What happened to the normal soldiers? Were they being persecuted too for sadistic acts?
In comparison, how about the Germans?
2007-12-12 03:05:26 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
War crimes are notoriously difficult to prosecute. For starters, the names of the perpetrators are not always known. When they are, their whereabouts may not be known (Adolf Eichmann was not apprehended until 1960; Josef Mengele was never apprehended and died of natural causes in 1979). Even when an alleged war criminal is brought to trial, there often is a defense; soldiers are expected to follow orders, so when a war crime is committed, the culpability lies with the person who gave the order, not with the person who carried it out. Figuring out whether and by whom the orders were given to commit atrocities can be a daunting task...
Another problem is that quite often, the victors choose to collaborate with war criminals rather than prosecute them; Klaus Barbie, the former head of Gestapo in Lyon (known there as "the Butcher of Lyon"), became a paid informant to the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps in 1947 and remained one until his departure to Argentina in 1951.
2007-12-12 04:24:41 · answer #1 · answered by NC 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
About 200 Japanese soldiers were excecuted after the war. With Germany it's a little more difficult to say how many were excecuted as many were just lined up and shot by the Soviets or resistance groups.
2007-12-12 11:38:59 · answer #2 · answered by michinoku2001 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