Tankerace
Posts: 6400
Joined: 3/21/2003 From: Stillwater, OK, United States Status: offline
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The whole thing to me is crazy... to say that killing a man in one way is fine, in another way is a crime. I do feel sorry for them, actually. I just also try to look at it from a historical perspective when "back judging". 20-30 lives on a subchaser was probably considered to be a better bet than 70 or so on a US submarine. It is still a rotten deal though. Of course, if we want to get real technical, the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928 makes all war a crime. Hmmm.... I guess it is a war crime. From the 1949 Geneva Convention: Chapter 1 of the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea, Geneva, 12 August 1949.: "Art. 3. In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each Party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions: (1) Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria. To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons: (a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture; Later it uses the words shipwrecked quite often. So I guess technically then, it is a crime. But, then, if sailors are on a ship that is placed hors de combat (out of combat), then isn't continuing to engage that ship a crime? I'm thinking the Bismark after all 4 turrets were knocked out. It, and thus it's crew, were out of action, yet the Home Fleet continued to batter her. It makes you wonder.....
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Designer of War Plan Orange Allied Naval OOBer of Admiral's Edition Naval Team Lead for War in the Med Author of Million-Dollar Barrage: American Field Artillery in the Great War coming soon from OU Press.
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