Partizan (from Italian. Partigiano - a supporter of a particular social group, party) - a person conducting an armed struggle in the territory occupied by the enemy (or controlled by opposing political forces), using the methods of guerrilla warfare , a member of the partisan detachment [1] .
The word "partisans" is used primarily as the general name of a member of non-state, that is, non-regular army (or regular, acting in isolation from the main forces), military associations - military units , consisting of supporters of certain political (power) circles or social forces of a given country and using the support of the local population.
Support of the local population is a determining factor, otherwise it’s not partisans, but bandits, sabotage groups, etc.
The informal, informal nature of these units is most often associated with the fact that their goal is to fight against the existing power in the country (political or military regime) or the occupation regime of a hostile country; moreover, mainly by military methods, guerrilla warfare methods behind enemy lines - sabotage , terror , armed clashes with the police, regular army , local administration, etc., using disguised movement around the territory and avoiding frontal clashes with superior enemy forces.
Partisan detachments and guerrilla warfare tactics behind enemy lines were widely used during many wars and local conflicts.
The partisan movement is a manifestation of a popular war against military units and administrations, which the population considers alien and occupational. Partisan forces can be used during regular warfare to disrupt the rear of the enemy.
In Russia and the USSR, partisan formations played a significant role in the defeat of the invaders during the Patriotic War of 1812 and the Great Patriotic War , during the First World War , during the Civil War and Intervention , in the fight against counter-revolution on the territory of the country and beyond (Active Intelligence units in Poland, advisers to partisan units in China and Spain ). They were used in solving the tasks of suppressing the supply of enemy units, reducing their fighting spirit, destroying disparate enemy groups, and administrative and ideological control over the local population.
At the same time, during the Great Patriotic War, regular forces practiced both the supply of military materials and specialists of spontaneously formed combat groups (self-organization of the population, surrounded groups of military personnel ), and the throwing on the occupied (enemy-controlled) territory of organizational groups and regular combat units, units and formations.
Partisans and partisan formations as military formations have a controversial official international legal status, but under international law during captivity they can fall under the status of “ prisoners of war ” under certain, not always strictly observed, conditions [2] . The status of a combatant ( combatant ) in the general case, according to the customs of warfare, is possessed by people who have clearly distinguishable insignia.
Use of the term at different times
In the USSR in the 1930s, the practice of using the word “partisans” (also “red partisans”) with the meaning “one who had previously participated in partisan operations in the Civil War on the side of the Red Army ” developed. The word had a positive emotional connotation and was part of a person’s social status. A reflection of this usage is present in many film works of that era (for example, the film " Aerograd ").
During and immediately after the Great Patriotic War, a similar usage was also fixed in relation to all who participated in partisan actions, regardless of their current status.
Due to the positive coloration of the word "partisans", meaning its national fighter, this word is not currently used in the media by the warring armed groups of various movements and separatists . Although they often use partisan methods of sabotage, conspiracy and ideological activity and can enjoy the support of the population. For their description, the terms are used - “ bandits ”, “ terrorist group”, “ illegal armed groups ” or “armed opposition ”.
Notes
- ↑ "Partisan" in the dictionaries of the Russian language - Yandex. Dictionaries (unavailable link from 06/14/2016 [1181 days])
- ↑ Large Law Dictionary. Partisans article (inaccessible link from 06/14/2016 [1181 days])
Links
- Vus N. A. There is immortality in such a death / N. A. Vus // History of the Zmievsky Territory. - Zmiev. - 10.29.2016.