In World War II , with the frequency of bombings and air raids on cities , non-combatants were more affected than they were in previous wars . Sources claim that over forty-five million civilians and non-combatants lost their lives over the course of the war . This number , however , is largely debated . Despite the understanding that over 18 million were killed in the holocaust , the exact number will likely never be determined . There is also difficulty of estimating the numbers for events such as the Nanjing massacre , though it is estimated that between 200,000 to 300,000 civilians and prisoners of war were slaughtered . This does not necessarily include military , non-combatant or civilian peoples killed by radiation , disease or other means as a result of war . After World War II ended , countries got together with the aim to give rights to non-combatants , and created the 1949 Geneva Conventions , built off the 1907 Hague Convention
holocaust
The Holocaust
Non-combatant