Guerilla Warfare

When one of the parties engaged in a situation of war is weak, that party resorts to a subversive technique of warfare termed 'Guerilla Warfare'. It is sometimes also referred to as Partisan and originates from Spanish: 'Guerra' meaning war. Guerilla warfare is usually employed almost exclusively in situations of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asymmetric_warfareAsymmetric Warfare. It encompasses the usage of "terror" techniques, but largely employs unorthodox forms of warfare. It is used commonly in rebel uprising and rebel insurgence against an installed government usually motivated by political, sectarian (and in some cases humanitarian) purposes. Due to lack of proper governmental structure and support of a civilian base, such parties get funded by illegal means and hence also participate in what we label today as "terrorist activity."

The earliest account of Guerilla Warfare, to my memory dates back to the 17th century (which is scribed in detail.) During this period, most part of the Indian subcontinent was under the Islamic "Mughal Empire" under Emperor "Aurangazeb", which controlled the whole of India through a network of oligarchies that covered almost the entire subcontinent. A Self-made Hindu Chieftan, who by his own efforts later was coronated Hindu Emperor of India "Shivaji Bhonsle", employed "surprise", "deception" and "ambush" as principal elements of warfare against a vastly overpowering Mughal (a.k.a Moghul) Empire. His use of unorthodox elements of warfare however do not mentioned documented loss of civilian life and therefore cannot be established as acts of terrorism. The techniques he employed in warfare (largely asymmetric) gave rise to modern methods classified under "Guerilla Warfare."

Due to the asymmetry in the size and resources of the forces, the smaller force usually disguises itself as civilians. Essentially, this results in a widespread "spy-ring" or "intelligence-network" which when called upon, bears arms for a "cause." Such method of urban camoflauge is not new and is known to have existed even prior to the Roman empire in the time of "Alexander, the Great". The employment of the Trojan horse in the epic battle against Troy is in itself an example of a Guerilla technique. In this case, though the army laying siege was strong and well numbered, yet it had no way of penetrating the impregnable fortress of Troy. There is no doubt that the rules of open warfare were broken by this purely tactical manouvre attributed to Ulysses.

Partisan warfare was also common during the World War II. The French, Dutch and Polish reistance, to name a few provided a route for Allied espionage agents during "Secret Service" missions (dominated by the SAS) against the Axis powers. Much of the resources (clothing, local support, military arsenal) was supplied to insurgent agents by Partisan and Rebel groups. It definitely played a significant role in undermining the Axis and giving Allied forces key advantages. It is notable that these guerilla groups operated through worldwide "intelligence networks."