Guerrilla Warfare
Asymmetric Warfare
A form of irregular warfare in which a small group of combatants such as paramilitary personnel use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility to fight a larger and less-mobile traditional military.
Origin
From Spanish guerrilla (little war), a diminutive of guerra (war). The term emerged during the Peninsular War (1808–1814) when Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Spain in 1808, forcing the abdications of Ferdinand VII and Charles IV to install his brother Joseph on the throne. Spontaneous, bloody fighting broke out across Spain as irregular forces used ambushes, sabotage, and hit-and-run tactics against French troops. This "little war" tied down Napoleon's army on the Iberian Peninsula, draining resources and preventing operations elsewhere—what Napoleon called the "Spanish ulcer." The Peninsular War marked the first large-scale use of guerrilla warfare in European history.