Regiment of infantry of national ordinance

LA MARINA
1701-1798

Giovanni Cerino-Badone

Duke Victor Amadeus II in 1701 gives order to raise a battalion of militia from the country of Nice and the
princedom of Oneglia. It is raised a a Regiment of National Ordinance of 10 companies with the name of Nice. Only in
1714 it becomes La Marina. It has the duty to offer its men to the Battalion of the Galleys. In 1717 it incorporates the
Battalion of Galleys and it gives its men to the Navy. It has 12 companies, but in 1720 La Marina has only 4
companies. In 1734 th regiment is elevated to two battalions. The 1sthas 10 companies, the 2nd only five. In 1738 La
Marina has again only a battalion, two in 1741, again one in 1749. Since that year the regiment La Marina has a single
battalion of 10 companies.

Service during the Polish Succession War

La Marina during the War of Polish Succession has a total strenght of two battalions. The 1st battalion fights on the
land theatre with the rest of the sabaudian army, while the 2nd served as marines on the Sabaudian Royal Navy. After
garrison and escort duties, the first battalion of La Marina takes its first action at the battle of Guastalla (19 september
1734). The battalion spends the follow year campaign in the Po Valley and in the Adige's one, until the end of the
ostilities. The second battalion during the war is on the naval units patrolling the Ligurian Sea beetween the harbours of
Nice, Villafranca, Oneglia and the sardinian cities.

Service during the Austrian Succession War

In 1742 La Marina is campaigning in north-east Italy in the Po plains. In october La Marina marches on the Alps to
face the mounting spanish offensive. From the camp at Bussoleno in Piedmont the Regiment's second battalion takes
action in Savoy during the counter-offensive against an invading Spanish army. It fights until the 3 december 1742. The
3 jenuary 1743 La Marina returns again in Piedmont. After the debacle in Savoy the operational theatre for La Marina
is now the Varaita Valley that the main french-spanish army has chose to invade Piedmont. The whole regiment fights
at the battle of Casteldelfino (8 october 1743), when the Charles Emmanuel's army stops the first offensive against
Piedmont. The follow year the whole regiment is present at the hard combat around the entrenched camp of Villafranca
(20-21 april 1744) in the Mediterranean theatre. During the defence of Mount Alban the Regiment La Marina faces and
beats off an attack of the dismounted troopers of the french Regiment Dragons de La Reine. Elements of the first
battalion helds the Citadel of S. Elm to cover the embarkment operation of the retreating garrison. It surrends the 27
april 1744. After the bloody defeat in Varaita Valley, the fortress city of Cuneo is under siege. The Regiment La Marina
marches with the piedmontese army in order to break the siege and during the battle near Madonna dell'Olmo (30
september 1744) its battalions are situated in the centre, first line. After the maelstrom of 1745, the sabaudian army is
able to retake the initiative. La Marina with its first battalion is at the parallels before Valenza (17 april-3 may 1746).
Then the two battalions fight in the south-west in the mediterranean theatre; the 1st battalion of Regiment is employed
in the winter offensive in Provence (30 november 1745-3 february 1746). The regiment fights until the end of the war
on the mediterranean shores. In particular the second battalion is present during one of the last maior action of the war:
it lands at Bastia (may 1748) to support the amphibious action against this fortified city of the Republic of Genoa.

Commanders of Regiment La Marina under Charles Emmanuel III

Jacob D'Alerthon 25- 4- 1728

Giuseppe Federico Canale di Cumiana 15- 1- 1734
Bartolomeo Sforza Pallavicino 1- 3- 1735
Camille du Thaon 11- 4-1739
Giovanni Giacomo dè Rossi 3- 1- 1742
Giovanni Andrea Martini 5- 4- 1743
Antonio Faletti Compte du Morra 8- 4- 1746
Ignace Thaon du Revel 27- 9- 1759
Camille Compte du Richelmi 24- 5- 1762
Francoise Compte Panissera 28- 4- 1769
Louis Novarina du S. Sebastian 14- 3- 1771

Uniforms

1730-1750: Red coat, green lining, cuffs, waistcoat, breeches. White gaiters for fusilier, black for grenadiers. Seven
brass buttons on each side of the coat, three on the cuffs. Horizontal pockets. Tricorne with dark blue cockade on the
left brim and yellow hem for fusiliers, bearskin cap for grenadiers.
1750-1773 (only principal differences from the previous issue): Dark blue coat, yellow lapels and collar. Seven brass
buttons on lapels. Tricorne with white hem and yellow and black pompon. Bearskin cap with dark yellow tail with
yellow hem and dark yellow and yellow pompon.

Colours
Colonel's Colour: Blue with black eagle in the centre, decorated with the Savoy's cross and overhanged by royal
crown.

Regimental Colour: : White cross over red quarters with green flames. Black anchor in the first quarter.