Title 50 — War and National DefenseRelease 119-73not60
§2205 Construction
Title 50 › Chapter 39— SPOILS OF WAR › § 2205
Summary
Excludes certain wartime handling of captured property. It covers when troops in the field abandon or leave items for immediate military reasons; when temporarily used items are returned or abandoned; when troops destroy captured property; when items seized by the enemy are returned to prior owners; and small personal war trophies allowed by public written Defense Department authorization.
Full Legal Text
Title 50, §2205
War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Nothing in this chapter shall apply to—
(1)the abandonment or failure to take possession of spoils of war by troops in the field for valid military reasons related to the conduct of the immediate conflict, including the burden of transporting such property or a decision to allow allied forces to take immediate possession of certain property solely for use during an ongoing conflict;
(2)the abandonment or return of any property obtained, borrowed, or requisitioned for temporary use during military operations without intent to retain possession of such property;
(3)the destruction of spoils of war by troops in the field;
(4)the return of spoils of war to previous owners from whom such property had been seized by enemy forces; or
(5)minor articles of personal property which have lawfully become the property of individual members of the armed forces as war trophies pursuant to public written authorization from the Department of Defense.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
50 U.S.C. § 2205
Title 50 — War and National Defense
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60