Partisans in the Mist

As I drove into Montana for a series of meetings and explorations to be revealed later, it got pretty foggy and misty as I drove up the ridiculously winding mountain road. I thought, “This area would be a nightmare for an occupying force – ambush heaven”. A lot of curves, vertical cliffs on one side and steep wooded cover on the other meant that a guerrilla force could stop an occupier easily.

Then today, during a meeting at Shield Arms, the term “Partisan” came up and it got me thinking about how it ties into to a local defense force in a preparedness aspect. Yes, your local protection force is more of a partisan force than a “militia”. A militia is a group that follows some type of political power or belligerent power, whereas Partisans are generally considered to be any force from a local area that resists occupation.

The concept is closely tied to guerrillas. Guerrillas comes from the French “petit guerre” or “little war”. The term was coined for the Portuguese and Russian resistance fighters that resisted Napoleon, although the term was also used earlier during the Franco-Dutch War and the Seven Years War, to reference local, community-based defense forces, rather than organized militias serving a crown or belligerent. Partisans were generally considered “free fighters” tied to a local area only.

The same “Partisan” concept was also widely used during World War 2 with French partisans defending their local areas from occupation and Josip Tito’s “Partizans” in Yugoslavia. My favorite tale of partisan fighters in WW2 is the Bielski Otriad, a local defense force of Jewish folk in Belarus.

During the American Civil War, Mosby’s Raiders and McNeill’s Rangers fought for the Confederates rather effectively. They were authorized by the Confederate Congress under the “Partisan Ranger Act”.

For our purposes, the partisan is a local person who joins a loose movement to resist an occupier. That occupier can be an invading foreign force (CHYYY-NA), an occupying “peacekeeper” force (UN), a tyrannical & over-reaching government (can’t imagine THAT ever happening – our overlords are benevolent), or even a group of raiders and bandits terrorizing an area. It’s a concept we can embrace.

Our partners at Shield Arms have devised a gear and clothing line designed to serve that role and today, NC Scout, Wyoming Survival, and I provided some input and ideas to that line. It fits nicely with what we all teach and the turbulent future we all see for America. Local is where we win, and to do that, local men & women may have to pick up their shields and stand together in the shield wall. Mountain Partisan Gear will support that. More to come later…stay tuned.

The concept goes back even further. When Norse and Dane war bands went “Viking” (Viking is a verb meaning raiding – not a noun describing an entire people) in Anglo-Saxon lands, the local lord raised the “Fyrd”, which was a band of local men to protect the area. After the fight was over and the raiders driven off, the men of the Fyrd went home to work their fields or trades.

In fact, The Bible covers Partisans as well – God’s command to Gideon was to become a Partisan, when Israel was occupied by Midianites.

The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

Judges 6:14

The “Minuteman” concept and the pioneer “militant farmer” were also partisans by definition. It’s actually a concept that ties perfectly to the preparedness community. If you are willing to take a stand in your local area to preserve your freedoms or defend your community, you are a PARTISAN, not a militia. Let’s get behind this and use this to describe our activity rather than other, less favorable terms.

Study partisan concepts and the art of waging “small war”. Great resources are the “Australian Guerrilla” series, “Total Resistance” by Von Dach, and “Resistance to Tyranny” by Joseph Martino. The undelined links are affiliate links and I may make a few pennies if you buy one (at no added cost to you). Attend a Brushbeater Scout or Recce course.

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