End of World War II

¶ … World War II

Describe the Allied response to this wanton murder and brutality. How did the Allies deal with war crimes?

The way that the allies dealt with war crimes was to create a new standard that could be used to hold defendants accountable for their actions (i.e. crimes against humanity). This is when the allies would judge the Nazi and Japanese defendants, based upon a higher moral standard that they ignored during the war. To deal with these issues, the Allies decided to conduct trials in the countries where these atrocities were occurring. At the same time, the allies worked in conjunction with one another to create a cohesive standard for dealing with a host of legal issues. To improve transparency, the trails were completely open and broadcast to the general public. The combination of these factors created a new legal environment that dealt with these issues from a higher perspective. When these trials were being conducted in places such as: Nuremberg and Tokyo, these defendants were held to this standard. (Plesch 101 -- 118)

In many cases, they tried to claim that they were simply following orders. However, the problem with this defense is that their actions were perverse. This caused the most logical person, to realize that these people were the soldiers and officers which allowed for genocide to happen. The fact that they participated in the killing is a sign that they were supporting the activities of their superiors. As a result, the sentences that were handed down and the legacy, created a blue print that would be used in future war crimes proceeding (i.e. International Criminal Court). This is illustrating how the approach the Allies were utilizing, created a new standard that should be followed in future military conflicts. It is at this point that there was transformation in how the laws of war were applied and enforced. (Plesch 101 -- 118)

In your opinion was their response strong enough?

At certain times, the Allies response to these events was considered to be enough. This is when they would go after some highest officials in the German and Japanese governments that knew about the atrocities. Under this approach they were publically making an example of these individuals and their involvement with these activities. This created the impression that the Allies were doing everything possible to hold ex-Nazis and Japanese officials accountable. (Plesch 101 -- 118)

However, beneath the surface is when the U.S. And Soviet Union, were cherry picking individuals that could help develop new weapons programs (most notably: rocket scientists). At the end of the war, the Germans had developed the V-1 and the V-2 rockets. These were loaded with a simple warhead and fired at England. Moreover, the Germans had been able to create the first jet aircraft. (Ward 34 -- 52)

After the war was over, the Allies were rounding up these scientists and were learning everything about these secret programs. The problem was the labor used to build many of these weapons often involved utilizing Jews and other individuals (who were considered to be slaves). These people came to work at the rocket factories from the death camps. The German scientists knew what was happening, as they had near total control of the facility. The fact that they allowed these activities to occur under their watch, is an indication that they were aware of and supported these policies.