franc-tireur

Francs-tireurs (French: [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. Francs-tireurs were among the first to be prosecuted as unlawful combatants or non-state actors, marking them inadmissible under traditional hors de combat law. The term is sometimes used to refer more generally to guerrilla fighters who operate outside the laws of war.