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'''Allied war crimes''' were violations of the ] committed by the Allies of World War II against civilian populations or the soldiers of the ]. '''Allied war crimes''' were violations of the ] committed by the Allies of World War II against civilian populations or the soldiers of the ]. Other incidents are alleged by certain historians to have been crimes under the law of war in operation at the time, but for a variety of reasons, were not investigated by the Allied powers during the war, or they were investigated and a decision was taken not to prosecute.


At the end of ], several trials of ] ]s took place, most famously were the ]. However, these tribunals were expressly prohibited from considering any allegations of war crimes committed by the ] or their military forces. Allied personnel were involved in incidents which were war crimes that were investigated by the Allied powers at the time, and led to courts-martial. Other incidents are alleged by certain historians to have been crimes under the law of war in operation at the time, but that for a variety of reasons were not investigated by the Allied powers during the war, or they were investigated and a decision was taken not to prosecute. It should be noted that many things classified as war crimes today were not such at the time. Some things classified as a war crimes today, were not war crimes during World War II. At the end of ], several trials of ] ]s took place, most famously were the ], leading to the deaths of 21 prominent Nazis. However, these tribunals were expressly prohibited from considering any allegations of war crimes committed by the ] or their military forces. Instead, seperate investigations were conducted regarding Allied personnel and alleged war crimes. If charged, this led to court-martialing.

It should be noted that many things classified as a war crime in today's standards were not during World War II.


== Incidents == == Incidents ==


Incidents that occurred during the involvement of the relevant nation in World War II include the following. Not all of these are agreed to be war crimes: Incidents that occurred during the involvement of the relevant nation in World War II include the following. Again, '''not all of these are agreed to be war crimes:'''


;Canada ;Canada
:*], July 1943. According to Mitcham and von Stauffenberg in the book "The Battle of Sicily" The Loyal Edmonton Regiment allegedly killed captured German prisoners.<ref>Mithcham, Samuel and Friedrich von Stauffenberg '''''The Battle of Sicily'''''</ref> :*], July 1943. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment allegedly killed captured German prisoners.<ref>Mithcham, Samuel and Friedrich von Stauffenberg '''''The Battle of Sicily'''''</ref>


:*] randomly burned houses in ], northwestern ] in April 1945 as a reprisal for the death of their commanding officer.<ref>The official historian of the Canadian Army, ], noted in his autobiography that it was the only incident he was aware of that could be considered a "war crime" associated with Canadian soldiers in the Second World War. see: Stacey, C.P. '''''A Date With History'''''</ref> :*] randomly burned houses in ], northwestern ] in April 1945 as a reprisal for the death of their commanding officer.<ref>The official historian of the Canadian Army, ], noted in his autobiography that it was the only incident he was aware of that could be considered a "war crime" associated with Canadian soldiers in the Second World War. see: Stacey, C.P. '''''A Date With History'''''</ref>


;] ;]
:*The "]" of ]: (some reports are disputed. see the relevant page for details) :*The "]" of ]: (some reports are disputed. see the relevant page for details)


;Soviet Union: ;Soviet Union:
:*]: The USSR hadn't joined the Allies yet, so this is not an "Allied" war crime.
:*] by Soviet troops: these happened during ]<ref>, James Mark, Past & Present 188 (2005) 133-161</ref><ref> The Struggle for Europe: The Turbulent History of a Divided Continent 1945-2002 - ] - 2003 - ISBN 0-385-49798-9 :*] by Soviet troops: these happened during ]<ref>, James Mark, Past & Present 188 (2005) 133-161</ref><ref> The Struggle for Europe: The Turbulent History of a Divided Continent 1945-2002 - ] - 2003 - ISBN 0-385-49798-9
* A Terrible Revenge: The Ethnic Cleansing of the East European Germans, 1944-1950 - ] - ] - ISBN 0-312-12159-8 * A Terrible Revenge: The Ethnic Cleansing of the East European Germans, 1944-1950 - ] - ] - ISBN 0-312-12159-8
* Barefoot in the Rubble - ] - ] - ISBN 0-9657793-0-0</ref>, in parts of ] (]) and ], and during the ] <ref>] '''' in ] ], ] </ref> and the ]. * Barefoot in the Rubble - ] - ] - ISBN 0-9657793-0-0</ref>, in parts of ] (]) and ], and during the ] <ref>] '''' in ] ], ] </ref> and the ].
:*]
:*Respect of international conventions: The Soviet Union had not signed the ] relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. This may make it doubtful that the Soviet treatment of German and allied POWs, who "were treated even remotely in accordance with the Geneva Convention",<ref> website of Gendercide Watch</ref> causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands,<ref>Matthew White </ref> was a war crime. However, The Nuremberg Tribunal in rejected this as a general argument, and held that the 1929 Geneva Convention was binding because it articulated general principles of international law that are binding on all nations in a conflict, despite one party's non-ratification of the Convention.<ref> © 2003 Educational Broadcasting Corporation</ref><ref>Jennifer K. Elsea (Legislative Attorney American Law Division) (PDF) September 8, 2004. Page 24 first paragraph see also footnotes 93 and 87</ref>
:*Torpedoing the ].
:*The ] ] and German allied ]'s: the Soviet Union did not sign the ], but the Nuremberg Tribunal found the general principles of international law, in respect to Nazi war crimes, had bound all belligerent nations to the accord despite the lack of universal ratification.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref>


