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East Tennessee bridge burnings -

The East Tennessee bridge burnings remain one of the few recorded acts of sabotage carried out during the American Civil War.

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East Tennessee bridge burnings -

In 1861, Union sympathizers in Confederate-held East Tennessee planned to sever communications and rail services by burning nine strategic bridges across the territory. On the night of November 8, they succeeded in destroying four (marked in red on the map) while rendering a fifth inoperable.  

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East Tennessee bridge burnings -

Those bridges destroyed were quickly rebuilt, but it made little difference either way. The Union Army failed to take the advantage and would not invade East Tennessee until 1863.  Pictured is a Union sentry guarding the bridge at Strawberry Plains, around 1864.

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Black Tom explosion -

In 1916, the German government turned to sabotage during the First World War in an attempt to thwart US trade with Europe. On July 30 of that year, an enormous explosion took place in New York Harbor that totally destroyed a munitions depot on Black Tom Island.

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Black Tom explosion -

The blast killed four people and destroyed some US$20 million ($540 million in 2023 dollars) worth of military goods and hardware.

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Black Tom explosion -

The explosion—one of the largest artificial non-nuclear detonations in history—was later blamed on an act of sabotage carried out by agents of the German Empire.

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Kingsland explosion -

Less than a year later, on January 11, 1917, an enormous blast ripped through a munitions factory in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Security at Kingsland had been bolstered after the Black Tom explosion but it was feared enemy saboteurs were once again responsible for the incident.

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Kingsland explosion -

The entire plant and its inventory of munitions, which included anywhere between 400,000-500,000 shells, was destroyed.

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Kingsland explosion -

While sabotage was suspected, a commission of inquiry found no evidence of a deliberate attack. However, the Mixed Claims Commission declared in 1939 that Imperial Germany had been responsible and in 1953 Germany paid US$50 million ($550 million in 2023) in reparations to the United States.

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Norwegian heavy water sabotage -

The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a series of attacks on the Vemork hydroelectric power plant in Telemark, Norway, between 1940 and 1944.

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Norwegian heavy water sabotage -

The Nazis had occupied the facility and were producing heavy water, a vital component in the development of nuclear weapons.

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Norwegian heavy water sabotage -

In February 1943, during Operation Gunnerside, Norwegian saboteurs successfully destroyed equipment critical to the operation of Vemork, essentially depriving the Nazis of the atomic bomb. The raiding party subsequently became known as the "Heroes of Telemark."

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Operation Albumen -

Codenamed Operation Albumen, the raids by elements of the Special Boat Squadron on German airfields in the Axis-occupied Greek island of Crete in June 1942 were among the first planned sabotage acts in occupied Europe.

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Operation Albumen -

Albumen was divided into four separate raids targeting air fields and landing strips across the island: the Kastelli operation, Heraklion operation, Tympaki operation, and Maleme operation.

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Operation Albumen -

In total, the saboteurs completely destroyed 25 aircraft, with many more damaged. Reprisals, however, were swift and ruthless: the day after the raids, the Germans executed 50 Heraklion residents.

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Sabotage of the French fleet at Toulon -

History's single biggest act of wartime sabotage is the scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon.

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Sabotage of the French fleet at Toulon -

On November 27, 1942, Vichy France ordered the destruction of the fleet, which was moored at the port city on France's Mediterranean coast. This was to prevent Nazi Germany from seizing it, despite the fact that the Vichy government had adopted a policy of collaboration with Adolf Hitler.

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Sabotage of the French fleet at Toulon -

French saboteurs destroyed a total of 77 ships, and while a few submarines escaped to French North Africa, the loss of so many vessels marked the end of Vichy France as a credible naval power and the destruction of the last political bargaining chip with Germany.

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Operation Frankton -

Operation Frankton took place over December 7–12, 1942. A small unit of Royal Marines paddling folding kayaks successfully snuck past German defenses to attack shipping in the occupied French port of Bordeaux.

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Operation Frankton -

Bordeaux was a major destination for goods to support the German war effort. In addition, the city provided an Atlantic base for U-boats, the vessels housed in enormous bunkers (pictured under construction).

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Operation Frankton -

The audacious British Commando raid resulted in the substantial damage of six ships, crippled by exploding limpet mines. Despite the capture and subsequent execution of some of the party, Operation Frankton was a seen as a success, with those who took part dubbed the "Cockleshell Heroes."

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Operation Jaywick -

Operation Jaywick stands as one of the most successful Special Operations Executive (SOE) raids of the Second World War. In September 1943, a joint Allied special forces unit codenamed Z Special Unit targeted Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbor.

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Operation Jaywick -

Comprising 14 British and Australian operatives disguised as Malay fishermen, Z Special Unit slipped unnoticed into the harbor onboard the MV Krait. Pictured are the original radio sets used by the saboteurs while on the vessel.

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Operation Jaywick -

The raiders successfully sunk 27,251 tonnes (30,000 tons) of Japanese shipping, in fact seven vessels in all. The MV Krait survived the war and today is on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.

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The Karafuto sabotage -

The USS Barb is remembered as the submarine that sank the greatest number of Japanese tonnage during the Second World War. But the vessel is also known for its involvement in a little-known but hugely significant act of sabotage that took place in the Pacific theater.

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The Karafuto sabotage -

During the night of July 22–23, 1945, the Barb landed a party of six carefully selected crew members at Karafuto (today Russian Sakhalin Oblast) to blow up a railroad.

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The Karafuto sabotage -

The saboteurs planted a series of explosive charges and managed to derail a supply locomotive. Their action remains the only ground combat operation recorded in the Japanese home islands. The raid is represented by the train symbol in the middle bottom of the battle flag pictured.

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Operations Ginny I and II -

The Second World War-era Operations Ginny I and II are remembered for all the wrong reasons. These were two sabotage missions conducted by members of the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to blow up railway tunnels in Italy.

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Operations Ginny I and II -

The first mission, Ginny I, attempted in February 1944 by 15 American soldiers, failed because of incorrect logistical intelligence: the operatives landed on the wrong spot! The second mission, Ginny II, took place a month later. Again, the soldiers were dropped in the wrong location. This time, however, the entire team was captured.

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Operations Ginny I and II -

Despite being properly uniformed and identified as Allied combatants, the men were executed under Hitler's Commando Order of 1942 at the command of German General Anton Dostler. After the war, Dostler (pictured) was executed by firing squad for his part in the outrage.

Sources: (INTEL.gov) (Scientific American) (National Royal Navy Museum)

See also: Historical misconceptions you thought were true

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