ARCHIVE

  • Last modified 7588 days ago (Dec. 31, 2003)
  • Return to Checkerboard

High casualty list includes 99th years ago

There were 68 division deployed to the European Theater of Operations during World War II.

Those infantry, armored, airborne, and mountain divisions suffered 78 percent of all Army casualties in the theater.

The infantry, by far, had the highest percent of casualties: 80 percent of those killed in action.

While only 14 percent of the Army's total overseas combat strength was infantry, they suffered 70 percent of all battle casualties.

Riflemen equaled 68 percent of an infantry division's manpower, but suffered 95 percent of the casualties.

The 3rd Infantry Division suffered the most casualties, 5,558 KIA; followed by the 4th with 4,854; 29th 4,786; 9th 4,504; and 1st with 4,280

The 99th was 36th of the 68 divisions, in casualties, with 1,134 KIA and 4,177 wounded.

The 13th Airborne arrived in France Feb. 5, 1945, but was never deployed into combat.

Maximum time in combat for the average infantryman was 200 days before he reached the breaking point. Most of them never lasted that long before they were wounded or killed in action.

Quantcast