Targeting Civilians : An Issue Then And Now

From the earliest times, war has existed as a painful reality. Stories are passed down from generation to generation about brave men fighting epic battles in ancient civilizations. Occasionally a different type of legend emerges: the homefront hero. Leaders in Ancient Greece and Rome are documented preventing panic and raising supplies for their distant armies. From then on through history, those left behind, from the leaders of countries tested in resolve and commitment by wars to the ordinary citizens who rise above their routines to serve their countries, are powerful forces behind victories. World War II was no exception. While the soldiers abroad were undoubtedly true heroes of the war, the parents, siblings, and children they left behind also assisted in the war effort. No one remained truly unaffected by the war. Without the labors of women, the efforts of schoolchildren, and the institution of rationing, World War II could not have been won.

From the earliest times, war has existed as a painful reality. Stories are passed down from generation to generation about brave men fighting epic battles in ancient civilizations. Occasionally a different type of legend emerges: the homefront hero. In Ancient Greece and Rome, elderly statesmen prevented famine and raised supplies for their distant armies in wartime. From then on through history, those left behind, from the leaders of countries tested in resolve and commitment by wars to the ordinary citizens who rise above their routines to serve their countries, are powerful forces behind victories. World War II was no exception. While the soldiers abroad were undoubtedly true heroes of the war, the parents, siblings, and children they left behind also assisted in the war effort. No one remained truly unaffected by the war. Without the labors of women, the efforts of schoolchildren, and the institution of rationing, World War II could not have been won.

This policy changed however when in August 1940 Luftwaffe night-bombers accidentally dropped bombs across London, pushing Churchill to order a retaliatory raid against Berlin. This enraged Hitler and made him order his men to start intense raids on London and around it. These acts of attacking civilian positions by both sides while not specifically in the Geneva Convention at the time, is considered a war crime today with article 51-54 of Protocol I added in 1977 declaring that “directly attacking civilian targets and also using technology such as biological weapons, nuclear weapons and landmines, whose scope of destruction cannot be limited.” is a war crime. Because of these war crimes committed by the allies they did not include the “bombing of London, Warsaw and Rotterdam as a war crime” in the Nuremberg trials against the Nazis. This act of not prosicuting the Nazi’s for their bombings of allied cities in their war crime trials due to the allies committing the same acts on Axis cities shows us how the Allies did infact commit war crimes by directly bombing innocent german civilians in their raids of german

On the clear morning of August 6, 1945 in Hiroshima, Japan, the world was hit with a total shock, that went down in history as a day for the history books. This day, the city of Hiroshima was blasted by the world’s first atomic bomb, which sent the grounds quaking, and leaving thousands dead. The debates for years since the bombing were having us all wonder if the attack was a military necessity or not. Considering both sides of the argument, it is clear to me that the bombing was the best plan for ending the world war. The use of the bomb saved more lives than it took.

In All Quiet on the Western Front, the war was brutal and horrific, but it was witnessed by all the parties included. In Hiroshima, especially with the invention of the atomic bomb the result is even more horrifying, but the afflicted and the perpetrators have vastly different viewpoints. In America, we only get the reported results of the aftermath of the destruction we don’t witness them firsthand. However, the victims in Hiroshima will never forget the true extent of devastation of the atomic bomb not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. The effects of the technological advances in the 20th century have launched a new, deadlier type of war that hides the truth of war behind empty statistics and callous button-pushing that could destroy the entire

Throughout history, war between man has been nearly inevitable. The impact of war has always been devastating on all aspects. However, loss in war is mostly seen within the loss of land, wealth and the numbers of lives lost. There are few accounts of the true losses felt from war, the loss felt by the survivors and the true cost of human life. In the excerpt from All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, illustrates the impact on human life and question what the cost of human life was impacted. While Vera Brittain memoir of Memory and Battlefield Tourism, recounts her pain felt as a survivor. The cost of war is not only a calculated number, it has a long-lasting effect on the survivors.

