Why did Nazi Germany honour the Generva Convention?

[The Vagabond]

The Nazis did care about human rights. The question is whom they considered human and whom not.

[Ecthy]

2nd nye

[CerberusIV]

As far as the use of poison gas is concerned one of the main factors was that Hitler knew personally what it was like to be on the receiving end and assumed that if Germany used such weapons, the British and Americans would.

Even though Germany was the only country with organo-phosphate nerve gas Hitler would not consider first use as it was assumed the British also knew of it and no-one had an antidote or effective countermeasures.

[Patroklos]

There is also the fact that the average German, which was the most educated populous in the world at this time btw, could find something in common with his Western enemies as well as Western civilians. These were people that probobly reminded him of home, while the small villages of Russia and the like would be as alien as Iraq is to us. It is easy to detach yourself when you feel no link, and harder to do so when there is.

Also remember that for the German the West was not an ideological war. I am not trying to understate the racial overtones of the war in the East, but they were not the only or major concern of the average German soldier. They were deathly afraid of the Bolsheviks, partially from propoganda, partially because of what they saw in Russia, and partially from the social struggles of the 20's in Germany. The Jews were dehumanzied so it was an indifferent apathy that made their deaths incosequential. The Russians were evil barbarians, and that made their deaths mandatory. It is why both sides were fanatical from the very begginning of that war.

I don't think the West has yet to experiance a conflict of that dimension.

[germanos]

Originally posted by Patroklos
There is also the fact that the average German, which was the most educated populous in the world at this time btw...

I guess Ignorance is a bless at times


On topic:

while I have no idea on all the specific violations of the Geneva Convention on the Eastern Front, to my knowledge the use of Chemical Weapons was not one of them.

The 'endlosung' was an internal affair, and therefore not subject to the Geneva Convention.

Nevertheless, several violations of the Geneva Conventions occurred in the west in the occupied countries, like retaliotions agianst the civic populace for assaults against militairy or administartive targets.

The U-boat strikes at convoys was a violation of the Geneva Convention as well, as were the bombings of population centers.


The Nazi's only honoured the Conventions as they saw fit, and if they thought their opponents would be able to retaliate with equal or greater force, they took their chances. If they thought their opponent would not be able to strike back, they just didn't give a damn.

[RGBVideo]

Subjective opinion:

Hitler was very disappointed when UK and France declared war to Germany after the invasion of Poland. He was constantly trying to achieve peace with the western countries (UK, France and later US) since the start of the war. Because of this, he made many micromanagering moves which proved to be futile later on (refusing to crush the isolated English army while they were still in France is a good example).

[Patroklos]

The Nazi's only honoured the Conventions as they saw fit, and if they thought their opponents would be able to retaliate with equal or greater force, they took their chances. If they thought their opponent would not be able to strike back, they just didn't give a damn.

Sort of like the Allies...

I find the whole U-boat illegality thing a bit rich, and it is a very extreme stretch to apply it in the first place. You will note the same rules were not applied to the US/UK submarine campaign in the Pacific, which was of the same scale.

[GePap]

well, that is why Doenitz did not get a very harsh sentence, cause his lawyers brought the commander of the US sub campaign in the pacific to essentially say the US did essentially the same things.

[germanos]

Unristricted submarine warfare was prohibited by either the Geneva Convention or some other international Law, that much I'm sure of.

The fact that the US/UK violated that law/convention as well, doesn't make it less.

[Ecthy]

Originally posted by VJ
Subjective opinion:

Hitler was very disappointed when UK and France declared war to Germany after the invasion of Poland. He was constantly trying to achieve peace with the western countries (UK, France and later US) since the start of the war. Because of this, he made many micromanagering moves which proved to be futile later on (refusing to crush the isolated English army while they were still in France is a good example).

he actually declared war on the US. and don't talk about the Japan alliance. did they wage war against the USSR?

[Al B. Sure!]

Yes. The Soviets invaded Manchuria in 1945 to get some territory in the East before the Americans over-ran Japan. Previously, the Japanese made great efforts to keep the border with the Soviets peaceful.

[Ned]

Does anyone know whether the USSR signed the Geneva conventions? If not, they were not under their protection.

I have actually read some of Hitler's communiques on this topic. He was a very conscious of his legal obligations under the various conventions and was appalled when the Brits violated them repeatedly.

[Al B. Sure!]

I'm pretty sure the Soviets didn't sign the Convention. They got pretty isolated after 1917.

[David Floyd]

germanos,

Unristricted submarine warfare was prohibited by either the Geneva Convention or some other international Law, that much I'm sure of.

The fact that the US/UK violated that law/convention as well, doesn't make it less.

True, a violation is a violation. The problem comes in when you are prosecuting someone else for doing the same thing you are doing. I mean, come on - if the US could get away with it, why shouldn't the Germans?

Quite frankly, I think that Curtis LeMay and various others in the Army Air Corps were just as guilty of war crimes as many Nazis were, with the campaigns of firebombing and carpet bombing civilians.

[David Floyd]

AS,

Yes. The Soviets invaded Manchuria in 1945 to get some territory in the East before the Americans over-ran Japan. Previously, the Japanese made great efforts to keep the border with the Soviets peaceful.

Yeah, but don't tell Serb that. He'll tell you that the US couldn't have won without the Soviet invasion of Manchuria

Speaking of Serb, I'm surprised he hasn't made an appearance here yet. I thought my comment about Soviet treatment of German civilians would draw him out.