LESSON 1: Means and Methods of Warfare
OBJECTIVE: The student will understand the principles of the law of war, including
military necessity, unnecessary suffering, and proportionality. The student will apply the
principles of the law of war and the laws pertaining to targets, weapons, and tactics to
combat scenarios.
SUGGESTIONS: Read and study the text assignment carefully. Then complete the
exercise below, using the text as a reference if necessary.
EXERCISE
REOUIREMENT: Answer the following multiple choice and true-false questions. A
statement false in part should be considered false.
1. The 31st Aggressor Artillery Regiment was ordered by its commander to concentrate
its fire on the city of Putt located in the Country of B. This city was not fortified or
protected by enemy troops, although a railroad running through the city and a large
railroad marshalling yard in the city were being used to supply B's forces opposing the
Aggressor's units. This order on the part of the commander of the 31st Artillery Regiment
is a clear violation of Hague Regulation Article 25, which states, "the attack or
bombardment by whatever means, of towns . . . which are undefended is prohibited."
2. Undefended places may not be attacked under any circumstances, but the definition of
what is an undefended place is strictly limited.
3. Z, a soldier in the American Army, unlawfully kills an aged enemy woman during the
storming of a besieged enemy city. His action is a violation of the law of war.
Consequently for his crime, he will most likely be tried by:
A. military commission
B. international tribunal at The Hague
C. the people's court
D. general court-martial under UCMJ
4. In 1938 Germany occupied Austria by armed force. However, the occupation did not
meet with armed resistance. Consequently, there was no state of war and the law of war
having to do with military occupation was not applicable and thus Germany was under no
legal obligation to maintain public order.
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