From 1939 through 1941 millions were faced with the violence and devastation of World War II. Life on the Homefront in the United States and Great Britain was difficult and overwhelming.World War II was one of the most bloody battles in history, and most of whom were civilians.In this paper, we will explore what life is like for people during a terrifying war.

Through the years 1939 through 1945 there was the terrifying tragedy of World War II. It wrecked people’s homes and nations, killed many families and friends. However, the true destruction it caused was on the mind, the psyches and the sanity of the loved ones waiting at home and the men in battle. I am Louie Zamperini and this is my story from the war, and how I was unbroken.

World War II spanned from September 1, 1939 to September 2, 1945 and resulted in approximately 80 million deaths. This infamous war was born out of a thirst for power and control by Nazi Germany, their fascist allies, and Japan. The war ended in 1945 after one of the most destructive weapons ever created was used to decimate regions of Japan. On August 6th, 1945 the United States dropped the first ever atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, and dropped the second one August 9th on Nagasaki. These two nuclear weapons destroyed entire cities: people were literally dissolved on the spot, buildings collapsed as if they were made of dust and paper, and the two bombs resulted in approximately 200,000 deaths (not counting those who died after the bomb of radiation exposure). The decision to drop the atomic bomb was and still is highly controversial as the destruction that it caused was devastating, to say the least, and its destructive nature exceeded everyone’s predictions. However, as disastrous as the bomb was, it seemed to be the only weapon and act great enough to end the world war. Veterans, historians, and scientists still debate over both the ethics and necessity, or lack thereof, of the bomb being a solution to end the war, but when examined, it truly was the only thing powerful enough to push Japan to surrender. This investigation will take a close look at the events of World War II, the conditions in

The following topic was chosen because it was very moving and interesting, as well as wanting to know about how the war (WWII) came to an end, some internet research was done in order to get to the bottom of how WWII ended thus the topic was decided. Then devastation set in followed by shock, meaning that it couldn’t be understood as to why the USA would go through such extremes’ in order to put an end to WWII and how the USA could be so distasteful and have such a disregard for human life. The questions above then crossed many minds, thus the need to get to the bottom of it.

World War II was a cold and brutal war, involving most of the world and lasting from 1939 to 1945, finally ending with Japan's beaten surrender. Two of the three main countries the Allied Forces had to face were defeated, leaving only the strong-willed Japan. With seemingly no other options, the Allied Forces agreed to bomb Japan in order to end the war's bloodshed once and for all. However, with the bombing came even more death and destruction, in fact, many of the lives lost were innocent civilians, instead of the military personnel that the bombing was aimed for. Which leads to why the bombing of Japan was not only immoral, but could have been avoided entirely.

“The world must know what happened, and never forget.” (World War 2) General Eisenhower reflecting upon the world war II, and acknowledging it as a pertinent event in the history of the United States of America. War is war, it is not pretty or humane, but what it is, is a diplomatic way in which to settle disputes and aggressions between countries. By analyzing these wars of the past, the people of the country can learn many things, be it mistakes made by one side, strategy from someone else or battle field etiquette. And it is through this analysis that the human race is able to further itself to not repeat the mistakes made by their ancestors. There are many lessons to be learned from looking at the

More than half a century has passed since the end of World War Two and to this day it is still difficult to fully understand the severity of what was by far the most destructive war in human history. More than sixty million people were killed during World War Two and more than half of those were innocent town’s people. Among the dead were over six million Jews, which was two thirds of the total living race in Europe at the time. Beyond these general statistics were thousands of stories of crimes committed against soldiers and civilians. These crimes against humanity included cases of prisoners of war being murdered, sent to concentration camps and abuse as well as harmless civilians being rounded up and

The Japanese army started bombing in Nanjing before the start of the surrounding of Nanjing. In November 1937, the Japanese Army Aviation Department passed the "Air Force Use Law", in which Article 103 states: "The implementation of the attack is a central authority that includes political, economic, industrial and other areas, and is directly "This is the first time in the history of human war expressly provides that the war can be directly in the civilian and residential streets as the goal of air strikes, breaking the bottom line of war ethics."

To many World War II has been the most devastating war in human history. It