The Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) were stand-alone naval infantry units of the Imperial Japanese Navy that were active from 1932 to 1945. While IJN naval landing forces used to be formed from individual ships' crews as temporary units, they were transformed into permanent formations with the creation of the Shanghai Special Naval Landing Force after the 1932 January 28 incident. SNLF units notably saw action at the 1937 Battle of Shanghai and other cleanup operations during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and their strength varied from 200 men to over 3,000 personnel. In 1941, SNLF paratroopers participated in the invasion of the Dutch East Indies and Philippines. They often suffered heavy casualties, including the Battle of Milne Bay, and they were the first foreign forces to invade American soil since the War of 1812 when they landed on Kiska on 6 June 1942.