;United Kingdom ;United Kingdom
:*The German ] historian ], claims that "] decision to bomb]] a shattered Germany between January and May 1945 was a war crime."<ref>Luke Harding in ], ], 2003</ref> :*] and ] of German cities and towns, based on situational analysis and debatable intentions.<ref>German ] historian ] claims that "] decision to...bomb Germany between January and May 1945 was a war crime." see: Luke Harding in ], ], 2003</ref><ref>Friedrich states that "Civilian deaths were not ] but rather the object of the exercise." Some also dispute that civilians were deliberately targeted, stating that the primary aim was to reduce the industrial capacity of Germany.</ref>(disputed, as opinions vary) <ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/11/19/nchurc19.xml]</ref><ref>http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=277121069229925]</ref><ref>http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/review-859-p429/$File/irrc_859_Maier.pdf#search=%22%22J%C3%B6rg%20Friedrich%22%20%22war%20crimes%22%20review%22]</ref><ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1067232,00.html German historian provokes row over war photos]</ref>


;United States: ;United States:
:*]- On orders from U.S. Army Air Force General ], U.S. aircraft strafed and bombed unarmed survivors from sunken Japanese warships and transports swimming or floating in the ocean.<ref>Brand Manera, ''Battle of the Bismarck Sea, 2-4 March 1943'', Australian War Memorial, 2003.</ref><!--This may not be a war crime because it was interdiction of troops on their way in to battle. Needs source for this POV as well--> :*]- On orders from U.S. Army Air Force General ], U.S. aircraft strafed and bombed unarmed survivors from sunken Japanese warships and transports swimming or floating in the ocean.<ref>Brand Manera, ''Battle of the Bismarck Sea, 2-4 March 1943'', Australian War Memorial, 2003.</ref>
:*Strafing unarmed survivors from the sunken Japanese cruiser ] <ref>in ],], ], aircraft from the U.S. carrier ] participated in the strafing, as survivors bobbed in the waters of Manila Bay. source: Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', p. 356.</ref> :*Strafing unarmed surivors from the sunken Japanese cruiser ] <ref>in ],], ], aircraft from the USS ''Lexington'' participated in the strafing, as survivors bobbed in the waters of Manila Bay. source: Lacroix, ''Japanese Cruisers'', p. 356.</ref>
:*Strafing unarmed survivors from the sunken Japanese cruiser ] <ref>In Dasol Bay, Phillipines, on ], 1944, aircraft from the U.S. carrier ] strafed and bombed the survivors of the sunken cruiser as they floated in the water. Source: Anthony P. Tully, CombinedFleet.com, </ref>
:*] :*]
:*] :*]
:*] :*]
:*]: (see the UK entry for information, disputed as well)
:*]: In 1963 these were the subject of a ] in '']''<ref> , Tokyo District Court, ] ]</ref>. The District Court of Tokyo declined to rule on the legality of nuclear weapons in general, but found that "the attacks upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused such severe and indiscriminate suffering that they did violate the most basic legal principles governing the conduct of war."<ref>{{cite news||first=Richard A.|last=Falk |title=The Claimants of Hiroshima| date=]-] |publisher=The Nation}} reprinted in {{cite book|editor=Richard A. Falk, Saul H. Mendlovitz eds.|title=The Strategy of World Order. Volume: 1| publisher=World Law Fund|year=1966|location=New York|chapter=The Shimoda Case: Challenge and Response|pages=pp. 307-13}}</ref> However, the prevalent international legal opinion is that these bombings were not a war crime.<ref>John Bolton ''"''", US ambassador to the United Nations, Winter 2001</ref><ref name="ICRC"></ref>
:*], based on the ] in '']''<ref>, Tokyo District Court, ] ]</ref>.


