The military campaigns undertaken by Saw Gerrera's Partisans represent a series of conflicts spearheaded by Saw Gerrera and his Partisan group. This group was initially aligned with the Alliance to Restore the Republic, but they were ultimately condemned and disavowed by the Alliance. The Partisans' combat operations led to civilian casualties, eventually prompting the Galactic Empire to produce a propaganda poster condemning the Rebel Alliance in its entirety, branding them as a terrorist organization.
Despite the numerous operations that Gerrera and his fighters executed against the Empire, Agent Del Meeko considered the Partisans to be a relatively insignificant threat within the broader context of the galactic conflict. Gerrera's final military endeavor involved his struggle to gain control of Jedha City on the planet Jedha. Gerrera, along with the majority of his Partisans, met their end when Jedha City was obliterated during the initial test firing of the Death Star. Senator Ransolm Casterfo later cited this campaign as an illustration of the Rebel Alliance's alleged terrorist methods.
During the Clone Wars period, the Jedi Order provided training to various resistance groups in order to combat the Separatist Droid Army. Among these groups were the rebels of Onderon, led by former Senator Lux Bonteri, Steela Gerrera, and her brother Saw. For a period of three years, a civil war raged on Onderon between the Separatist forces commanded by King Sanjay Rash and the Onderon rebels. With the assistance of Jedi Commander Ahsoka Tano, the rebels successfully forced the Droid Army to retreat from Onderon, leading to Dendup's reinstatement to the throne. Subsequently, Onderon rejoined the Galactic Republic.
After the Republic's transformation into the Galactic Empire, Saw reorganized his insurgents into the Partisans. His particular cell was among the earliest rebel groups to be established. When the Empire occupied Onderon, the Partisans engaged in combat with a squad led by ISB Agent Alexsandr Kallus, resulting in a Lasat mercenary killing all members of the squad except for Kallus himself.
Gerrera and a number of his Partisans subsequently fought the Empire within the Salient system for several weeks. Gerrera alone managed to escape.
By 14 BBY, Gerrera and the Partisans were actively engaged with Imperial forces stationed on Kashyyyk. Utilizing numerous Republic gunships, Gerrera's forces launched a combined air and ground assault on an Imperial Refinery. With the assistance of Padawan Jedi Cal Kestis, the attack proved successful, resulting in the refinery's capture. However, an Imperial counteroffensive subsequently overwhelmed the Partisans, forcing them to withdraw from the planet. While Saw considered Kashyyyk a lost cause, certain Partisans, such as Mari Kosan, opted to remain and fight alongside the Wookiees. Unable to dissuade them, Gerrera and the Partisans abandoned them.
In 13 BBY, Gerrera and his Partisans took Jyn Erso under their wing after her father was captured and her mother was killed. Over the subsequent eight years, Erso evolved into one of the Partisans' most skilled soldiers. Together, she participated in missions at Horuz and Inusagi alongside them. During their mission to Tamsye Prime, Gerrera and his Partisans made the decision to abandon her for her own safety. Following the showdown on Savareen, the Cloud-Riders, who had initiated their own campaign against the Empire, provided Gerrera and Jyn with a shipment of coaxium.
Gerrera and his Partisans were employed by Arane Oreida to infiltrate the Sakoola blossom festival on Inusagi. The Partisans perpetrated a massacre at the festival, which resulted in the deaths of Maia, Governor Cor Tophervin, the Inusagi chieftess, numerous Imperials, and a significant number of Inusagi civilians. As a result of these extreme actions, some members of Gerrera's group departed to join less radical rebel factions.
In 3 BBY, the Partisans successfully detonated a bomb within the chalet belonging to Imperial Moff Quarsh Panaka on Onoam, one of Naboo's moons. Naboo served as the homeworld of Emperor Palpatine, and Panaka held a deep personal loyalty to the Emperor. The explosion resulted in the death of Panaka and his entire household, and nearly killed Queen Dalné of Naboo and Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, who were standing on the chalet's steps after concluding a meeting with the moff to discuss the working conditions of the miners of Onoam. However, the Partisans' successful assassination of Panaka indirectly saved Organa's life, as Panaka had just discovered that she was the long-lost daughter of Padmé Amidala and was about to inform the Emperor. Leia's adoptive mother, Queen Breha Organa, acknowledged that Leia had been in grave danger, more than she could have known. Despite this, Panaka's assassination angered the other rebel leaders, including Breha, as Panaka was the highest ranking Imperial that they had hope of someday contacting and maybe even working with and with Panaka dead that option was no longer available to them.
In 2 BBY, Gerrera and a team of his partisans were dispatched by Senator Bail Organa and Rebel Command to investigate the disappearance of the Geonosians, who had previously been under Imperial occupation. However, Gerrera's team was eliminated by repaired B1-series battle droids and droidekas. Saw was the sole survivor when the Spectres arrived to retrieve him and his information. With the Spectres, Gerrera learned that Empire had used poison gas to wipe all but one Geonosian, Klik-Klak out because of something the Empire was building with the Geonosians help.
At Mon Mothma's urging, the Partisans were censured from the growing Rebel Alliance. By 1 BBY, Gerrera and his partisans had indeed broken off with the Alliance and Mothma, starting their own private war against the Empire, killing civilians as well Imperials. Gerrera and Edrio undertook a mission to destroy an Imperial relay station on Jalindi. Gerrera and Edrio were successful in destroying it, the command cruiser Marauder, and rescuing Spectres Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger, and Chopper.
Gerrera, Edrio, Wren, and Bridger then went to Faos Station to investigate an Imperial shipment. Together, they infiltrated Freighter 2716. Gerrera, Wren, and Bridger found several technicians who were being held captive. Gerrera learned from the technicians that the other cargo came from the Jedha system. He and the spectres learned that main cargo was a kyber crystal. At first, Gerrera wanted to follow the shipment to the Tonnis sector to discover what the Empire was building. However, the crystal was to be taken aboard Captain Slavin's Star Destroyer. Gerrera decided to destroy the crystal and make his escape with Edrio. Only Bridger, Wren, Chopper and the technicians survived the crystal's explosion.
Gerrera and his Partisans subsequently journeyed to Jedha, where they established their base within the Catacombs of Cadera. From this location, they attacked multiple kyber shipments originating from the mines and the Temple of the Kyber located in Jedha City. A Partisan team under Beezer Fortuna then apprehended a defecting Imperial pilot, Bodhi Rook. During this time, one of the Partisans, Tivik, maintained contact with the Rebel Alliance and informed Rebel Alliance Intelligence Service, Captain Cassian Jeron Andor of the pilot's capture and rumors of a Imperial planet killer. However, Andor was forced to eliminate Tivik when stormtroopers found them on the Ring of Kafrene.
Beezer, Edrio, Benthic, and the remaining Partisans brought Rook before Gerrera. Despite Rook's assertion that he had been sent by Galen Walton Erso with a message, Gerrera decided to subject him to Bor Gullet and torture to extract the truth. The Partisans then attacked a combat assault tank laden with kyber crystals. After the Guardians of the Whills, Baze Malbus and Chirrut Îmwe, took the last of the escort, the Partisans then took them, Jyn Erso, and Andor back to their base. There, Gerrera revealed to Jyn the message sent by her father. At that moment, Governor Wilhuff Tarkin issued the order to destroy the Holy City using the Death Star. Gerrera, along with many of his partisans, perished in the resulting cataclysm.
Following the Battle of Yavin 4, the Partisans under Benthic continued to fight the Empire when they continued to take the kyber crystals from Jedha.