Andreas--( ( this full post isnt directed at you either, just this first paragraph) ) I see your point. We all know that soldiers from every combatant nation committed somekind of war crimes. There was a Marine who liked to cut off the ears of japanese soldiers he killed and kept them in a leather bag as sic prizes of war. What happened was his Lieutenant found out he kept eare from dead enemies--he was ordered to dig a grave 6 feet by 6 feet by 6 feet( often and not so lovingly called a: @#$%^&%$ 6 by, by soldiers forced to dig them)
Either bury them or get courtmarshalled and sent to Levenworth Military prison. He buried the ears, and collected fingers instead. He was sent stateside to a mental hospital, where he stayed till his death in 1979. ((True story)) as told to me by a retired Marine Gunny Sergeant--who had served with this man.
All war crimes are senseless.
We all know that when war crimes are being talked about--that VERY unfairly--mainly German soldiers are being talked about--villianized--and the only ones being accused-of committing war crimes. We all know that that is a big falsehood. Im ny humble opinion--anyone from any nation cought in the act of a war crime--should be shot on the spot.
I know too many German vets--to ever think of but just a very minority of ww2 German soldiers as being a bad person--same goes for American vets. My experiances and time I spend with German vets--only goes to prove to me that they are just like the average American G.I., the average British Tommy--Australian or Canadian soldier--as im sure there was a nice large number of very correct and decent japanese soldiers.
The thing that really irks me about the japanese soldiers conduct--is that many really had a sad lacking of--the correct conduct. They were tought never to surrender--and with captured enemies--that they were cowardly subhumans and dealt with as they saw fit. I think mainly for Germans mistreatment of Russian soldiers stems from many things.
For instance: the War on the Eastern Front being much larger in scale--more intense--they had to have a different way to fight it.
Now to compare the Germans soldiers conduct on the Eastern Front with that of a movie I just watched yesterday--3rd time.
I just watched Black Hawk Down yesterday--again, and it made me think about a few things like:
I can understand why the war between the Germans and the Russians was much more brutal and NOT for prejudiced reasons.
In the movie I watched--there are many scenes of G.I.s being shot in the back--not from running away--but holding their ground. The comparison I make is: I see much more clearly now--why the war was much more brutal on the Eastern Front because, had I been a German soldier at that time--and witnessed the backstabbings--throats being slit on sentrys--etc--by the Russians or Partisans--. Having been tired of my comrades being killed in such a way--I would become incensed with anger--and would want to avenge the killings of my comrades.
Had I been there in Mogadishu, and seen what was happening to my comrades--I dont think I could have restrained my feelings very well and cut loose on the somali militiamen. It really sickens me and ticks me off to see(as had actually happened) the somali militiamen, stripping the dead G.I.s and dragging their bodies through the streets like the uncivilized madmen that the somalis were.
I dont know if anyone remembers that helocopter that was shot down in Iran back in 1979-1980--in which either 8 or 18 US servicemen were killed, their bodies stripped naked--ropes tied on them--dragged through the streets.
If that wasnt enough--many of the iranian trash--threw stones at their bodies--spit on them, and tried to rip their bodies to shreds with their fingernails--I can NEVER forgive those pieces of trash responsible for that crime. This was all filmed by iranian media--and seen over here.
I have no troubles in seeing why the war was much more uncivilized in the East--and hold absolutely nothing, against any German soldier who tried to defend himself. I know sever East Front vets whom i am also friends with. Knowing these vets like I do--I cant ever seeing these men as doing more than their duty--and to do wat it takes to stay alive and to keep their comrades alive.
I fully agree with you Andreas--Richard and Ryan.