> But there too the question of whether those deaths served any useful purpose, as far as ending the war sooner or reducing its scope, makes the whole thing eve

> But there too the question of whether those deaths served any useful purpose, as far as ending the war sooner or reducing its scope, makes the whole thing even sadder. Well, given that an utter majority were supportive of the Nazi regime up until and even after the war ended... I'd say it was necessary, if only to set an example for any future offender just how brutal the crackdown will be. Unfortunately, the world failed to keep the reminder up on "genocide = bad and WILL lead to a brutal response" - the response towards Serbia in the 90s, Russia after 2014 or Syria was way too lackluster IMHO.