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Total Resistance

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This is a legendary work by the famed Swiss expert on guerrilla warfare, Major H. von Dach. Survivalists have rediscovered this important study on resistance and underground operations, some making it the keystone of their libraries. Well-written and illustrated with easy-to-understand drawings, Total Resistance analyzes and overviews the techniques needed to overcome an invading force, formation of guerrilla units, weapons, food and medical considerations, ambushes, sabotage and much more.

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

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Hans von Dach

6 books2 followers

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5 stars
75 (31%)
4 stars
97 (40%)
3 stars
52 (21%)
2 stars
11 (4%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Juliette.
127 reviews6 followers
April 24, 2023
There are many unpleasant fates which might befall the civilian population during war, or as Vladimir Putin prefers to call it, a special military operation.

In the year 757, during the siege of Suiyang, the Chinese came up with a pragmatic solution to the problematic locals, which also addressed the army’s dwindling food supplies. You’ve guessed it. Cannibalism. As described in the New Book of Tang:

After the city was besieged for a long time, in the beginning, the horses were eaten. When there were no more horses, they turned to the women, the old, and the weak. 30,000 people in total were eaten. People knew their death was close, and nobody rebelled. When the city fell, only 400 people were left.


Don’t let this happen to you.


Total Resistance teaches you how to make yourself such a royal pain in the arse, your enemies will leave your country alone, and go pick on someone else. Even children can participate in the effort, and make themselves a bloody nuisance, which won’t be difficult, because they already are – it’s a question of redirecting energy.

From organizing the resistance movement and general guerrilla tactics, to ambushing enemy vehicles, and tips on behaviour in labour camps, this book is perhaps the most comprehensive, concise and practical set of instructions, I’ve seen. The author writes in a calm, impersonal tone, with little to no sugar-coating.

Much of the information remains perfectly applicable and relevant. You should probably read this book.
Profile Image for Megan.
510 reviews76 followers
January 8, 2017
Read for the Book Riot Read Harder 2017 challenge: Read a book about war.

This is a great manual for guerellia warfare written by the Swiss about how to act if you should find your country occupied by the Nazis. What I particularly like is that it acknowledges that not everyone can be awesome guerrilla warriors and dedicates a chapter to passive resistance. If you've worked much in an office, you'll recognize a lot of it and see how you can be the most passive aggressive person you can be.
Profile Image for Luboš.
493 reviews58 followers
March 4, 2022
Únor 2022, Rusko zaútočilo na Ukrajinu, ze zpráv mi pomalu haraší, ale na hacker news se objevil odkaz na tenhle starší poklad. Ale jak říkali doktoři na psychické zdraví, je potřeba ulevit úzkosti. Velmi zajímavé, snad nebudu nikdy potřeboval. Vhodný doplněk k SAS příručka jak přežít, kde se boj pochopitelně do knihy pro veřejnost vůbec nedostal.

Dozvěděl jsem se dost věcí, které by mě samotného nepadly. V Kyjevě se dnes bohužel můžou hodit. No a musím se přiznat, že jsem si v duchu zmapoval svoje široké okolí, který transformátor by bylo vhodné zapálit, který sloup vysokého napětí shodit...
28 reviews
May 29, 2023
Настільна книга партизана. Для тих, хто готується до найгіршого сценарію розвитку подій. Може бути корисною тим, хто живе поруч з кінченими москалями
2 reviews
April 25, 2018
As others have said, much of the information is quite dated (massive focus on railways and telephone lines) but the specificity was refreshing and I think the later makes any book vulnerable to the former. The other minor annoyance was that it was obviously written with only one very specific enemy in mind, but while this does define the assumptions made I thought it was fairly easy to separate what would be universally applicable from what wasn't.

Even writing off the majority of the dated info there is still quite a lot left in this short book, and the focus on morale, political propaganda, logistics, and behavior struck me as rather timeless.
Profile Image for Yevtymii Pnivchuk.
265 reviews4 followers
July 14, 2024
_ 10/10 _

_ «Мала війна — це спосіб боротьби тих, хто не визнає себе переможеним: війну затягають у часі, бо для бійця руху опору конфлікт завершується не програною битвою, а щойно з моментом його смерті.»

_ Еталонна навчальна книжка про військове мистецтво на тему партизанської війни.
Profile Image for Olesya.
130 reviews9 followers
November 2, 2021
Цікаво у місцях загальних правил. Такі речі справді треба знати кожному, особливо у часі війни. А детальні карти і плани нападів будуть цікаві бійцям та майбутнім командирам.
11 reviews
February 1, 2022
Цікава книжки, ви знайдете цікаві поради та на що чекати але багато чого застаріло.
Profile Image for Andrii.
12 reviews
February 1, 2022
Хорошая книга, особенно при соседстве с северными "братьями"
11 reviews
November 5, 2022
Загалом книга дає практичні поради, але дещо вже не актуальне.
Profile Image for Yaroslav Tykhonchuk.
37 reviews2 followers
January 12, 2023
Чітко, з детальними прикладами і інструкціями описано дії кожного у війні.
Надіюсь, вона колись стане настільною для всіх українців.
Profile Image for shk.
19 reviews
February 16, 2024

This book is a practical guide packed with detailed tips on resisting the Nazi occupation in Switzerland.

It's easy to follow and offers strategies you can actually use.
Profile Image for ALM.
29 reviews
June 19, 2025
Very informative little handbook on guerilla warfare. Gives great insight into the types of activities and tactics of guerilla resistance under enemy occupation.
Profile Image for Anton Tkalich.
169 reviews7 followers
February 4, 2023
Книга написана у форматі довідника. Хоч більшість практичних порад, в силу часу, вже не є настільки актуальними, втім я би рекомендував до читання абсолютно всім цивільним українцям. Втім в війні є речі які не помінялись і навряд не поміняються ще довго, ось декілька:
- Опір це не завжди партизанщина;
- При повній окупації, опір дасть вам більше шансів залишитися живим ніж в випадку коли ви схиляєтесь до колабораціонізму
- Колабораціонізм в 99% в всіх війнах закінчувався смертю. В певний момент ви станете загрозою для окупанта, ну або ж вас чекає вбивство зі сторони руху опору
Profile Image for Pete.
156 reviews1 follower
August 18, 2015
I have heard of, and planned to read. this book for a long time. As other reviewers have said, it is very dated and full of assumptions, but enjoyable none the less. If you want to defeat an invasion of Switzerland in 1960 though, it is a must read!
Profile Image for Patrick .
628 reviews30 followers
March 17, 2010
Written during the era of cold war paranoia. So a bit outdated but still a nice read and a mustread for any Swiss guerilla.
Profile Image for Василь.
80 reviews3 followers
March 7, 2015
Давно відомі факти ще з історії УПА, але про неї автор незгадує.
Profile Image for Ганна Кузьо.
Author 1 book73 followers
December 24, 2024
Практичний посібник з ведення партизанської війни. Цікаво переглянути, але весь перечитувати немає змісту, якщо ви не навчаєтеся у військовій академії
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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