The Roman philosopher, Marcus Tullius Cicero once said, “In time of war, the laws fall silent.”
This is a very important quote to bear in mind if you’re a prepper. While the only current major wars seem to be occurring in far away places like the Middle East, war is a very real possibility and can happen at any time anywhere.
It’s imperative that you know what to do in times of war. In this article, we’ll look at tactics that you may need to use. These go beyond the usual prepper tips of having a bug out bag and food supplies.
While those are essential, you also need to know what to do should your area be occupied by enemy forces, etc. One shouldn’t dismiss this as an unlikely scenario.
Just a couple of years ago, Russian forces conducted several military incursions into Ukraine and finally annexed it. So, these situations are possible. Let’s look at the tips below.
1. Get a hand-held radio and follow the current events so that you’re always up-to-date about what’s going on. All your plans must be made in a timely manner based on current information.
2. Decide if you will stay or flee. During any war, some areas will see most of the battle and occupation while those in the more rural areas will not see much at all. If you decide to leave, get far away to the countryside or places with a low population.
3. Hide all your precious possessions the moment there’s conflict in your area. Place the items in an airtight container, wrap that in plastic and bury it. Do not try stashing your items around the house. During an occupation, your house may get raided and the items easily found when everything is being tossed on the ground.
4. Women should stay hidden. One very real and ugly consequence of war is that women get raped. Despite what the rules of engagement say, rapes do occur. In times of war, the laws fall silent. So, women need to be extra cautious.
5. If you decide to stay, you must give the appearance that you’re poor and have nothing of value. Make your house, clothes, car, etc. look worn out and shabby. Occupiers will be less likely to bother stealing from you.
6. Do not make eye contact with the troops that are in your area. The goal here is to be inconspicuous and insignificant. Do not try to be Chuck Norris and attempt heroics. Almost always, you will fail and end up getting caught or worse.
7. Trust only very close family members and friends. The smaller your circle of trust the better. You never know who an enemy informant could be, just because they want better treatment.
8. Do not allow your children to hear discussions and plans. One tactic employed by most troops is to interrogate children because most kids are honest and will give out information readily.
9. Get your hands on some firearms, if possible. It’s always good to have some stashed away rather than be defenseless and helpless.
10. If the area you’re staying in is occupied, try to collect as many IDs and documents that may be from the occupiers. This will give you an idea of what their documents look like etc. You never know when these could come in handy.
11. Try and learn the language if you can. Being able to converse in the occupiers’ language will usually put you in a better position with them.
These are just a few of the tips that will serve you well if the area you live in gets occupied. Ideally, your best course of action is to always flee the area or even the country for a while till all the hostility subsides. If you have been alert and following the news closely, you’d have left at the appropriate time.
However, if you do end up in a war zone, keep your head down, be smart and wait for the resistance troops to liberate you. If you do join small sabotage units made up of people that you know, be very careful and leave no trace for the forensics to find.
Resistance groups can do a lot of damage to the enemy troops, but if discovered, the consequences are very grave. So, weigh all the pros and cons and proceed with caution.