For the Empire: Total War unit, see Guerillas (Empire: Total War).
Guerillas are a type of irregular light infantry in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
These men are not soldiers, but civilians driven to take up arms against their enemies.
Guerrillas are not a recognised military organisation, but bands of comrades and neighbours who have adapted banditry into a way of making war. They fight hard, working in spread out formations that make them difficult for missile troops to hit effectively. They are best when employed in ambush, or as harassing skirmishers. Their “local knowledge” means they are able to hide and appear at will, using their homeland’s hidden places to help fight against invaders. They cannot be expected to fight in carefully dressed lines like disciplined soldiers, and as such are at a disadvantage against well-trained cavalry and infantry.
Historically, the Spanish people had an enormous capacity for carrying on wars against foreign occupiers long after their rulers had made their peace with an invader. Guerrillas often arose as part of a rebellion; the name is Spanish, and means “little war”. When his men were bogged down, Napoleon described Spain as an “ulcer”, thanks in part to the constant partisan warfare carried on by the guerrillas. They gave the French no peace or safety, even far from the front line.
General Information[]
Guerillas are irregular infantry exclusively available to Spain. Spain practically never fields them.
Ironically, Guerillas may not utilize guerrilla warfare, nor are they available in the guerrilla-oriented expansion of Napoleon: Total War, The Peninsular Campaign. Compared to other irregulars, they are generally inferior to Azzars, and serve as statistically inferior light infantry that have superior stealth capabilities.