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please, leave the "he's the one who started acting dirty" debate at the schoolyard where it belongs.
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If a world war isn't a descent into the playground then I don't know what is.
I can't see a single post here denying that all sides had their moments as far as 'war-crimes' go. Of course Harris et al would have beenn charged with warcrimes if the axis won, the most important point being they would not have got any sort of real trial at all, more likely disapearing into a camp or shot within a week of capture.
What I can see is what seems like a deliberate attempt to skip over the concept of
Total war as reflected in the Morals and beliefs of the people of the 1940's, a concept essential to understanding why they would act as they did. Any attempt to pass judgement on those events after 60 years using modernistic ethical viewpoints is a misplaced and dangerous game, It also lends credence to the rather worrying attempts by Japan to earn themselves some sort of victim status. The only thing they were ultimately victims of was their own aggression.
As TA says, there is no such thing as a civilised war. 'You started it' easily becomes an entirely valid ethic once the
Total war phase has begun. Bomber Harris may have felt uncomfortable at times but he still went ahead and did it because he knew it was a facet of the larger picture, that being a desperate fight for your very survival.
Cheers,
Adam.