(This is a list question with many possible answers. Mirroring the [meta proposal for references](http://meta.history.stackexchange.com/questions/2081/proposal-for-accepting-reference-list-requests) I'm making this is a community wiki - please feel free to edit to add more examples.) ---------- Wàn Sōng Temple, China --------------- During the [Second Sino-Japanese War](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Sino-Japanese_War), the [Imperial Japanese Army](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Japanese_Army) and its Chinese puppet auxiliaries set fire to the historic Wàn Sōng Temple, *lit.* Temple of (Ten) Thousand Pines. The temple was the largest of its kind on [Mt. Pán](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Pan) in [Ji County](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji_County,_Tianjin), near the city of [Tientsin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianjin), a famous scenic area. The temple was ancient and once home to the famed [Tang dynasty](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_dynasty) general [Li Jing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Jing_(general)). When war broke out, Japan quickly swept through much of the region, taking the urban centres without really control the country. Remnant Chinese forces, both regular and irregular, retreated into the mountain to conduct guerrila warfare. In response Imperial Japan instituted a [scorched earth policy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Alls_Policy). As part of the resulting counter-insurgency operations, many of the historic buildings on Mt. Pán were destroyed. ![enter image description here][1] <sup>(The temple today, rebuilt in 1985.)</sup> The overt justification for the destruction is contained in the policy that led to it; namely, to suppress guerrilla activity. ---------- [Abbey of Monte Cassino](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10526b.htm), Italy - [SJuan76](http://history.stackexchange.com/a/20902/4935) ---------------------- Destroyed during the [Battle of Monte Cassino](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Monte_Cassino). Which was made worse by the facts that: * even for the attacker, there were no actual reasons for it, as the Germans were (this time) civilized and did not use the monastery as part of their defenses. * it worsened the situation of the attacker. Once bombed, there was no cultural reason to declare the ruins "safe ground", and so the Germans did occupy it. And, as Germans knew from Stalingrad, ruined buildings did provide a lot of good defensive positions. ![enter image description here][2] ---------- [Reims Cathedral](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reims_Cathedral), France - [gdir](http://history.stackexchange.com/a/20903/4935) -------------------- In September 1914, during the first World War the famous french [Reims Cathedral][3] was hit and heavily damaged by german shell fire. Reims Cathedral is a national monument of France, not only because of its long history and architectural beauty, but also because the french Kings were crowned there. As far as I know the german troops undoubtedly aimed for the cathedral and did not hit it by accident. What remained uncertain is why the cathedral was attacked. While the french side in WW I claimed that the cathedral was attacked because it was a national monument, the german side in WW I argued that it was attacked because of mililtary reasons. More information: [Thomas W. Gaehtgens: Bombing the Cathedral of Reims](http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/bombing-the-cathedral-of-rheims/) ![enter image description here][4] [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/sLEYB.jpg [2]: https://i.sstatic.net/595S6.jpg [3]: https://i.sstatic.net/sLEYB.jpg [4]: https://i.sstatic.net/f5LIi.jpg