Introduction
War crimes committed against humanity ought to be shade light on for the sole purpose of avoiding such occurrences taking place again. War crimes have continuously been committed by nations of the earth. This article will briefly discuss three events which should be viewed as war crimes and which took place during the World War II. The article will give the motivations behind those who undertook the actions and will clearly show why the actions should be considered as war crimes.
What is a war crime?
It is very significant to be clear on what constitutes a war crime for this article to make any sense. The United Nations definition of war crime will be adopted for the argument made in this article.
The Holocaust
Even for those who have a shallow knowledge of the holocaust, it is clear that it has been the biggest genocide to have ever occurred. Six million Jews were systematically killed without mercy.
They were lied to, gathered and led to their deathbeds just like animals to an abattoir. It is clear that the holocaust was a war crime by the fact that, these were innocent civilians (UN 1) who were targeted specifically because of the hatred that Hitler had for them.
As a matter of fact, the outbreak of the WW II had nothing to do with the Jews and it is clear that the Jews were specifically targeted for elimination. They were transported from foreign regions outside Germany and brought to the concentration camps to face their death. The Holocaust is a classical example of how the deep the hatred of men can be.
The Bombing of Dresden
This is yet another event that qualifies to be considered a war crime. The bombs were dropped in a highly populated city and there were so many deaths. Targeting of civilians is an act of a war crime and this is what happened at Dresden when the Russians attacked the Dresden. Bombing of residential houses is clear indication of targeting civilians (UN 1) and the Dresden bombing should be classified as a war crime.
The Atomic Bombs
In as much as the US might have wanted to stop the war by using the atomic bombs, it was aware the bombs would affect the civilians more than anything else. Think of the radiations which were going to affect people for generations.
The physical structures could be easily put up again after the war but the genetically deformation and resultants mutation arising from exposure to the atomic bombs would be disastrous on the human beings.
It was clear that the United States wanted to prove its mightiness but then it was done at the expense of innocent civilians. It should be noted that Nagasaki and Hiroshima were not villages but cities filled with civilians and not army artilleries. War ships and barracks are not found in cities.
It is very clear that the US was on its way to annihilate the Japanese in the most mercilessly and cruel manner. Had war ships and barracks been targeted, it could have been blamed on the war but this was not the case as civilians were targeted.
Conclusion
The above brief discussion has made it clear that the three events were war crimes. It is a war crime to gather six million people and gas them systematically. It is a war crime to bomb cities with a full knowledge that there are thousands of civilians in those cities and not even a single war ship. Systematic targeting of civilians is considered an act of a war crime and this is what happened in the holocaust, the bombing at Dresden and the dropping of the atomic bombs at Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Works Cited
UN. Crimes within the Court’s Jurisdiction. United Nations, 2011. Web.