Quote Originally Posted by js207 View Post
Nanking, no, because civilians were targeted - which is and was a war crime. In a nutshell, if I shoot at you, a civilian, or drop a bomb aimed at your house, it's illegal; if I shoot at the enemy soldier next to you, or drop a bomb on the barracks next door to your house, that's fine, even if you die as a result.
The problem is that the Allies did NOT bomb military targets, specifically. They bombed the entire city! Indiscriminately. They weren't aiming at the barracks next door, they were aiming at everything. Hospitals, churches, stores, homes, everything. Regardless of military significance.

whether their actions were considered patriotic or not by their own supporters, it doesn't stop them also being terrorism.
No, it does not. I'm not denying that fact at all. Only that there ARE supporters who consider them to be patriots. That's the point of the statement made by denuseri: "One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter."

And I make the same claim about those who orchestrated the fire-bombings of German cities, or Japanese cities, or the indiscriminate bombings of English cities, or the atomic bombings of Japanese cities. To some, the men who performed these acts are considered heroes and patriots. to others they are no different than terrorists. It's all a matter of your point of view.