Marco"”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “3rd Marine Infantry Division "San Marco"” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.