While war crimes were understood to be a common part of war, only in the aftermath of World War I did states and armies begin to use trials to punish war criminals. This switch to trials placed great demands on the U.S. military justice system for enough personnel to effectively report, investigate, and prosecute war crimes committed by American soldiers. These are demands that the U.S. War Department ultimately could not meet.In this book, Benjamin M. Schneider argues that U.S. troops in Europe regularly committed war crimes, often with the knowledge and tacit endorsement of the U.S. Government, and that the military justice system was unable to effectively find and prosecute the perpetrators. Using previously unexamined archival documents, Schneider explores these war crimes, their effects, and why they were either concealed or forgotten. Schneider contends that although World War II was a significant turning point in how international and military law is written, little was done to ensure those laws could be enforced.These significant findings challenge our view of World War II and impact how scholars understand the problems of war crimes and genocide.

While war crimes were understood to be a common part of war, only in the aftermath of World War I did states and armies begin to use trials to punish war criminals. This switch to trials placed great demands on the U.S. military justice system for enough personnel to effectively report, investigate, and prosecute war crimes committed by American soldiers. These are demands that the U.S. War Department ultimately could not meet.In this book, Benjamin M. Schneider argues that U.S. troops in Europe regularly committed war crimes, often with the knowledge and tacit endorsement of the U.S. Government, and that the military justice system was unable to effectively find and prosecute the perpetrators. Using previously unexamined archival documents, Schneider explores these war crimes, their effects, and why they were either concealed or forgotten. Schneider contends that although World War II was a significant turning point in how international and military law is written, little was done to ensure those laws could be enforced.These significant findings challenge our view of World War II and impact how scholars understand the problems of war crimes and genocide.