IV.

Guerrilla Warfare in the Western World

Guerrillalike warfare has figured in European history since the 12th century, when the Welsh, armed with longbows, fiercely defended their borders against Norman invaders. Through the centuries, peasant revolts against oppression were frequently characterized by guerrilla tactics. One of the bloodiest guerrilla actions was the peasant revolt of 1793-96 in the Vendée, in western France, against the revolutionary government and in support of the Roman Catholic church. Guerrilla actions played major roles in 19th-century nationalist uprisings, notably the Greek War of Independence (1821-29) and the efforts of the patriots Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi to unify Italy in the 1830s and '40s.

Classic examples of guerrilla warfare include the attacks of more than 300 bands of French francs-tireurs, or snipers, on invading German troops during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71); the Boer raids against British troops that were occupying the Transvaal and the Orange Free State during the Boer War (1899-1902); and, during World War II, the activities of the underground bands known as Maquis who fought German forces occupying France.