"Spanish partizans c. 1808-9" Topic

How were Spanish Partizans organized and used during this period. I am assembling a unit of Spanish partizans for my Spanish force for some GdB games.

Were they formed in ad-hoc battalians and used as line troops or were they skirmishers?

How were Spanish Partizans organized

ROFLMAO – very much ad hoc formations some bands were quite big many were not and much better suited to small skirmish actions.

used during this period.

Classic asymetiral warfare, be strong where the enemy isn't. Disappear into the general population of rough country when they come in force. Hit and run. Wear the enemy down and attack their strategic level morale.

Were they formed in ad-hoc battalians and used as line troops or were they skirmishers?

All my reading indicates that they are best classified as light infantry. I neither play nor own GdB so can't speak to that specific set of rules but I would treat them as light infantry that can only operate in disbursed formations. "The Gentlemen Wargamers" with whom I am honoured to be associated have used them like this in a number of War Artisan's games.

How were Spanish Partizans organized and used during this period.

It depends what you want to represent. The guerrilla warfare in Spain came in different forms and shapes. You have from the ocassional, accidental guerrilla, who joined a few buddies for an opportunistic attack against isolated French parties, to the most organized partisan units which formed battalions and even brigades and could fight and defeat the French in open field (combat at Rocaforte, Navarra, in February 1812, for instance).

Inbetween, there were dozens of different types of guerrilla bands. One very common was the squadron or company-sized unit, usually from 100-150 men, which commonly fought by itself but, ocassionally, joined other bands for bigger ops.

One thing you must take in mind is that many Spanish guerrillas had serious problems to obtain ammunition and spares for their weapons. At the second Arlaban (Navarra) Espoz y Mina's partisans only had two shots per man, so Espoz deployed them very near the edge of the road and when the French column passed through the gorge, made them deliver a volley and then close with the bayonet.

By late 1812, once most of Spain was liberated, the better organized units -usually brigade or division size- were integrated as regulars in the Spanish army. Most of them were used to blockade French garrisons, but some of them fought as line troops, particularly the Iberia Division (Longa), who fought at Vitoria and San Marcial. In both battles they fought as line infantry; at Vitoria they advanced in a lose formation, closing rapidly with the French, but at San Marcial they stood in line and defeated a French assault by fire only.

Should just add that the guerrilla formations at the end of the war were uniformed (as were the larger formations from quite early on) so if Xeneophon is looking for a use for all those guerrilla figures manufacturers insist on producing they are pretty much skirmish only (some pretty large skirmishes admittedly) but you won't see them on the field in large numbers at Bailen or Salamanca or any of the major battles of the conflict tricked out in the manner we are used to seeing them depicted.

What about the volunteer battalions that were at Talavera for example?

They were not guerrillas, Xenophon. Many, if not all, were units recruited at the beginning of the war as regulars for the duration. They were badly trained and armed, and many had only the barest uniform -if any-, but, at least in theory, they were part of the regular Spanish army.

A problem you can find with some sources is that the Spanish used the same word, "guerrilla", both for skirmishers (deploy "guerrillas", i.e. light troops in skirmish) and for the bands of irregulars.