World War II Describe the Essay

This is when they would go after some highest officials in the German and Japanese governments that knew about the atrocities. Under this approach they were publically making an example of these individuals and their involvement with these activities. This created the impression that the Allies were doing everything possible to hold ex-Nazis and Japanese officials accountable. (Plesch 101 -- 118)

However, beneath the surface is when the U.S. And Soviet Union, were cherry picking individuals that could help develop new weapons programs (most notably: rocket scientists). At the end of the war, the Germans had developed the V-1 and the V-2 rockets. These were loaded with a simple warhead and fired at England. Moreover, the Germans had been able to create the first jet aircraft. (Ward 34 -- 52)

After the war was over, the Allies were rounding up these scientists and were learning everything about these secret programs. The problem was the labor used to build many of these weapons often involved utilizing Jews and other individuals (who were considered to be slaves). These people came to work at the rocket factories from the death camps. The German scientists knew what was happening, as they had near total control of the facility. The fact that they allowed these activities to occur under their watch, is an indication that they were aware of and supported these policies.

The problem for the Allies is that they could not go after these individuals based on the knowledge that they possessed. In this aspect, their response was not enough. This is because it did not prosecute all of perpetrators. Instead, there was focus on charging those individuals who were no longer useful to the future activities of the Allies. Therefore, the response to war crimes was mixed (depending upon the usefulness of the individual). (Ward 34 -- 52)

Reference

Plesch, Dan. America, Hitler and the UN. New York: IB Tarius, 2011.…