US Divisional Casualties in WWII

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KG Erwin
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US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by KG Erwin »

Here's some interesting info I've found:

Casualties
The ten divisions with the most battle casualties are presented below. Casualties are defined as killed in action, wounded in action, captured and interned, and missing in action.

Casualties Division Theater
25,977 3rd Infantry Division Mediterranean & European
23,277 9th Infantry Division Mediterranean & European
22,660 4th Infantry Division European
20,993 45th Infantry Division Mediterranean & European
20,659 1st Infantry Division Mediterranean & European
20,620 29th Infantry Division European
19,466 36th Infantry Division Mediterranean & European
19,200 90th Infantry Division European
18,446 30th Infantry Division European
17,087 80th Infantry Division European

Source: Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths in World War II, Final Report, 1 December 1941 - 31 December 1946.

The five divisions with the most battle casualties in the Pacific Theater are provided below. Casualties are defined as killed in action, wounded in action, captured and interned, and missing in action.

Casualties Division Theater
9,212 7th Infantry Division Pacific
8,812 96th Infantry Division Pacific
7,461 77th Infantry Division Pacific
7,268 32nd Infantry Division Pacific
7,012 24th Infantry Division Pacific

Source: Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths in World War II, Final Report, 1 December 1941 - 31 December 1946.

Compare these figures to the total losses suffered by the six Marine divisions:

19,284 1st MarDiv
11,482 2nd MarDiv
8,676 3rd MarDiv
17,722 4th MarDiv
8,563 5th MarDiv
8,226 6th MarDiv

Source: Gordon Rottmann, "US Marine Corps World War II Order of Battle", pg 548.

Personal commentary: I had no idea that the 3rd Inf Div had such a high casaulty count. I would've thought it was "The Big Red One". The loss level for the "Old Breed" 1st Mar Div doesn't surprise me, as they fought at Guadalcanal, New Britain, Peleliu and Okinawa.
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KG Erwin
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by KG Erwin »

A brief blurb about the 3rd ID:

"The 3d Infantry Division fought in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Germany and Austria for 531 consecutive days of combat. 3d Infantry Division soldiers earned 36 MOH during World War II. At Anzio the Division fought off three German divisions. While there it suffered more than 900 casualties, the most in one day of any division in World War II. The most highly decorated soldier of the war, LT Audie Murphy served with the 15th Infantry Regiment."

That's what I get by focusing on my favorites. I had no idea of this division's history. 36 Medals of Honor !! Damn.[&o]

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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by BulletMagnet »

I can cinfirm this, as my Dad was a medic in the 3rd ID got a bronze star and was up for a silver but pulled a pratical joke on his CO and really got in the dog house.
Ironically he told me that when they were in africa he didnt even carry a pistol and that often the enemy would stop and let him cross the battlefiield to get to the wounded, but once he got to Italy it was completly different and thats when he carried a 45. The germans would do everythin they could to get him. I have a book of his left that has every soldiers name and final rank and has some cool storyies of those MoH winners and how they got them.
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by Alby »

good candidate for a campaign
[:D]
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by forgorin »

Hey BulletMagnet. You might want to think abotu publishing somethign like that. It would be a very small market, but it would be a shame to let somethign like that die.
Stress is the confusion created when ones own mind over rides the bodies desire to choke the living shit out of some asshole who really deserves it!
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KG Erwin
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by KG Erwin »

Oral history is indeed invaluable.   WWII vets are passing quickly, so we need to tap into their memories before they are gone. 
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by m10bob »

Gen Gerhard of the 29th ID was said to actually command 3 divisions at once.
One in the field, one in hospital, and the last in the cemetary.
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by Gunter_Viezenz »

Just remember a person can be a casualty more than more time.
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by KG Erwin »

Audie Murphy's MOH Citation:
[center]Image[/center][center][font="script mt bold"]The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to[/font][/center][blockquote]
MURPHY, AUDIE L
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 1 5th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945. Entered service at: Dallas, Tex. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Tex. G.O. No.. 65, 9 August 1945.
Citation:
2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machinegun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.
[/blockquote]
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Gunter_Viezenz
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by Gunter_Viezenz »

If he was alone how did they know he did all those things?
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by KG Erwin »

ORIGINAL: Gunter_Viezenz

If he was alone how did they know he did all those things?


