1. Tragedies of World War II
CHC2DI

2. Please Note
This note is not insinuating that some “tragedies” are more “tragic” than others…nobody has the right to say one is worse than another, they are all awful

3. Japanese War Atrocities
Hundreds of thousands of P.O.W.’s captured by the Japanese were tortured, used as slave labourers, forced marches, as “comfort women” (sex slaves)

4. Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Over Japanese civilians killed, thousands maimed
Was this done to end the war and / or intimidate the Russians ?

5. The Holocaust
65% of European Jews murdered by the Nazis, as well as many other groups

6. Allied Bombing of Dresden
German Civilians killed by Allies “needlessly ?”

7. Canadian Troops in Hong Kong Died
Why send unprepared troops to a defenceless position ? Were they “sacrificed” by the British high command to slow the Japanese down ? 800 of the 2000 sent were killed

8. Operation Barbarossa
Germans murdered 2.5 million Soviet prisoners of war

9. Russian Invasion of Germany
Massive sexual assaults of German women by Russian troops

10. Katyn Forest Murders
Soviets murdered Polish Army Officers in the Katyn Forest

13. and countless others…

14. Group Work
Choose three of the above events and answer - Who is responsible for this ? Governments ? Society ? The nature of war ? Specific organizations or individuals ? Other ? Provide a rationale for each answer.