War Crimes are generally defined by how much unnecessary suffering an action causes, as we’ve discussed in the past. Today we are addressing a war crime that results from a lack of action, shooting parachutes. Parachutes were invented in 1783 France, long before the first airplane. Since their inception, parachutes have been used for dropping people and things onto places and targets. As a result, this purpose has changed very little throughout history. The tactical advantages of...

Today’s War Crime Wednesday is another common myth. This time, regarding bayonets. The idea is that bayonets that are serrated or triangular are a war crime. The truth is, neither of these are war crimes at all. Serrated bayonets were originally utilized by German combat engineers in World War One. Allied propaganda used these serrated edges to paint the Germans as savage monsters who only want to cause suffering. In reality, the serrated edge was primarily for cutting barbed wire or other...

At some point, you may have heard that swords are classified as a war crime. This is a myth that often gets floated around but is just that, a myth. Swords have been used in war for about 5,000 years, starting in the Bronze Age and persisting through the Second World War. The idea that swords are a war crime likely stems from the Imperial Japanese military who have a well-documented history of abusing prisoners and civilians, which is a war crime. Swords just so happened to be a tool used for...