Doesn't *quite* work, but close. Do you need it to rhyme in the English, or just to reproduce the German sentiment?

I presume the meaning of the original is more important, and that it's not up to you to create a snappy English slogan for a defunct socialist movement.

If it's a fairly highbrow historical piece, I'd leave the original as well and provide the above as a (fairly free) gloss translation.

HTH

Mary

it does rhyme..

We will be free without artillery

Just a few more

I seem to remember the slogan "Frieden schaffen ohne Waffen" and assume that the one you've got is a reworked version of that (for a different purpose, naturally).

Therefore, it would be ideal if the English could also somehow refer back to the peace movement slogan and call up the memories of the 1980s groups, right?

However, I realise that that's quite ambitious for a translation - esp. since I can't really think of an appropriate slogan in English ("make love not war" doesn't really cover it, does it?). Of if it were, "make ruins without war" might go in the right direction.


So how about the one mentioned above? I don't particularly like it yet myself, I admit, but maybe you can take it from here?

I don't know if an "accepted" translation already exists and offer this as alliterative and not too far afield in terms of the sense of the original slogan.

"Lay waste to the land without raising a hand"