Nazis, Human shields, and Geneva Conventions
 

I posted this elsewhere already but interesting enough to post in more than one place. From my private collection ...

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Berlin. May 22. 1940. The German high command today accused England and French troops of using Belgian civilians as shields and charged that other violations of international law were being practiced by the allies.

The accusations were being made in the presence of German and foreign press representatives. A number of officers and soldiers were presented as witnesses.

The German command maintained that retreating military collumns in Belgium were interspersed with civilians in such a way that German airmen were forced to halt their firing in accordance with orders, and suffered lossed thereby.

Both mobile and stationary Red Cross equipment likewise has been used by the allies for combat purposes, the Germans charged. This usage, it was contended, included operation of Red Cross vehicles as a screen for armored cars.

In at least one case, the correspondemnts were told, a machine gun was operated from a Red Cross vehicle.