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Question: War crimes commited by Allies WWII!?
Specifically I need war crimes commited by U!.S and England!.
thankyou in advanceWww@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
The site below has an interesting take on Allied war crimes, I would warn you though that it is very selective in what it says and does not say, turning a blind eye to some of the reasons why the Allies mistreated German prisoners!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Come to think of it, in all my reading, I don't think I've come across any war crimes by the Allies - partly because the war crimes of the Axis were so enormous, and partly because 'the victors write the history'!.

Some will mention the bombing of Dresden, which may qualify!. Some may mention Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or even the firebombing of many Japanese cities!. These do not in a constructionist view of war crimes make them such!.

also the Katyn massacre - 10,000 Polish Army officers killed by the Russians in late 39, early 40!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I was in the army infantry from two years before Pearl Harbor 'till over two and a half years after the end !. My war started at Pearl Harbor and ended in Czechoslovakia !. I have over six years overseas !. Of all the time I spent on the front lines , I can say that I have never witnessed a single case of any criminal activity by US soldiers !.
We had very strict rules that had to be followed , and were !. Sure , we killed many many German soldiers , but no international rules of war were broken !.
When millions of people are involved , there will always be a few who break the rules !. That's true of other countries , far more than in the US armed forces !.
Sorry I can't help you , but I have to write from personal experience !. There will be others telling you all kinds of stories from hearsay !. I was there through every day of action!. Right up on the front where we eyeballed the enemy !. We killed but only according to international law !.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The bombing of German cities!. Although officially directed at factories and transportation centers, they often caused more random destruction and civilian casualties than real military purposeful aims!. Most infamous is the bombing of Dresden in February 1945 (see link)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Any wanton destruction of life or property is a war crime according to the definition!. Keep in mind though, generally, only losers are charged with war crimes, making war crimes suspiciously very subjective like all political crimes!.

Based on this definition, the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan was certainly a blatant war crime because it happened only 3 days after the bombing of Hiroshima, giving the Japanese leadership not enough time to investigate and to debate a surrender!.

Even the bombing of Hiroshima was a war crime because no specific warning, perhaps in the form of a test blast for Japanese observers, was given about the atomic bomb!. Truman did say to surrender or face"the inevitable and complete destruction of the Japanese armed forces and just as inevitably the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland" -- deliberately vague!.

Now, the U!.S!. media will repeat the myth that the atomic bombings saved 1 million U!.S!. casualties!. It's amazing how such a lie can be repeated for over 60 years and never get challenged!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The only thing that can remotely called war crimes are the fire bombing the allies did over some German and Japanese cities!. However, we're talking total war here!. we're talking about 2 omplacable enemies that were not going to surrender!. It wasn't until after we dropped 2 atomic bombs that the Japanese even thought about surrender!.

I don't consider those bombing, even the atomic ones, war crimes!. We did what we had to!. Our "crimes" pale in comparison to what the Germans and Japanese did!. They slaughtered MILLIONS of innocent civilians!. And we're not talking normal war casualties!. We're talking forced labor work, starvation, medical experimentation, concentration camps and outright genocide via gas chambers and ovens!.

I don't know who gave you this assignment, assuming you're a student, but they have their priorities seriously out of wack!.


Edit:

cptcanuck2: You obviously don't know the history of the Pacific theater of the war!. The Japanese fought to the death!. They never surrendered no matter what the odds!. An invasion of the home islands of Japan would have cost us 50,000 men or more!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

they both tortured prisoners!. also, the Americans often exicuted german and japanese prisoners with out a trial, also, they would often kill their enemies even if they have given up!.

technically, dropping the atomic bomb is a war crime!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The term "war crime" gets thrown around a lot and too loosely!. When this happens it loses it's real meaning!.

Many Japanese would insist the dropping of the atomic bombs are "war crimes!." But Japan prior to the bomb (day before) insisted they would never surrender and it's quite clear that a conventional invasion of Japan would have resulted in many more deaths than the use of the atomic bombs!.

