The same fact stands out clearly in the more extensive burning of houses
in towns and villages. In some cases, indeed, as a prelude to the
burning, inhabitants were cleared out of their houses and driven along
the streets, often with much accompanying brutality--some to a place of
execution, others to prolonged detention in a church or other public
buildings. In other cases witnesses assert that they saw German soldiers
forcing back into the flames men, women, and children who were trying to
escape from the burning houses. There is also evidence that soldiers
deliberately shot down civilians as they fled from the fire.
The general conclusion is that the burning and destruction of property
which took place was only in a very small minority of cases justified by
military necessity, and that even then the destruction was seldom
accompanied by that care for the lives of noncombatants which has
hitherto been expected from a military commander belonging to a
civilized nation. On the contrary, it is plain that in many cases German
officers and soldiers deliberately added to the sufferings of the
unfortunate people whose property they were destroying.
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