World War II casualties

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World War II was the single deadliest conflict the world had ever seen, causing many tens of millions of deaths. The tables below provide a detailed country by country count of death by side. Note that some countries switched sides and reentered the war on the side of the Allies after they were defeated as Axis nations.

Contents

Combined Totals

Combining the total deaths of 11,000,000 people for the Axis and 51,000,000 people for the Allies, the total estimated human loss of life, irrespective of political alignment, caused by World War II was roughly 62,000,000 people with combined civilian and military deaths of 38,000,000 and 24,000,000 respectively.

Casualties by country

The casualties of World War II were suffered disproportionately by the various participants. This is especially true regarding civilian casualties. The following chart gives data on the casualties suffered by each country, along with population information to show the relative impact of losses.

Country Population 1939 Military deaths Civilian deaths Total deaths Total deaths/1,000 pop.
Albania[1] 1,100,000 28,000 28,000 25.5
Australia[2] [3] 7,000,000 39,366 735 40,101 5.7
Austria[4] 7,000,000 104,000 104,000 14.9
Belgium[5] 8,400,000 12,000 76,000 88,000 10.5
Brazil[6] 41,500,000 510 510 .00
Bulgaria[7] 6,300,000 22,000 22,000 3.5
Burma[8] 17,500,000 60,000 60,000 3.4
Canada[9] 11,600,000 39,300 39,300 3.4
China[10] 530,000,000 4,000,000 6,000,000 10,000,000 18.9
Czechoslovakia[11] 15,300,000 30,000 340,000 370,000 24.2
Denmark[12] 3,800,000 4,100 4,100 1.1
Estonia [13] 1,100,000 40,000 40,000 36.4
Ethiopia[14] 14,100,000 5,000 200,000 205,000 14.5
Finland[15] 3,700,000 91,000 2,000 93,000 25.1
France[16] 41,700,000 210,000 350,000 560,000 13.4
French Indo-China[17] 24,600,000 2,000 1,000,000 1,002,000 40.7
Germany[18][19][20] 70,000,000 5,500,000 2,000,000 7,500,000 107.1
Greece[21] 7,200,000 20,000 280,000 300,000 41.7
Hungary[22] 9,200,000 300,000 280,000 580,000 63.0
India[23] 345,000,000 36,100 1,500,000 1,536,100 4.5
Indonesia [24] 70,500,000 4,000,000 4,000,000 56.7
Iraq[25] 3,700,000 1,000 1,000 .3
Italy[26] 43,800,000 313,000 130,000 443,000 10.1
Japan[27] 78,000,000 1,930,000 700,000 2,630,000 33.7
Korea[28] 23,400,000 60,000 60,000 2.6
Latvia[29] 2,000,000 220,000 220,000 110.0
Lithuania[30] 2,500,000 345,000 345,000 138.0
Luxembourg[31] 300,000 4,000 4,000 13.3
Malaya [32] 5,500,000 25,000 25,000 4.5
Malta[33] 300,000 2,000 2,000 6.7
Mongolia[34] 700,000 300 300 .4
Netherlands[35] 8,700,000 12,000 200,000 212,000 24.4
New Zealand[36] 1,600,000 12,200 12,200 7.6
Norway[37] 2,900,000 3,000 7,000 10,000 3.4
Philippines[38] 16,400,000 42,000 90,000 132,000 8.0
Pacific Islands[39] 1,900,000 57,000 57,000 30.0
Poland[40] 34,800,000 123,000 5,500,000 5,623,000 161.6
Portuguese Timor[41] 500,000 55,000 55,000 110.0
Romania[42] 19,900,000 317,000 450,000 767,000 38.5
Singapore[43] 700,000 150,000 150,000 214.3
South Africa[44] 10,300,000 8,700 8,700 0.8
Spain[45] 25,500,000 4,000 4,000 .2
Soviet Union[46] 168,500,000 10,400,000 12,600,000 23,000,000 136.5
Thailand[47] 15,300,000 5,000 5,000 .3
United Kingdom[48] 47,800,000 272,000 93,500 365,500 7.6
United States[49] 132,000,000 405,000 10,000 415,000 3.1
Yugoslavia[50] 15,400,000 300,000 800,000 1,100,000 71.4
Totals 1,899,000,000 24,483,476 37,735,335 62,218,811 32.8

Casualties by alliance

Number of Allied personnel killed, by country
Enlarge
Number of Allied personnel killed, by country
Number of Axis personnel killed, by country
Enlarge
Number of Axis personnel killed, by country


