Let's do a roleplay, the year is 1936, and you are a concerned German citizen. The SS is grabbing people in your community to throw into concentration camps and you are at a loss of what you can do to stop or sabotage their efforts. /1

Your first reaction as a concerned citizen of 1936 Germany is to protest or appeal to government officials that you may have certain access to, about the actions of the SS. You quickly realize the current administration is encouraging the abuses & the opposition is very slow. /2

You a concern German citizen of 1936, see the SS continues to raid & grab people in your community; you feel that you have either ran out of options to protect your neighbors and violent insurrection seems to be an act of suicide at that point, so you seek alternative actions. /3

You seek out aid from family & friends that share your concerns, and advice from underground insurrectionist groups that oppose fascism & the totalitarian state. You decide that direct action, even if illegal, is the most significant step you can take to oppose the SS. /4

You learn German resistance to SS is severely punished by death or imprisonment, however, this does not deter resistors from doing what is right & justified, which ranged from assassination plots against Hitler, openly attacking, SS officers & sabotage of regime equipment. /5

You learn that many in German society would back any resistance efforts against the SS, but that some in civil society who were very vocal or had a platform, would preach that "now is not the time" & "we can vote for new government officials" in order to stifle direct resistance.

You conclude that Sabotage (to deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something), especially for political or military advantage) is your preferred form of direct action to prevent the SS from rounding up families and individuals into concentration camps. /7

Now that you have committed to direct action against the SS through Sabotage, you need to decide & prepare for the action and what it will be. This can range from deflating tires, immobilizing gas tanks, breaking blank keys in locks, all to disrupt the SS operations. /8

The Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.), created an initially classified booklet laying out the art of “simple sabotage” — which, “more than malicious mischief... should always consist of acts whose results will be detrimental to the materials and manpower of the enemy.” /9

The Simple Sabotage Field Manual listed specific tactics average citizens in various lines of work could employ to destabilize their fascist government, disrupt the SS concentration camp operations, and help hasten its demise. /10

Sabotage varies from highly technical coup de main acts that require detailed planning and the use of specially trained operatives, to innumerable simple acts which the ordinary individual citizen-saboteur can perform. This thread is primarily concerned with the latter type. /11

Your mission as a German citizen in 1936, is to disrupt the SS transportation to concentration maps by any means necessary through acts of sabotage and hit the fascist regime with stigmergic rebellion by encouraging others to join in through visible actions and propaganda. /12

Simple sabotage does not require specially prepared tools; it is executed by a citizen who may or may not act individually & without an active connection with an organized group; it is carried out in such a way as to involve a minimum danger of injury, detection, & reprisal. /13

Where destruction is involved, the weapons of the citizen-saboteur are salt, nails, candles, pebbles, thread, or any other materials you might normally be expected to possess as a householder or as a worker in your particular occupation. /14

Your arsenal is the kitchen shelf, the trash pile, your own usual kit of tools and supplies. The targets of your sabotage are usually objects to which you have normal and inconspicuous access in everyday life. For example, if the SS likes to park near your workplace. /15

A second type of simple sabotage requires no destructive tools whatsoever and produces physical damage, if any, by highly indirect means. It is based on universal opportunities to make faulty decisions, to adopt a noncooperative attitude, and to induce others to follow suit. /16

Making a faulty decision may be simply a matter of placing tools in one spot instead of another. A non-cooperative attitude may involve nothing more than creating an unpleasant situation among one’s fellow workers, engaging in bickerings, or displaying surliness & stupidity. /17

This type of activity, sometimes referred to as the “human element,” is frequently responsible for accidents, delays, and general obstruction even under normal conditions. /18

The potential saboteur should discover what types of faulty decisions and non-cooperation are normally found in this kind of work and should then devise his sabotage so as to enlarge that “margin for error.” /19

Acts of simple sabotage, multiplied by thousands of saboteurs, is an effective weapon. Slashing tires, draining fuel tanks, starting fires, starting arguments, acting stupidly, short-circuiting electric systems, abrading machine parts will waste materials, manpower, & time. /20

Simple sabotage may also have secondary results of more or less value. The widespread practice of simple sabotage will harass and demoralize enemy concentration camp administrators, SS officers and police. /21

Further, success may embolden the citizen-saboteur eventually to find colleagues who can assist him in sabotage of greater dimensions. So you as a 1936 German Citizen who opposes concentration camps and the SS, need to devise ways to make your sabotage visible to the public. /22

It should be pointed out to the saboteur where the circumstances are suitable, that you're acting in self-defense against the enemy, or retaliating against the enemy for other acts of destruction such as targeting minorities & women, or running concentration camps. /23

A reasonable amount of humor in the presentation of suggestions for simple sabotage will relax tensions of fear, for example casually joking about cutting the valve stems or cores from SS vehicles using a pen or flat head screwdriver while an accomplice distracts the officers /24

You a 1936 German must think backwards about yourself and the objects of your everyday life, you will see many opportunities in your immediate environment which cannot possibly be seen from a distance. A state of mind should be encouraged that anything can be sabotaged. /25

