What is “Guerilla Warfare”?
From the Spanish word for “little war”Also called non-conventional or
unconventional Most common form of warfare in the 20th
century after World War IIPracticed world-wide but especially in
Developing or Third World Countries
Conventional War
• Regular military• Uniformed soldiers• Separated from public• “Heavy” weapons and
large units• Massive logistical
support• Recognized
governmental arm
Guerilla Warfare
• Irregular forces• Small units (cells)• Highly mobile• Minimal logistical
support• Blend with public• Not a recognized
governmental arm
One of the earliest uses of guerilla war was during the American Revolution…
Francis Marion – The “Swamp Fox” of South Carolina
The strategy takes its name from its use by the Spanish in the Napoleonic wars while under French occupation…
“The Third of May, 1808” by Francisco Goya
Early in the 20th century, guerilla war was employed by other “freedom fighters” such as Ireland’s Michael Collins…
Collins the reality… vs. Collins the myth…
As the century has progressed numerous others have taken up the strategy…
From Jews…
To Arabs…
To the Vietnamese…
Guerilla War Theory
Mao Zedong was one of the greatest guerrilla warfare theorists in the 20th Century
He divided it into three phases:
PHASE 1 - ORGANIZATION
• Build up a structure of small “cells” to organize popular support
• Cells develop and disseminate propaganda to win popular support
• Cells also use selective terror attacks against government officials, landlords, collaborators and other unpopular figures
PHASE 2 – GUERILLA PHASE
• Introduce guerilla attacks and ambushes
• Goal – to acquire weapons and destroy infrastructure which supports the enemy
• Make it difficult for government to maintain a military presence (create “liberated areas”)
PHASE 3 – MOBILE WAR
• Amounted to civil war• Force government forces to retreat to
major cities• Win the support of the countryside and
surround city “enclaves” with hostile population
• Mao used the metaphor of the guerilla fighter being the fish and the people the sea