full colour throught

Illustrated history of the first “guerillas”, formed during the Peninsular War by the Spanish

The Peninsular War was a conflict between Napoleon’s France and the allied powers of Spain, Portugal and Great Britain for the control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. French armies invaded Spain in 1808 and the battle for supremacy lasted until the Sixth Coalition defeated Napoleon in 1814.

Spain's resistance marked one of the country’s first national wars and the emergence of large-scale guerrillas, when the French occupation destroyed the Spanish administration, and created various quarrelling factions. Napoleon's failure to overule and pacify the Spainish people allowed Spanish, British and Portuguese forces to secure Portugal and drain French forces on the frontiers while Spanish “guerrilleros” bled the occupiers white. Acting in conjunction, regular and irregular Spanish forces prevented Napoleon's army from overthrowing the rebellious Spaniards.

This book is a complete guide to the Spanish Guerrillas who fought against Napoleon’s troops with detailed narratives on the different fighting tactics used in guerrilla warfare, biographies of the best known leaders, and key battles. Illustrated with many photographs, location maps and colour illustrations, this is an important addition to the literature of Spanish military history.