The laws of war in 1942 stated, "it is especially forbidden ... to declare that no quarter will be given". This was established under Article 23 (d) of the 1907 Hague Convention "IV – The Laws and Customs of War on Land". The Geneva Convention of 1929, which Germany had ratified, defined who should be considered a prisoner of war on capture, which included enemy soldiers in proper uniforms, and how they should be treated. Under both the Hague and Geneva Conventions, it was legal to execute "spies and saboteurs" disguised in civilian clothes or uniforms of the enemy. The Germans claimed in paragraph one of their order that they were acting only in retaliation in a "quid pro quo" for claimed Allied violation of the Geneva Convention regarding the execution of prisoners and other heinous acts; however, insofar as the Commando Order applied to soldiers in proper uniforms, it was in direct and deliberate violation of both the customary laws of war and Germany's treaty obligations.