Operation Pastorius was a failed mission by Nazi Germany during World War II, which aimed to sabotage various American infrastructure and industrial targets. The operation was named after Francis Daniel Pastorius, who was a German-born lawyer and founder of Germantown, Pennsylvania, where the German saboteurs were supposed to begin their mission.

The operation involved sending eight German agents to the United States in two teams, with the aim of carrying out acts of sabotage on various targets, such as aluminum plants, railways, and hydroelectric plants. The agents were given extensive training in sabotage techniques before their departure from Germany.

However, the mission was ultimately unsuccessful. The first team of four agents arrived in New York City in June 1942 but were quickly arrested by the FBI after one of the agents, George Dasch, decided to turn himself in and reveal the mission to the authorities. The second team of four agents was intercepted by US Coast Guard patrols off the coast of Florida and were also subsequently arrested.

All eight agents were tried by a military tribunal and six of them were executed. The two who cooperated with the authorities were given prison sentences. The failure of Operation Pastorius was a significant blow to Nazi Germany's efforts to carry out acts of sabotage in the United States during World War II.