The Laws of Land Warfare - A Guide to the U.S. Army Manuals

Although it is generally assumed that there have always been limits to what soldiers are permitted to do in war, it was not until 1863, in the heat of the Civil War, that the United States issued its first Army manual. Subsequently, manuals of land warfare were issued in 1914, 1934, 1940, 1944, 1956, and 1976 by the American military.

In this volume, Wells provides a systematic examination of the evolution of American rules of warfare. In addition to providing the texts of key elements of the manuals and analyzing them, Wells relates the manuals to international attempts to set limits on war practices. This book will be invaluable to those concerned with military law, here and abroad, to students of international law, and to military policy makers.

List of contents

Preface
Creation of the U.S. Army Manuals
Limits to What Soldiers May Do
Are There Forbidden Weapons?
Are There Forbidden Strategies?
Superior Orders
Prisoners of War
Penalties For Violations
Revising the Laws of War
Bibliography
Index

About the author

DONALD A. WELLS is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Hawaii at Hilo. Among his earlier books are The War Myth and War Crimes and Laws of War.

Product details

• Authors: Donald A. Wells
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: ages 7 to 17
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 04.12.1992
• EAN: 9780313286391
• ISBN: 978-0-313-28639-1
• No. of pages: 224
• Weight: 539 g
• Series: Contributions in Military Studies
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; USA, HISTORY / Military / General, REFERENCE / General, military history, HISTORY / Military / United States, Reference works, United States of America, USA, War and defence operations, War & defence operations, Land forces & warfare, Land forces and warfare, HISTORY / Military / Land Forces