Militia

A militia is a group of citizens organized to provide paramilitary service. The word can have four slightly different meanings:

Efficacy of militias against modern armies

As noted above, there is much disagreement about the ability of even the best organized militia to resist a modern regular army. However irregular forces do have several points in their favor, including familiarity with local terrain, dedication (assuming one's home is being threatened), entrenchment, and no obligation to fight "by the rules". The famed successes of Boer and American snipers against British volley fire during their respective wars for independence immediately come to mind.

Related Topics:
Irregular forces - Terrain - Entrenchment - By the rules - Boer - Sniper

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In more modern times, during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising a handful of untrained and poorly armed Polish Jews held off an entire Wehrmacht division for roughly six weeks during the liquidation of that city's Ghetto. Although the uprising was eventually ended by artillery fire, the German Ninth Army was able to accomplish very little throughout most of 1943 as a direct result of this action. Many modern observers have pointed out that the invasion of Poland took only three weeks, and speculate that such resistance early in the war could have stopped the Blitzkrieg in its mechanized tracks. Indeed, the USA is facing a similar situation in Iraq, i.e. a swift victory over conventional military opponent followed by an intractible insurgency.

Related Topics:
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising - Wehrmacht - Artillery - German Ninth Army - 1943 - Blitzkrieg

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Also, in WWII the French Resistance, armed mainly with captured German weapons and supplied by Allied air drops, were able to cause many disruptions to the Nazis which aided greatly during and after the Allied invasion of 1944.

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In the United States there were widespread fears of a Japanese invasion of the largely undefended West Coast. Some military experts at the time suggested entrenchment at the Mississippi River in case of such an invasion, on the assumption anything west of that point would be impossible to defend. Such an invasion never materialized, and there are rumors of uncertain authenticity suggesting that the Japanese feared "a rifle behind every blade of grass" -- a reference to the ubiquity of skill-at-arms in the American West at that time.

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Furthermore, when an Allied invasion of Japan appeared to be imminent later in the war, the Japanese government began arming its populace with bamboo spears. Even to the well-armed and mechanized Allied forces, the prospect of facing such a foe was daunting, and millions of Allied and Japanese casualties were expected. This was a major factor in the decision to use nuclear weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Related Topics:
Allied - Invasion of Japan - Nuclear weapons - Hiroshima and Nagasaki

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Another case of the effectiveness of militia is that of the Iraqi insurgency; while the regular forces and Republican Guard were quickly crushed by the invading Coalition, the insurgency is estimated to continue perhaps another 12 years.

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Switzerland's continued neutrality during World War II is often seen to be due to the well-armed and well-trained citizenry.

Related Topics:
Switzerland - World War II

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Even when militarily insignificant, irregular action can be highly effective as a demoralizing factor, as famously seen in Vietnam, Iraq, Somalia, and Algeria.

Related Topics:
Vietnam - Iraq - Somalia - Algeria

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