Was carpet bombing a war crime?

Carpet bombing of cities, towns, villages, or other areas containing a concentration of civilians is considered a war crime as of Article 51 of the 1977 Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions.

Is aerial bombing a war crime?

Article 6(b) of the Charter thus condemned the "wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity" and classified it as a violation of the laws or customs of war, therefore, making it a war crime.

How did carpet bombing affect ww2?

Destroying railroads, tearing up communication lines, and burning factories, homes, and plantations not only crippled the South but also psychologically weakened the will of the Confederacy to wage war. Allied strategic bombing over Germany escalating in 1943.

What is carpet bombing in war?

Carpet bombing, also known as saturation bombing, is a large aerial bombing done in a progressive manner to inflict damage in every part of a selected area of land. The phrase evokes the image of explosions completely covering an area, in the same way that a carpet covers a floor.

Why was Dresden carpet bombed?

Both Allies and Germans alike have argued over the real purpose of the firebombing; the ostensible “official” rationale was that Dresden was a major communications center and bombing it would hamper the German ability to convey messages to its army, which was battling Soviet forces at the time.

Allied bombing of Dresden: Legitimate target or war crime? | DW News

What was the most destroyed city in World war 2?

Hiroshima lost more than 60,000 of its 90,000 buildings, all destroyed or severely damaged by one bomb. In comparison, Nagasaki – though blasted by a bigger bomb on 9 August 1945 (21,000 tonnes of TNT to Hiroshima's 15,000) – lost 19,400 of its 52,000 buildings.

Did Churchill order the bombing of Dresden?

August 29, 2008. It is oft repeated that Churchill “ordered” the firebombing of Dresden as a “vicious payback” for the German bombing of Coventry (which Churchill is often accused of allowing to burn rather than reveal his access to the German codes -see FH 35).

Was the bombing of Cambodia illegal?

Tilford: "Deception to fool the enemy was one thing, but lying to Congress and key members of the government, including the chief of staff of the Air Force and the secretary of the Air Force, was something else." Congressman Conyers wrote that the bombing of Cambodia without congressional authorization was an illegal ...

How accurate was carpet bombing?

'” Yes General Scales, the American B-17 bombers were indeed precise in destroying the targeted city of Dresden (as they had Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin and many other enemy cities) in pursuit of the official doctrine of “strategic air warfare,” often called “carpet-bombing.”

What kind of bombs were dropped in Vietnam?

During the Vietnam War, Air Force and Navy aircrews combined to drop 26,690 guided weapons. Laser guided bombs were the vast majority of the guided bombs, comprising 94% of 30 Page 10 the total. Mk-84 LGBs formed 84% of the laser guided bombs and 79% of all guided bombs.

Why were civilians bombed in ww2?

The goal was to destroy enemy cities and their populations with bombs designed to kill thousands, destroy industry, and destroy morale, forcing many to become refugees. Mark Selden (on http://apjjf.org/) and Marine Guillaume examine US bombing of civilians in World War II and its aftermath.

How many bombs were dropped in Vietnam compared to ww2?

"23 No source is cited. In fact the United States dropped 8 million tons of bombs in Indochina between 1962 and 1973, compared with a total of around 4 million tons dropped by all the warring nations in the Second World War.

Was the bombing of Hiroshima a war crime?

In the opinion of the court, the act of dropping an atomic bomb on cities was at the time governed by international law found in the Hague Regulations on Land Warfare of 1907 and the Hague Draft Rules of Air Warfare of 1922–1923 and was therefore illegal.

What's considered a war crime?

But what is a war crime? According to the United Nations, a war crime is a serious breach of international law committed against civilians or “enemy combatants” during an international or domestic armed conflict. A war crime occurs when superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering is inflicted upon an enemy.

Can you bomb hospitals in war?

Under international humanitarian law, both schools and hospitals are protected civilian objects, and therefore benefit from the humanitarian principles of distinction and proportionality.

Who carpeted bombs ww2?

In the Pacific War, carpet bombing was used extensively against Japanese civilian population centers, such as Tokyo. On the night of 9–10 March 1945, 334 B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers were directed to attack the most heavily populated civilian sectors of Tokyo.

Why was daylight bombing vital?

It systematically laid waste to Japan's large industrial cities and by July, had reduced overall Japanese industrial output to some 60 percent from the 1944 level. LeMay and Arnold believed that the incendiary bombing would eventually bring on a Japanese surrender. Gen. George C.

How badly was Germany bombed in ww2?

The punishing, three-day Allied bombing attack on Dresden from February 13 to 15 in the final months of World War II became among the most controversial Allied actions of the war. The 800-bomber raid dropped some 2,700 tons of explosives and incendiaries and decimated the German city.

What was a nickname given to the Vietnam War?

Called the “American War” in Vietnam (or, in full, the “War Against the Americans to Save the Nation”), the war was also part of a larger regional conflict (see Indochina wars) and a manifestation of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies.

Who rules Cambodia now?

The current prime minister is Cambodian People's Party (CPP) member Hun Sen. He has held this position since the criticized 1998 election, one year after the CPP staged a bloody coup in Phnom Penh to overthrow elected Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh, president of the FUNCINPEC party.

Did North or South Vietnam win?

Communist forces ended the war by seizing control of South Vietnam in 1975, and the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the following year.

Did Churchill know Coventry was going to be bombed?

They state that while Churchill was indeed aware that a major bombing raid would take place, no one knew what the target would be. Peter Calvocoressi was head of the Air Section at Bletchley Park, which translated and analysed all deciphered Luftwaffe messages. He wrote: "Ultra never mentioned Coventry. ...

Was Churchill responsible for Dresden?

The attack was jointly undertaken by British and American forces but responsibility for it has often been laid on the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Why was Dresden targeted so late in the war?

Why was Dresden a target?

Dresden was a key transport junction. To Churchill and his war cabinet, this made Dresden a strategic target. Bombing the city might halt the flow of German troops and speed the advance of the Soviet army into Germany. Bombing Dresden might help the Russian war effort.