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Perfidy
 
 
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In the context of war, perfidy is a form of deception
Deception

Deception is the act of convincing another to believe information that is not true, or not the whole truth as in certain types of half-truths....
, in which one side promises to act in good faith (e.g. by raising a flag of surrender) with the intention of breaking that promise once the enemy has exposed himself (e.g. by coming out cover
Cover (military)

In military combat, the concept of cover refers to anything which is capable of physically protecting an individual from enemy fire. This differentiates it from the similar concept of concealment, in that an object or area of concealment only affords the benefit of stealth, not actual protection from small arms fire or artillery....
 in order to capture the surrendering forces). The practice is specifically prohibited under the 1977 Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, which states:

Perfidy was part of the customary laws of war
Laws of war

The law of war is law concerning acceptable practices relating to war. In cases other than civil wars, it is considered an aspect of public international law ....
 long before the prohibition of perfidy was included in Protocol I.






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In the context of war, perfidy is a form of deception
Deception

Deception is the act of convincing another to believe information that is not true, or not the whole truth as in certain types of half-truths....
, in which one side promises to act in good faith (e.g. by raising a flag of surrender) with the intention of breaking that promise once the enemy has exposed himself (e.g. by coming out cover
Cover (military)

In military combat, the concept of cover refers to anything which is capable of physically protecting an individual from enemy fire. This differentiates it from the similar concept of concealment, in that an object or area of concealment only affords the benefit of stealth, not actual protection from small arms fire or artillery....
 in order to capture the surrendering forces). The practice is specifically prohibited under the 1977 Protocol I Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, which states:

Perfidy was part of the customary laws of war
Laws of war

The law of war is law concerning acceptable practices relating to war. In cases other than civil wars, it is considered an aspect of public international law ....
 long before the prohibition of perfidy was included in Protocol I. For example in the Hague IV: Laws and Customs of War on Land
Hague Conventions (1899 and 1907)

The Hague Conventions were international treaty negotiated at the First and Second Peace Conferences at The Hague, Netherlands in 1899 and 1907, respectively, and were, along with the Geneva Conventions, among the first formal statements of the laws of war and war crimes in the nascent body of secular international law....
; (October 18, 1907) Article 23 includes:

The issue of whether the donning of enemy uniforms in order to approach the enemy without drawing fire was within the laws of war was established under international humanitarian law
International humanitarian law

International humanitarian law , often referred to as the laws of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict, is the legal corpus "comprised of the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Conventions , as well as subsequent treaties, case law, and customary international law." It defines the conduct and responsib...
 at the trial in 1947 of the planner and commander of Operation Greif
Operation Greif

Operation Greif was a special false flag operation commanded by the notorious Waffen-SS commando Otto Skorzeny during the Battle of the Bulge....
, Otto Skorzeny
Otto Skorzeny

Otto Skorzeny was an Obersturmbannf?hrer in the Germany Waffen-SS during World War II. After fighting on the Eastern Front , he commanded a rescue mission that freed the deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from captivity....
, at the Dachau Trials. The court did not find Skorzeny guilty of a crime by ordering his men into action in American uniforms. He had passed on to his men the warning of German legal experts, that if they fought in American uniforms, they would be breaking the laws of war, but they probably were not doing so just by wearing the uniform. During the trial, a number of arguments were advanced to substantiate this position and that the German and US military seem to be in agreement on it. In its judgement the Court noted that the case did not require that the Court make findings other than those of guilty or not guilty, so consequently no safe conclusion could be drawn from the acquittal of all accused.

See also

  • Perfidious Albion
    Perfidious Albion

    "Perfidious Albion" is a hostile epithet for England or the United Kingdom: Perfidy signifies one who does not keep his faith or word, while Albion is the Ancient Greek name for Great Britain....
  • False flag
    False flag

    False flag operations are covert operations conducted by governments, corporations, or other organizations, which are designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities....


Footnotes