Casualties by branch of service

Country Branch of service Number served Killed/missing Wounded Prisoner of war Killed per 1,000 served
Germany Army 13,000,000 1,622,600 4,188,000 1,646,300 124.8
Air Force 3,400,000 294,900 216,600 86.7
Navy 1,500,000 149,200 25,300 99.5
Japan Army 6,300,000 1,526,000 85,600 30,000 242.2
Navy 2,100,000 414,900 8,900 10,000 197.6
Soviet Union All branches 18,000,000 8,000,000 source 4,000,000 500
United Kingdom Army 3,778,000 177,800 239,600 152,076 47.1
Air Force 1,185,000 76,300 22,800 13,100 65.4
Navy 923,000 51,600 14,700 7,400 55.9
United States Army 7,900,000 165,800 574,300 79,800 21.0
Air Force 3,400,000 54,700 17,900 40,200 16.1
Navy 4,183,000 36,900 37,800 8.8
Marine Corps 669,000 19,600 67,200 29.3

Equipment losses[1]

Aircraft losses

While the reporting of air losses varied from country to country and even between campaigns, it is not reasonable to provide a clean overall listing of aircraft losses during the war. A summary by nation indicates the best known information regarding losses.

  • Finland: Reported losses during the Winter War totaled 67, of which 42 were operational, while 536 aircraft were lost during the Continuation War, of which 209 were operational losses.
  • France: From the beginning of the war until the capitulation of France in 1940, 892 aircraft were lost, of which 413 were in action and 234 were on the ground. Losses included 508 fighters and 218 bombers.
  • Germany: Estimated total losses for the war totaled 116,584 aircraft, of which 70,000 were total losses and the remainder significantly damaged. By type, losses totalled 41,452 fighters, 22,037 bombers, 15,428 trainers, 10,221 twin-engine fighters, 8,548 ground attack, 6,733 reconnaissance, and 6,141 transports.
  • Italy: Total losses were 5,272 aircraft, of which 3,269 were lost in combat.
  • Japan: Estimates vary from 35,000 to 50,000 total losses, with about 20,000 lost operationally.
  • Netherlands: Total losses were 81 aircraft during the May, 1940 campaign.
  • Poland: Total losses were 398 destroyed, including 116 fighters, 112 dive bombers, 81 reconnaissance aircraft, 36 bombers, 21 sea planes, and 9 transports.
  • Soviet Union: Estimated total losses were over 100,000 from all causes.
  • United Kingdom: Total losses in Europe were 22,010, including 10,045 fighters and 11,965 bombers.
  • United States: Total losses were nearly 45,000, including 22,951 operational losses (18,418 in Europe and 4,533 in the Pacific).

Naval losses

Country Carriers Battleships Cruisers Destroyers Escorts Submarines Notes
Australia 3 4 2
Canada 6 11
Germany 12 10 50 1023 Includes scuttled ships
Italy 1 11 84 84
Japan 19 8 37 134 130 3 further battleships floundered
Soviet Union 1 3 33 100 Submarine total estimated
United Kingdom 8 5 30 110 58 77
United States 11 2 10 71 10 53