US medal awards were only given if the events described could be verified by eyewitnesses, and from endorsements through the chain of command.
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by forgorin »

Probably by his crew cowering back in the woods. Not much to be said of them eh!
Maybe that was a little rude. Lets change it to. Not much to be said of them that time eh!
Stress is the confusion created when ones own mind over rides the bodies desire to choke the living shit out of some asshole who really deserves it!
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by Twotribes »

He ORDERED his troops to fall back. What would you have them do? Ignore his orders? To make a statement dipsaraging of his men is ludicrous.

As for his actions, his men could see him and all his actions, all they did is fall back a bit to prepared positions.
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by Puukkoo »

Those casualty numbers seem to be quite high; how much did an American division have men when in full strenght? Hardly more than 20,000. There must have been a great amount of replacements included as well.
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by azraelck »

IIRC, a US division is some 14,700 men in strength; but I may be wrong. However, casualty numbers are for overall in the entire war, some people may have been hurt more than once, accounting for multiple counts on the casualtiy tallies, as well as those who were hurt in one battle, counted, then later killed, counting again. Finally, there are replacements; green troops who took the place of those KIA or WIA.  
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KG Erwin
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by KG Erwin »

ORIGINAL: azraelck

IIRC, a US division is some 14,700 men in strength; but I may be wrong. However, casualty numbers are for overall in the entire war, some people may have been hurt more than once, accounting for multiple counts on the casualtiy tallies, as well as those who were hurt in one battle, counted, then later killed, counting again. Finally, there are replacements; green troops who took the place of those KIA or WIA.  

One of the tragedies of war is that while the US tried to keep units at full strength, the quick infusion of replacements also meant that the newbies were the usually to first to get killed in the next action, before they could "learn the ropes" and get acclimated to the realties of combat.

This was brought home in the interviews of the vets in "Band of Brothers" -- the universal opinion of replacements was that no one wanted to get to know them, as they got killed so quickly.

How could they learn anything if no one wanted to associate with them?

It became a vicious cycle -- this is why divisions that saw heavy action sometimes saw their casualty rate exceeding 100% of their TOE manpower level.
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by m10bob »

ORIGINAL: KG Erwin

ORIGINAL: azraelck

IIRC, a US division is some 14,700 men in strength; but I may be wrong. However, casualty numbers are for overall in the entire war, some people may have been hurt more than once, accounting for multiple counts on the casualtiy tallies, as well as those who were hurt in one battle, counted, then later killed, counting again. Finally, there are replacements; green troops who took the place of those KIA or WIA.

One of the tragedies of war is that while the US tried to keep units at full strength, the quick infusion of replacements also meant that the newbies were the usually to first to get killed in the next action, before they could "learn the ropes" and get acclimated to the realties of combat.

This was brought home in the interviews of the vets in "Band of Brothers" -- the universal opinion of replacements was that no one wanted to get to know them, as they got killed so quickly.

How could they learn anything if no one wanted to associate with them?

It became a vicious cycle -- this is why divisions that saw heavy action sometimes saw their casualty rate exceeding 100% of their TOE manpower level.

Things had not changed all that much in my army either..I learned a lot from my Sgt's, which kept me alive. In return, once I became a squad leader, I never allowed a newf to do the up front stuff till I was fairly certain he had a chance of survival. I was fortunate, in that by the time guys came to my Ranger unit, they knew some things the average soldier might not know, and the Army knew the guy could pay attention and stay focused.
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by Puukkoo »

Rookies have no combat experience so why not use them for recon duty?
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by String »

ORIGINAL: Puukkoo

Rookies have no combat experience so why not use them for recon duty?

Send them towards the enemy and then direct artillery on the gunfire? [8|]
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RE: US Divisional Casualties in WWII

Post by Riun T »

Because new recruits wouldn't have the smarts not to get lost!!
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