Irregulars, Partisans, Guerrillas: Great Stories from Rogers' Rangers to the Haganah

by Irwin R. Blacker

Originally published in 1954, this is a collection of 32 stories from a variety of historic eras filled with missions against all odds.

“The stories in this collection are generally firsthand accounts by irregulars. The principles of selection were Were they good stories—interesting, exciting and honest? And did they show fresh and different phases of guerrilla warfare? The weightier writings on irregular strategy and the politics of modern partisan warfare were omitted except for T. E. Lawrence’s classic chapter on the former and Julian Amery’s brilliant and brief analysis of the latter.

“I have tried briefly to set these stories in time and circumstance. As editor I have tried not to draw the fine lines between resistance which takes place in urban communities and guerrilla warfare which requires space for movement. I have tried not to belabor the differences between regulars as irregulars and the native guerrilla in the field. I have avoided the fine lines drawn between a guerrilla who attempts sabotage and the saboteur, the guerrilla who collects intelligence and the spy. In short, if too rigid a definition is observed, a fascinating and vital subject could be reduced to a dull and academic one. The irregular’s objective is simply to destroy the enemy. This book attempts to tell of the many ways in which he has tried, and is still trying, to do so.”—Irwin R. Blacker, Introduction

487 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Irwin R. Blacker, Ph.D. (English, Western Reserve University; B.A., Ohio University) was an author and screenwriter who taught at the University of Southern California School of Cinema and Television from 1964 until his retirement in 1978. Among his students were many who went on to careers in Hollywood, including George Lucas.