Footnotes

  1. ^  Official Albanian government data. However V. Erlikman estimates total losses were 55,000.[3]
  2. ^  Reported military deaths range from 29,400 to 39,600.[1]
  3. ^  Australian War Memorial website article, Australian Military Statistics: WWII - A Global Perspective. June 2005.
  4. ^  Military losses of 261,000 are included with Wehrmacht losses in Germany total. Civilian losses were 24,000 killed in air attacks and 80,000 Jews.[2]
  5. ^  Belgian civilian losses were 76,000 including 27,000 Jews deported by the Nazis. Military losses were 12,100 including 8,800 in 1940[2]
  6. ^  Losses in Italy.[1]
  7. ^ Bulgarian losses with Axis in Yugoslavia were 2,000, partisans lost 10,000 and losses with USSR in 1945 campaign 10,000[3]
  8. ^  R. J. Rummel estimate of deaths due forced labor and famine during Japanese occupation. Rummel cites sources that range between 60-100,000 dead. Total may include some Thai nationals[4][9]
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ Total dead estimated by John Dower 10 million including 3.2 million Nationalist military dead.[9] R. J. Rummel estimates military losses of 430,000 dead serving as allies of Japan and Chinese Communist losses including wounded of 447,000 according to PRC official data. Rummel cites sources that range from 10.6 to 37 million total war dead.[5]
  11. ^ Czechoslovak Forces with the allies lost about 8,000, Slovak Axis forces 7,000 and partisan losses were 10,000.[3] Civilian losses include 270,000 Jews from the territories of prewar Czechoslovikia( including Trans-Carpathia which was ceded to the USSR after the war)
  12. ^ [3]
  13. ^  Includes civilian losses due to war and Soviet occupation. Does not include military dead with Soviet and German Armed Forces.[3]
  14. ^  R. J. Rummel estimates 200,000 killed by the Italians. He states " based on Discovery T.V. Cable Channel Program "Timewatch" 1/17/92.[4]However the official Ethiopian government report claims 760,000 total dead due Italian occupation from 1935-41. Italy's War Crimes in Ethiopia- 1946 (reprinted 2000) ISBN 0-9679479-0-1
  15. ^  Figures include casualties from the Winter War and Continuation War with the Soviet Union as well as action against German forces in 1944, Winter War figures include 23,000 military deaths from 1941-45 of 67,000.[3]
  16. ^  Marc Nouschi in Bilan de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, Le Seuil, 1996, ISBN 2020231948, estimates the total military casualties 250,000 and the civilian casualties at 350,000. G. Frumkin lists the total of 250,000 military dead which included 40,000 French deaths in German Army (mostly men conscripted in Alsace-Lorraine) and civilian losses include 100,000 Jews deported by the Germans.[2] V. Erlikman details losses of Africans in the French Forces at about 22,000.[3]
  17. ^ Total civilian dead due to famine estimated by John Dower[9] R.J. Rummel cites sources that range from 1 to 2 Million famine deaths due the Japanese occupation.[4]
  18. ^  Including Danzig and Memel. The 7 million ethnic Germans of eastern Europe are not included in the total German population. However the 500,000 military and 400,000 civilian deaths of ethnic Germans in eastern Europe are included with total German losses. After the war 5 Million became refugees in Germany and Austria.
  19. ^  Rűdiger Overmans has provided a reassessment of German military losses based on a statistical analysis of German High Command personnel records. Overmans concluded that these losses were 5.3 Million rather the previous balance 4.5 Million. Total German losses did not change, 800,000 were previously listed as civilian losses primarily in eastern Europe. Overmans lists losses of 4,450,000 from pre-war Germany, 261,000 from Austria, 530,000 ethnic Germans from eastern Europe 30,0000 French and 30,000 volunteers from western Europe. Included in the total of 5.3 Million are about 2.0 Million men listed as missing.[6] In addition to these losses the Wehrmacht High Command reported the losses of Soviet citizens serving in the German military separately. A Soviet source, G. I. Kirosheev reported these losses as 215,000[7]. In this table they are recorded with German Military losses.
  20. ^  Civilian losses include 400,000 killed in air attacks and 600,000 victims of Nazi persecution from 1939 to 1945 (including 160,000 Jews and 300,000 political prisoners.[4]Rűdiger Overmans estimates 1,100,000 German civilian dead in eastern Europe as the result of the war and postwar expulsion of Germans. [6] [[51]]
  21. ^  Figures include 140,000 civilian deaths due to war-related famine, 60,000 Greek Jews deported by the Germans and 80,000 Greeks killed during the German occupation.[2]
  22. ^ Tamás Stark of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences has provided the following assessment of Hungarian losses from 1941-45. Military losses were 300,000 including 200,000 missing. Civilian losses of 280,000 including 200,000 Jews. Hungarian military losses include 110,000 men who were conscripted in Slovakia, Romania and Yugoslavia.[8]
  23. ^  Source of military losses [1]; civilian losses related to the wartime Bengal famine.[4][9]
  24. ^ Deaths due forced labor and famine during Japanese occupation. John Dower cites a UN report listing 4 million famine and forced labor dead.[9] R. J.Rummel cites sources that range from 200,000 to 1.5 million forced labor dead.[4]
  25. ^ Losses during UK occupation in 1941.[3]
  26. ^ Ufficio Storico dello Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito. Commissariato generale C.G.V., Ministero della Difesa - Edizioni 1986.[[52]]Military dead prior to the September 1943 armistice were given as 197,000. Victims of Nazi oppression included 41,000 POW's and 23,000 civilians.