The amount of activity carried on by the saboteur will be governed not only by the number of opportunities you see, but also by the amount of danger you feel. Bad news travels fast, and simple sabotage will be discouraged if too many simple saboteurs are arrested. /26

It should not be difficult to prepare leaflets and other media for the saboteur about the choice of weapons, time, and targets which will insure the saboteur against detection and retaliation by the SS. Among such suggestions might be the following: /27

(1) Use materials which appear to be innocent.
(2) Try to commit acts for which large numbers of people could be responsible.
(3) Do not be afraid to commit acts for which you might be blamed directly, so long as you do so rarely.
(4) Resist any temptation to stick around. /28

It will not be possible to evaluate the desirability of simple sabotage in an area without having in mind rather specifically what individual acts & results are embraced by the definition of simple sabotage. You need to find out what actions against the SS work best for you. /29

A listing of specific acts of sabotage presented by The Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) follows, classified according to types of target. This list has been distributed to 1936 Germans and other resistors currently opposing the 3rd Reich and its concentration camps. /30

(1) Buildings: Warehouses, barracks, offices, hotels, and factory buildings are outstanding targets for simple sabotage. They are susceptible to damage; they offer opportunities to such untrained people as staff, and visitors; and, when damaged, economically strain the enemy. /31

Buildings belong to the Führer such as hotels, offices, and warehouses, where the SS operates from, are especially susceptible to fire, as recommended by the O.S.S. guide book, below are some tips provided by the US government. /32

For those 1936 German citizens who may not be comfortable with setting buildings ablaze, the O.S.S. also recommends option (b) Water and miscellaneous sabotage that is sure to put a damper into SS operations nationwide. /33

(2) Industrial Production: Manufacturing, from tools to broken machinery, how blue collar 1936 German citizens can join sabotage and resistance efforts against the 3rd Riech and SS in the factory workspace. /34

(a) Tools, breaking the means of production. Sabotaging concentration camp construction materials, SS vehicles, cages for innocent children, weapons, and other products on the 3rd Reich assembly line. /35

(b) Oil and lubrication systems are not only vulnerable to easy sabotage, but are critical in every machine with moving parts. Sabotage of oil and lubrication will slow production or stop work entirely at strategic points in industrial processes. /36

(c) Gasoline and oil fuel. Tanks and fueling engines usually are accessible and easy to open. They afford a very vulnerable target for simple sabotage activities. /38

(3) Transportation: Railways, if you find yourself sitting in a train filled with SS transporting victims or equipment to concentration camps here are a few simple sabotage activities you can engage. /39

(4) Transportation: Automotive, disrupting SS ability to transport captured people in your community to concentration camps, is one of the most effective forms of sabotage, in addition to the tips below, barricades made of rubble, cars, or human bodies may prove effective. /40

Option (b) Passengers, (c) Battery, (d) Tires, of the OSS guide book has a variety of suggestions for disrupting SS transportation from point A to point B, and most notably the puncture of tires; if done periodically, it will cost thousands in repairs per vehicle.

The average 1936 German citizen does not own an automobile we will provide further information on how to disable these technological wonders! You will need one of the following supplies :
(a) Standard screwdriver
(b) Core Stem Remover
(c) Bottle Cap + 60d nail
(d) Cutting pliers

Slashing tires on transport vehicles can be incredibly dangerous, for various reasons' mostly due to the high risk of explosion produced by the high air pressure within the tire. Therefore we strongly advise against slashing actions, or the use of large blades for punctures. /43

(a) Standard Screwdriver, to puncture the sidewall of an SS trooper's tire, we recommend sharpening the end of a 'flathead' screwdriver, instead of making a round hole that expands outwards it has a double edge blade that slices in making it much easier to push and extract. /44

(b) core stem remover, you can buy this item at any automobile shop near you, since you are a citizen in 1936 Germany, you may need to make your own version. To use this item find the air valve, place the fork edge on the stem core, twist left, and deflate. /45

(c) Bottle Cap + 60d nail, this item works best on 3rd Reich vehicles that are parked, you will need a plastic bottle cap and 6-inch nail attached down the middle, place this in front and behind the target tire on the inner edge where it is not visible on the passenger side. /46

(d) Cutting pliers, in order to remove an air valve stem (if rubber) quickly in one quick motion, we recommend using this item, however, it will create a large popping sound that will get noticed, so prepare to run from the SS. 4 individuals can disable 4 tires in 4 seconds. /47

7) General Devices for Lowering Morale and Creating Confusion amongst the 3rd Riech, SS officers, and fascist collaborators. The 1930's guide to trolling Nazis. /48

Our roleplay thread for the year 1936 Nazi Germany Concentration Camp Resistance has now ended, for most, we would like to extend a special thanks to the O.S.S. director William J. Donovan for this valuable document, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/26184/page-images/26184-images.pdf & U.S. Army for distributing it widely.