;Yugoslav Communist Partisan Forces: ;Yugoslav Communist Partisan Forces:
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:*] :*]


== Other Controversy ==
===Urestricted submarine warfare===

In the Nuremberg trial, German Admiral ] was tried (among other crimes) for issuing orders to engage in ]. He was found guilty, but the sentence was not assessed (i.e. he got no penalty) because the court discovered evidence that both the British ] and the ] also issued similar orders. <ref> the ] at the ] </ref> In the Nuremberg trial, German Admiral ] was tried (among other crimes) for issuing orders to engage in ]. He was found guilty, but the sentence was not assessed (i.e. he got no penalty) because the court discovered evidence that both the British ] and the ] also issued similar orders. <ref> the ] at the ] </ref>


Revision as of 13:22, 6 November 2006

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Allied war crimes were violations of the laws of war committed by the Allies of World War II against civilian populations or the soldiers of the Axis Armed Forces. Other incidents are alleged by certain historians to have been crimes under the law of war in operation at the time, but for a variety of reasons, were not investigated by the Allied powers during the war, or they were investigated and a decision was taken not to prosecute.

At the end of World War II, several trials of Axis war criminals took place, most famously were the Nuremberg Trials, leading to the deaths of 21 prominent Nazis. However, these tribunals were expressly prohibited from considering any allegations of war crimes committed by the Allied powers or their military forces. Instead, seperate investigations were conducted regarding Allied personnel and alleged war crimes. If charged, this led to court-martialing.

It should be noted that many things classified as a war crime in today's standards were not during World War II.

Incidents

Incidents that occurred during the involvement of the relevant nation in World War II include the following. Again, not all of these are agreed to be war crimes:

Canada
  • Leonforte, July 1943. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment allegedly killed captured German prisoners.
Free France
Soviet Union
United Kingdom
  • Area bombing and firebombing of German cities and towns, based on situational analysis and debatable intentions.(disputed, as opinions vary)
United States
Yugoslav Communist Partisan Forces

Other Controversy

In the Nuremberg trial, German Admiral Karl Dönitz was tried (among other crimes) for issuing orders to engage in Unrestricted submarine warfare. He was found guilty, but the sentence was not assessed (i.e. he got no penalty) because the court discovered evidence that both the British Royal Navy and the United States Navy also issued similar orders.

Post World War II incidents involving Prisoners of War

Norway
United States


See also

External links

Notes

  1. Mithcham, Samuel and Friedrich von Stauffenberg The Battle of Sicily
  2. The official historian of the Canadian Army, C.P. Stacey, noted in his autobiography that it was the only incident he was aware of that could be considered a "war crime" associated with Canadian soldiers in the Second World War. see: Stacey, C.P. A Date With History
  3. Remembering Rape: Divided Social Memory and the Red Army in Hungary 1944–1945, James Mark, Past & Present 188 (2005) 133-161
  4. Excerpt, Chapter one The Struggle for Europe: The Turbulent History of a Divided Continent 1945-2002 - William I. Hitchcock - 2003 - ISBN 0-385-49798-9
  5. Antony Beevor They raped every German female from eight to 80 in The Guardian May 1, 2002
  9. German revisionist historian Jörg Friedrich claims that "Winston Churchill's decision to...bomb Germany between January and May 1945 was a war crime." see: Luke Harding German historian provokes row over war photos in The Guardian, October 21, 2003
  10. Friedrich states that "Civilian deaths were not collateral damage but rather the object of the exercise." Some also dispute that civilians were deliberately targeted, stating that the primary aim was to reduce the industrial capacity of Germany.
  11. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/11/19/nchurc19.xml]
  12. http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.cgi?path=277121069229925]
  13. http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/review-859-p429/$File/irrc_859_Maier.pdf#search=%22%22J%C3%B6rg%20Friedrich%22%20%22war%20crimes%22%20review%22]
  14. http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1067232,00.html German historian provokes row over war photos]
  15. Brand Manera, Battle of the Bismarck Sea, 2-4 March 1943, Australian War Memorial, 2003.
  16. in Manila Bay,5 November, 1944, aircraft from the USS Lexington participated in the strafing, as survivors bobbed in the waters of Manila Bay. source: Lacroix, Japanese Cruisers, p. 356.
  17. Shimoda et al. v. The State, Tokyo District Court, 7 December 1963
  18. Judgement : Doenitz the Avalon Project at the Yale Law School
  19. U.S. (and French) abuse of German PoWs, 1945-1948
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