the soldiers of new france were either exceptionally well trained and very apt to the challenges of the colonial frontier, or they were dangerously inept. most of the military consisted of habitant militia rather than actual french soldiers. upon their arrival, the soldiers of new france learned quickly that the traditional military techniques seen on the battlefields of europe were not at all effective in the new world. the iroquois attacks on the french forced them to adapt to their current situation. luckily the french were experts on forging alliances with the native people and with the help from their allies the french adopted what they called "la petite guerre". this was essentially small-scale guerrilla warfare that allowed the french to harass and cripple targets slowly over time rather than engage in battle after battle, something that new france could not afford. the strategy consisted mostly of stealth and surprise attacks whose purpose lied in creating ambushes and raids and followed by immediate withdrawals from the battlefield. this strategy focused on the elimination of small groups of targets rather than capturing targets of strategic value. in addition this style of warfare was not only well suited to the north american wilderness but it also allowed the french troops to be at a vast numerical disadvantage (outnumbered sometimes 20 to 1) and still effectively retaliate against their enemies, primarily the british. ironically, the fact that most of the soldiers were in fact habitant militia men actually aided in the ability to fight using these strategies given that many of these men would have been hunters and would already be accustomed to hunting and stalking in forests.