Resistance at the Buna-Werke

This thread follows Thomsen’s covert cooperation with British prisoners, the sabotage effort, and the personal risks that eventually expose it.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Conversation with Bullard

A Conversation with Bullard A guarded opening Angelus Thomsen approaches British prisoner Roland Bullard with cigarettes and conversation. Their exchange about English flowers and tobacco becomes a cautious test of whether they can trust one another. A channel takes shape Bullard recognizes that Thomsen’s apparent friendliness carries a political purpose. Their shared understanding opens a route between a privileged camp official and prisoners resisting the German war effort.

A Promise of Cigarettes

A Promise of Cigarettes A small material exchange Thomsen promises Bullard cigarettes and brings him preferred brands. The seemingly trivial gifts help establish trust and a practical means of communication. Risks become mutual The relationship depends on secrecy. Thomsen’s position gives him access, but discovery could expose both the British prisoners and his own hidden opposition to the regime.

A Sabotage Network

A Sabotage Network Industrial equipment is undermined Workers tamper with machinery, weakening rivets, altering gauges, and contaminating engine grease. A calendar of first use helps the saboteurs choose when the damage will have maximum effect. Resistance moves through the factory The operation depends on coordination between prisoners and someone with inside knowledge. Its aim is to delay a plant intended to strengthen the German war economy.

Jenkins Is Captured

Jenkins Is Captured The investigation begins The camp authorities arrest a British prisoner, Jenkins, and find the first-use calendar in a tool cabin. Fritz Mobius and Paul Doll begin searching for the person who provided the information. Torture fails to secure confession Roland Bullard is subjected to confinement and brutal interrogation. Despite the pain, he refuses to reveal the network, and the investigation threatens to expose everyone involved.

The Network’s Human Cost

The Network’s Human Cost Resistance meets state violence Bullard endures interrogation and severe injuries without giving up the people connected to the sabotage. Mobius treats his suffering as a problem to solve rather than a reason to stop. Thomsen’s absence sharpens danger Thomsen is away from the camp as the investigation advances. The covert alliance has achieved disruption, but its participants face the possibility of torture, death, and retaliation.

Autumn 1942, outside the Buna-Werke perimeter

Late 1942, after Thomsen discovers the British resistance network

By early 1943, during Buna-Werke expansion

Spring 1943, after sabotage is discovered

Spring 1943, during Bullard’s interrogation