[Hermann the Cherusker]

By your own admission, the Nazis threatened to destroy the city unless the Dutch surrendered. The "mistake" is that they destroyed it anyway after they got their surrender, which is hardly exculpatory.

There is no way of knowing whether or not the field commander (a Wehrmacht officer, and thus probably not a Nazi per se) who gave the order actually intended to make a bombardment, whether he even had authority to make such a bombardment, or whether this was bluffing. However, the order certainly did not come from on High.

[steve-b]

There is no way of knowing whether or not the field commander (a Wehrmacht officer, and thus probably not a Nazi per se) who gave the order actually intended to make a bombardment, whether he even had authority to make such a bombardment, or whether this was bluffing.

Yeah, right, General Schmidt (German Commander of the 39th Army Corps) was a mere flunky, so far beneath the notice of Berlin that they didn't pay any particular attention to whether or not he was loyal to the Fuerher.

When you're in a hole, stop digging.