Francs-tireurs

This article is about military units in the Franco-Prussian War. For other uses, see Franc-Tireur (disambiguation).
Capture of a Franc-tireur, by Carl Johann Lasch

Francs-tireurs (pronounced [fʁɑ̃.ti.ʁœʁ], French for "free shooters") were irregular military formations deployed by France during the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71). The term was revived and used by partisans to name two major French Resistance movements set up to fight against Nazi Germany during World War II.[1]

The term is sometimes used to refer more generally to guerrilla fighters who operate outside the laws of war.[2][3]

  1. ^ "French Partisans". Archived from the original on 2004-02-10. Retrieved 2004-02-05.
  2. ^ Rupert Ticehurst, "The Martens Clause and the Laws of Armed Conflict" Archived 2007-04-15 at the Wayback Machine, 30 April 1997, International Review of the Red Cross, No. 317, pp. 125–134
  3. ^ See the sections in this article Franco-Prussian War and Prisoner status and the article Hostages Trial