The article talks about who a partisan is, when partisan military formations arise and what tactics they use.
War
People have been fighting almost their entire history of existence. Over the centuries, our ancestors have perfected the methods and tactics of warfare. And one of those tactics is guerrilla, and those who use it are called guerrillas. But who is a partisan and how does he differ from a regular army soldier? We will talk about this in this article.
Definition
A partisan is someone who engages in armed struggle in territory that has been occupied by the enemy (or by hostile political forces) using guerrilla warfare methods.
The word "partisan" is used mainly as a general designation of a person who is part of non-state military units. Simply put, those who are not part of the regular army. Usually partisan detachments are formed either spontaneously or in an organized manner. In the first case, they consist of military forces that, during the fighting, were cut off from the main part of the army and (or) local residents who are fighting for their land. And in the second case, the partisan detachment could be formed in advance and deliberately left in the rearadvancing enemy. So now we know what a partisan is.
The unofficial nature of such detachments is usually due to the fact that the goal of the partisans is the struggle against the authorities in the country or its military and political regime. But most often the guerrillas fight against the occupying forces of the enemy army. To do this, they use various methods of guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines - terror, sabotage, and so on. Now we know who the partisans are.
Guerrilla Warfare Methods
Guerrilla warfare is a form of warfare carried out by members of armed formations hiding in the forests or among the local population. Its meaning is to avoid large protracted collisions. Partisan movement methods include:
- Destruction of enemy infrastructure - undermining railroad tracks, highways, communication lines, electricity, water supply, etc.
- Ideological and informational war - the spread of rumors among the local population, facts about the real situation at the front or the political situation in the country. Also, these methods are used to win over the doubting population or even enemy soldiers.
- Destruction and capture of enemy manpower.
So now we know who the guerrillas are and what methods they use.
Support
Usually, guerrillas are supported by the government and the army of that part of the country that does notoccupied by the enemy. Or the authorities of sympathetic countries. For example, during the Great Patriotic War, partisans regularly received parcels dropped from the "mainland" by aircraft. They contained weapons, ammunition, food, medicines and everything you need to live behind enemy lines and fight him.
Partisans in Russia and the USSR
In the USSR and Russia, partisan movements made a very big contribution to the fight against foreign invaders, both during the war of 1812 and during the Great Patriotic War. In the post-war period, every boy knew who a partisan was. This word was synonymous with the masculinity and courage of people who fought for a long time against the fascist invaders in their rear.
Partisan detachments at that time were used to limit the supply of enemy armies, destroy enemy manpower, reduce their morale and for reconnaissance.
Use of the term
The meaning of the word "partisan" is now known to us. And this term is not usually used to refer to different terrorist groups and separatists, although they all have almost the same characteristics as guerrilla groups and methods of warfare. Such unofficial military formations are called bandits, terrorists or armed opposition. This is due to the fact that during the period of the Russian Empire and the USSR, partisans were those who fought against the common enemy of the country and its people - the French, fascist invaders, White Guards and other forces. Therefore, this word carried a positive connotation. True, that's what it isdoes not exist in all countries. So we figured out what "guerrilla" means.
