The article tells about who the saboteurs are, what they do, what are the methods of dealing with them, who they can be. Let's talk about the German saboteurs of the Second World War.
Start
Always during wars there was a need to strike in the rear of the enemy, to weaken his position. This became especially relevant at the beginning of world clashes, when clear front lines and a political course made it clear where their own and others were. According to the dictionary, a saboteur is one who carries out various activities in the rear of the enemy and causes damage to him. Moreover, his actions are sometimes directed not only at military facilities, but also at civilian ones. This definition can be applied to a person who is only preparing for activities of this kind.
1941-1945
During the years of World War II, German saboteurs brought a lot of trouble and caused significant damage to both the army and industry.
Already in the early days of the start of fighting on the other side of the border, many saboteurs disguised as Red Army soldiers were regularly sent to us. And sometimes distinguishing them was incredibly difficult. Unlike scouts who are more interested in reliably settling in the enemy camp, saboteurs act brazenly, trying to inflict large one-time damage. Undermining bridges, equipment, mining roads, sowing panic in the ranks of the retreating army, destroying communication lines and much more - that’s what the one who called the saboteur did. This, of course, could not fail to attract the attention of counterintelligence, and a little later even the SMERSH special unit appeared, which meant "death to spies." As you might guess, it was engaged in trapping and eliminating the disguised enemy.
The saboteurs were both members of the German army and persons from among the recruited Soviet citizens and prisoners of war. A lot of effort was devoted to recruiting the latter, since, knowing the language, they could act in a very deep rear and much more successfully.
A saboteur is primarily a brave and capable person, special schools were created for their training, where students received all the necessary knowledge for intelligence and subversive activities. Similar schools were in the Soviet Union.
Fight
As before, in the modern world, counterintelligence, the forces of the army and the rule of law are engaged in the fight against such enemies. But unlike deeply rooted spies, it was more difficult to counteract saboteurs, as their task included one-time actions to destroy infrastructure, capture important ranks and disrupt offensive operations. And to accurately predict the place of their impact was almost impossible. Therefore, in the frontline zone, much attention was always paid to the patrol service and the guard.
As practice has shown, unlike cinema and literature, a saboteur is not a universal soldier who knows absolutely everything, but a certain specialist. Of course, during the training they received knowledge of the broadest profile, up to the driving of armored vehicles and psychological impact, but more often the sabotage group of several people acted, where everyone had their own role. Sniper, Demoman, etc.
The main method of action of saboteurs is as follows: introduction or casting behind enemy lines, observation with the collection of information, direct action and retreat. During the operation, they do not have documents and other identification marks with them, they do not contact people and wait in secluded places. But this scheme is only effective if, for example, you need to blow up the railway bridge in the forest. Therefore, sometimes they are supplied with the necessary legend and documents.
But even with the most reliable papers, they are not safe from failure. For example, during the Second World War, any boy knew who the saboteur was, and vigilantly looked out for all suspicious personalities. Appropriate outreach was also carried out with the adult population.
The most striking examples of the failures of German saboteurs are connected, by the way, with staples and boots.
The fact is that the paper clips on German documents were stainless steel, while the Soviet paper clips rusted. Of course, the patrols did not arrest everyone who did not have rust on the pages of the certificate, but if it was issued last year and the paper clips are clean, then this is most likely an enemy.
Also, the differences were in boots. Rather, the wooden nails with which they were knocked out. The Germans were square, and the Russians were round.
Modern world
Who is a saboteur in the modern world? The principles have not changed. All armies of the world are engaged in their preparation. True, there is no such profession as a "saboteur", they become when they are in need, scouts, soldiers of special units, and sometimes paratroopers.
Interesting fact
Recently, Latvian search engines found a cache of German saboteurs, lying in the ground for more than 70 years! The iron capsule contained weapons, ammunition, explosives and detonators. Everything is in perfect condition.
So now we know who they are, and we understand the meaning of the word "saboteur".