As bad as the firebombing of Dresden and some Japanese cities was, it's hard to argue that those are even close to what the Germans or Japanese did (at least 20 million civilians killed by the Germans, over 30 million by the Japanese)!. Furthermore, the firebombings are worse to a matter of degree only, they were not the first incidents in the war and the Germans and Japanese targets civilians first (Rotterdam, Warsaw, London, Hitler ordered Paris burned, the Japanese bombed a number of Chinese cities indiscriminately)!.

I would argue that a "war crime" is something that is a clear violation of international standards (either by a treaty signed by that country OR a treaty generally accepted by most civilized nations)!.

You might argue that the internment camps for Nisei (Japanese Americans) constitutes a war crime!. There were certainly plenty of instances of German and even Japanese POWs who never made it back to the rear and were "shot while trying to escape"--this is something that happens in every war on every side (that doesn't make it right, only that it's the nature of warfare and that's why your best bet to make it to the rear as a POW is to surrender as part of a large group)!.

The worst cases of "war crimes" by Allies occurred with the Russians!. They did torture German POWs!. There was a very high percentage of German POWs who did not survive captivity (some resorted to cannibilism to survive)!. Many where held as POWs for over 10 years AFTER the war ended!. The Russian soldiers are also estimated to have raped over 200,000 German women on the capture of Germany!.

If you look, you can find isolated examples of POW camps by the Allies where administration was poor, rules were violated and I recall reading about one U-Boat captain who was a prisoner here in the States who was railroaded into being executed (supposedly a political action for Hitler's declaration that lifeboats of American and British survivors were to be fired on and not rescued by U-Boats)!. But widespread abuse!? I think not!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The ratio of casualties to captives in the Pacific Theatre would seem to indicate that prisoners weren't being taken regularly, the standard response that the Japanese fought to the death is so frequently used that it is difficult to get beyond!. Surrendering and captive SS and concentration camp guards were also killed out of hand at Dachau and Chenogne the latter in retaliation for Malmedy!. Illegal orders not to accept surrender from Waffen SS troops were issued in some units!.

The food policy of 1945 in Germany is held up as tantamount to a war crime in some eyes!. Forced labour and forced mine clearance, both of which are definite war crimes, were also employed, the mine clearance in France and Norway led to thousands of deaths among PoWs!.

also search for Rheinwiesenlager transit camps for German PoWs between 3,000 and 10,000 deaths of prisoners by thirst and malnutrition!.

According to “Prisoner Taking and Prisoner Killing in the Age of Total War: Towards a Political Economy of Military Defeat” a book by Niall Ferguson (a controversial source) deaths in victor’s PoW camps broke down as

German POWs in East European (not including the Soviet Union) hands 32!.9%
German soldiers held by Soviet Union: 15-33%
Japanese POWs held by Soviet Union: 10%
German POWs in British hands 0!.03%
German POWs in American hands 0!.15%
German POWs in French hands 2!.58%
Japanese POWs held by U!.S!.: relatively low, mainly suicidesWww@QuestionHome@Com

Here
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Allied_war_!.!.!.

And much more here
http://forum!.axishistory!.com/viewtopic!.p!.!.!.

Some actions, things which are maybe not all war crimes!. Decide yourself!.

Captian John Frederick Walker, was a sucessfully english U-Boathunter!. One time he hunted again a german uboat and could finaly sunk it!. Those who could flew out of the sinking uboat cried for help!. Mr!. Walker odered to shot some waterbombs among them!. Some of the castaways died!. The rest got fished up and were treted correct as pow`s!.

