Warning for air bombing

[Marilyne]

I need a bit of help again... and hope I can count on the GWF pals

In the various documentation that I found, I read that the city and the the military camps in Abbeville received warning of the impending bombing raids during the month of may 1918, warnings that were done in accordance with the rules of international law (Hague Regulations on the laws of war on land, 1907, art 26: Article 26: The officer in command of an attacking force must, before commencing a bombardment, except in cases of assault, do all in his power to warn the authorities. 

My question: does anybody has a reference as to the exact wording of the warnings and/or have knowledge that these warning pamphlets were dropped elsewhere?? Doullens and Etaples were bombed the same night... same rules should apply. I think I have a reference in a journal somewhere about Etaples having been warned, but not sure where this might be in my enormous bazaar... 

 

thanks a bunch! 

 

M

Edited 15 August , 2020 by Marilyne

[KizmeRD]

I think the Hague Convention at that time only envisaged bombardment and contained nothing specific regarding aerial bombing (military aviation was  still in its infancy). 

Edited 15 August , 2020 by KizmeRD

[KizmeRD]

Further to my earlier posting, I should perhaps make it clear that I do not doubt at all that some form of warning was given prior to the bombing raids, I have seen reference made to this in several books. However, I do not believe that the actual wording of the warning had anything to do with the Hague Convention of 1907 (Germany was not in any case a signatory to this convention).

The fact that Foch or other military leaders may have received warning of the impending raids (by leaflets dropped from aircraft) was probably discounted as deliberate mis-information (perhaps the ‘real’ attack planned elsewhere?) - but could it be that the German airmen had genuine moral concerns about bombing military camps known to be hospital locations?

 

 

Edited 15 August , 2020 by KizmeRD

[Marilyne]

15 hours ago, KizmeRD said:

I think the Hague Convention at that time only envisaged bombardment and contained nothing specific regarding aerial bombing (military aviation was  still in its infancy). 

 

you're right about that.. H-IV-R regulated the war on land, H-IX-R which dealt with bombardment by naval forces. Both set of rules prohibited the bombardment of undefended places, but there was no international prohibition at the time against indiscriminate bombardment of non-combatants in defended places, which was a serious shortcoming in the rules that would only be attended to in the Hague Rules of Air Warfare in 1923 ... but these were never binding because they were deemed unrealistic at the time. 

 

what the leaders did with the information is another debate, but you rise an interesting question: were these warnings taken seriously or not?? 

 

M. 

[Terry_Reeves]

I have a copy of Documents on the Laws of War by Roberts and Guelph. It gives a comprehensive commentary on the subject, but makes no mention of warnings prior to air raids either in the 1899 and 1907 codifications of rules for air warfare.

 

TR

Edited 16 August , 2020 by Terry_Reeves