  27. ^ Japanese population ,includes 5.0 million Japanese in China and Korea. Figures include 186,000 dead from pre World War II theatres .The Official total of Japanese military dead from 1937-45 is 1,741,000 not including 300,000 missing military and civilian prisoners in the USSR and China after the war according to data cited by John Dower. Civilian losses include 393,000 dead in US air attacks, 150,000 civilians killed on Okinawa and 10,000 on Siapan[9] Post war deaths of persons injured in the atomic attacks is estimated at 110,000.[3]
  28. ^  John Dower estimates 70,000 conscripted Korean laborers and soldiers dead in Japan including 10-15,000 killed in the atomic attacks[9]Korean losses in the Japanese Army are included with Japan's losses. V. Erlikman estimates these losses at 10,000 of the 100,000 Koreans in Japanese military service.[3]
  29. ^  Includes civilian losses due to war and Soviet occupation. Does not include military dead with Soviet and German Armed Forces. Source: V. Erlikman.[3] Included in these losses are 65,000 Jews.
  30. ^ Includes civilian losses due to war and Soviet occupation. Does not include military dead with Soviet and German Armed Forces. .[3] Included in these losses are 173,000 Jews.
  31. ^ Military losses of 3,000 are included with Germany and 200 in Belgian Army. Civilian losses include 2,000 Jews.[2]
  32. ^ Estimate by John Dower of forced labor deaths.[9] R.J. Rummel estimates 83,000 deaths due forced labor and famine during Japanese occupation. Rummel cites sources that range from 55,000 to 100,000 total civilian losses..[4]
  33. ^ Air attack victims.[2]
  34. ^ With USSR against Japan in 1945.[3]
  35. ^  G. Frumkin lists Dutch losses as "7,900 in the Dutch armed forces and merchant Marine and 3,700 in the Wehrmacht." A total of 198,000 civilian dead which included 104,000 Jews..[2]
  36. ^ [1]
  37. ^ [2]
  38. ^ Civilians massacred by Japanese Army.[9]
  39. ^  R.J. Rummel cites evidence presented at Tokyo war crimes trials.[4]
  40. ^ Losses include 350,000 killed by Soviet's as well as 5.150,000 deaths related to the German occupation and about 100,000 Poles killed in 1943-45 by Ukrainian partisans. Losses by ethnic group include 3,100,000 Jews, 2,000,000 Ethnic Poles and 500,000 Ukrainians and Belorussians. Losses by geographic area were 3.3 million in present day Poland and about 2,3 million in the territory ceded to the USSR in 1945. Source: See remarks by Tadeusz Piotrowski on Polish casualties.[53]. and Poles as Victims of the Nazi Era prepared by USHMM that lists 1.8 to 1.9 million ethnic Polish dead in addition to 3 million Polish Jews [[54]]
  41. ^  Officially neutral, occupied by Japan, 1942-45. Allied commandos initiated a guerilla resistance campaign and most deaths resulted from Japanese responses to this.[[55]]
  42. ^  Romania was a member of the Axis until 1944; Military casualties include 200,000 missing and 120,000 confirmed dead.[10] Civilian losses were 300,000 Jewish dead in Besserarbia and Bukavina and 140,000 Jews from the territory of present day Rumania.[4]
  43. ^  Deaths due repression during Japanese occupation. R.J.Rummel cites sources that range from 100,000 to 300,000 total civilian losses. The evidence at Tokyo war crimes trials lists 150,000 civilian dead due to Japanese occupation.[4]
  44. ^ [1]
  45. ^  All deaths were from volunteer soldiers in Germany Army
  46. ^ Data presented here is for USSR in 1939 borders. Losses in territories annexed by USSR are included in totals of the Baltic states, Poland and Romania. Deaths in the USSR exceeded the pre war level by 26,600,000 from 1941-45. 3,400,000 of these dead were in the territories annexed by the USSR in 1939-40, in this table they are not included with USSR losses nor are the 200,000 Soviet war dead in German formations. [11][12]The official total of military dead from 1941-45 is 8.6 million This does not include men called up in 1941 but not registered by the High Command, militia and partisan losses. G. I. Kirosheev estimates 500,000 military dead in addition to the official total of 8.6 million but not including paramilitary and partisan losses.[7]. Civilian losses are poorly documented and may include victims of Soviet as well as Nazi repression. Civilian losses include 900,000 Jews. A recent Russian source has given detail of losses in each Soviet Republic totaling 26.5 million war related deaths plus 1.7 million victims of Soviet repression. Military losses are given as 8.0 million plus 2.6 million POW dead. These losses are for the entire territory of the USSR including territories annexed in 1939-40.[3]
  47. ^ Losses in conflict with French in Indochina 1940-44.[3]
  48. ^  Military losses include 8,000 from the colonies, including 3,700 Africans. Civilian losses include 60,000 killed in air attacks and 33,000 merchant mariners.[1][2]
  49. ^ Civilian losses were 9,000 merchant mariners, details given at USMM website [56] and 1,500 American civilians interned in Axis countries.
  50. ^  The US Bureau of the Census published a report in 1954, The Population of Yugoslavia, that concluded that war related losses were about 1.1 million. A recent study Zerjavic, Vladimir. Yugoslavia manipulations with the number Second World War victims, - Zagreb: Croatian Information center, 1993 ISBN 0-919817-32-7 lists total war related losses as 1,027,000. Total Jewish losses in Yugoslavia were 70,000 including Macedonia which was under Bulgarian occupation.


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