"The white in the eyes of the arian scumbags could be seen, when I instructed the attack!. A fate-heavy moment - however the Damoklessword did not hang this time over their heads, but it came from downside"

The Laconia incident
http://www!.uboataces!.com/battle-laconia!.!.!.!.

sorry much to read, but better than to give you a short summarize :-)!. But the outcome was the order not to save any castaways anymore!.
"1) Every attempt to save survivors of sunken ships, also the fishing up of swimming men and putting them on board lifeboats, the setup right of overturned lifeboats, the handing over of food and water have be discontinued!. These rescues contradict the primary demands of warfare esp!. the destruction of enemy ships and their crews!.
2) The orders concerning the bringing in of skippers and chief engineers stay in effect!.
3) Survivors are only to rescue, if their statements are important for the boat!.
4) Stay hard!. Don't forget, that the enemy didn't take any regard for woman and children when bombarding German towns!."
http://www!.uboat!.net/ops/laconia!.htm

The massive bombig raids could be handeld as war crimes, which would include the air raid on Dresden!.

The allies announce that jet-propelled aircraft will soon to be in production!. The Air Ministry says that Bomber Command dropped 157,000 tons of bombs on Germany in 1943, while the Luftwaffe dropped only 2,400 tons on Britain!. (well but fairley to say, the Allied got more resources, what the germans didn`t had, possibly they had then bombed the same as the allied did on germany)
http://www!.worldwar-2!.net/timelines/war-!.!.!.

Between 1939 and 1945 the Allies dropped 3!.4 million tons of bombs, An average of about 27,700 tons of bombs each month!.
http://www!.world-war-2!.info/facts/

Somethign generally of the air raids
http://globalfire!.tv/nj/03en/history/ext!.!.!.

Operation Chastise - it caused the death between 1300 and 2400 people, more than the half of them were allied pow`s (different sources give different death tolls)
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Operation_C!.!.!.

Well choose yourself if the heavy allied bombing raids on german cities pushed the germans to fire their v1 and v2 on english and beligsh/dutch cities!. However the "V" stands for "vengeance weapon" which is an creation of the nazi propagandaminister joesph goebbels!.

Bombs and Guns
http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=OLMAEhVq2!.!.!.
http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=SMMla-Rq0!.!.!.
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Bombing_of_!.!.!.

Map - Destruction of german cities
http://img73!.imageshack!.us/img73/2923/sc!.!.!.

Rape and American GIs in Europe during World War II
http://www!.palgrave!.com/products/title!.a!.!.!.
http://forum!.axishistory!.com/viewtopic!.p!.!.!.

Read the info right please
http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=dQWv9KpDW!.!.!.
http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=aJ7N9E58d!.!.!.

Not a war crime but interessting!. If the Americans would not had conflict with the Russians, the Americans would may used the Morgenthau Plan instead of the Marshall Plan!. After the Nazi government got knowledge about the Morgenthau Plan, they used it for propaganda against the Americans!.
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Henry_Morge!.!.!.

Another thing which is maybe a war crime but no killing was the looting of german artobejects!.
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Looted_art#!.!.!.

The Quedlinburg Treasury got famous
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Whitewright!.!.!.

It was forbidden to stole, but it seems some Americans could do it!.

you can slo pointe the 10 commandment of the german soldier (but which come untrue in the war at last)
http://ddickerson!.igc!.org/german-soldier!.!.!.

Well it said that the Attack of the Japs on Pearl Habour was a result or no, the attidue agianst the japs was one reason why the japs attacked pearl habour!.

No crime, but macbare: the skull of japanse soldier as a present for an gis girlfriend in the usa!. published by Magazin LIFE
http://www!.wfg-gk!.de/sgeschichtebild25!.j!.!.!.

At last, germans and japs killed more, but if you kill 1 against law standards or 1 million its both crime!. And it seems that always the others are worse!. "Yes we did this, BUT the others did this and this and that" seems the others are always guitly!. the germans should have do more against their nazi gov, but it was war!. and in war no nation is free from crime!. it seems sometimes "the german shouldn`t had start the war" TRUE, but it seems since they did and did all the crimes it was ok for some allied soldiers to do the same in small way!. Some soldiers were frozen to the germans because of the KZ`s they liberated!. On the other hand as i said it was maybe for some soldiers an aliby to be rude,e tc!.

anyway war is over now since more then 60 years!. thankfully!.Www@QuestionHome@Com