- von Dach, Hans. Total Resistance. Boulder, CO:
Paladin Press, [1958] 1965. ISBN 0-87364-021-7.
- This is an English translation
of Swiss Army Major von Dach's Der totale Widerstand — Kleinkriegsanleitung
für jedermann, published in 1958 by the Swiss
Non-commissioned Officers' Association. It remains one of
the best manuals for guerrilla warfare and civilian resistance to
enemy occupation in developed countries. This is not a book for
the faint-hearted: von Dach does not shrink from practical advice
such as, “Fire upon the driver and the assistant driver with an air
rifle. …the force of the projectile is great
enough to wound them so that you can dispose of them right afterward
with a bayonet.” and “The simplest and surest way to dispose of guards
noiselessly is to kill them with an ax. Do not use the sharp edge but
the blunt end of the ax.” There is strategic wisdom as well—making
the case for a general public uprising when the enemy is near defeat,
he observes, “This way you can also prevent your country from being
occupied again even though by friendly forces. Past experience shows
that even ‘allies’ and ‘liberators’ cannot be removed so easily.
At least, it's harder to get them to leave than to enter.”
December 2003 