Yes, I realize my 3rd Inf. Div leads the list. BUT, also a long time in action. To me the 4th Inf Div with 22,660 battle casualties (being the 3rd highest) had the worst of it due to the short time (about one year) in action. These guys really had a rough time of it. Seems to me the 4th I.D. was a very under rated Div. with the least publicity. Never could understand just why. Seems like they should have had more notice
of a job well done.

Hi Joe,

Best regards, we're speaking of you on the post about Lucas and Anzio. I mentioned Recon and his past war memiors.

What a great guy to mention another under reported division and their service. Let me add the 6th Division and their service. If I remember, they had one of the highest ranking Generals KIA. Too many battles being lost to history.Maybe we should start a post about battles that need to be told but not well known. Look at Pelilu, so many brave soldiers lost their lives yet not a well known battle. May they RIP.

PS. It's good to see this forum getting back to what it should be, WW 2 history. Vets keep on talking, a lot of people want to hear about your times.

Steve

I should imagine that some german divisions would be included in the list, especially those from the eastern front where the casualty rates were very high.

I would assume that the Russians are way up their too considering the fact that they far surpassed any other country's casualty count in the war.

If thats the Case I would Propose that any Japanese Division which faces American Troops had the Highest Loss Rates.

Actually I was refering to U.S. Divisions and should have stated this.

Stever126:

The 1st Marine Division (Guadalcanal, New Britain, Peleliu, Okinawa) had the highest casualty rate of all Divisions in the PTO with 19,300 casualties and just over 5400 combat deaths. Still, it was behind many divisions fighting in Europe.

True, there were many soldiers killed on Peleliu with the 81st Division but the 1st Marine Div took the bulk of the casualties. Never call a Marine a soldier, or call a soldier a Marine. You'll offend both! Sorry, couldn't let that one go.

I agree, some good topics on the forum.

Gary: Good to see you back posting here again.
Also, thanks for the info. Joe

Battle of Hurtgen Forest

The U.S. Official History[7] estimated that 120,000 troops, plus replacements, were committed to Hürtgen; by the end there had been 24,000 casualties plus 9,000 non-battle. Two divisions, the U.S. 4th Infantry Division and the U.S. 9th Infantry Division, were so badly mauled that they were withdrawn from the line to recuperate.

The battle for Schmidt cost 6,184 U.S. casualties—compared with about 4,000 losses by the two divisions at Omaha Beach. German casualties were fewer than 3,000.

In the second phase, the U.S. 4th Division had advanced 1½ miles by November 20, having suffered 1,500 battle casualties plus non-battle casualties numbering in the several hundreds due to trench foot, frostbite, and exhaustion. After two weeks, three miles had been gained for 4,053 battle and 2,000 non-battle casualties, bringing the November totals to 170 officers and 4,754 men. The 22nd Infantry Division had 2,500 casualties compared to its starting strength of 2,500.

Some units fighting in this operation also fought at Omaha Beach; comparing the two, veterans said the Battle of Hürtgen Forest was a much bloodier fight than Omaha. Ernest Hemingway, who was there, described the battle as “Passchendaele with tree bursts”[9], an appropriate epitaph.

I copied from Wikipedia

Wait, are we talking about numbers or percentages?

Example: 19 deaths in more than 5, but if that five came out of a group of 6 it's a higher percentage...

Gsott: Quote : The 22nd Infantry Division had 2,500 casualties compared to its starting strength of 2,500. Are you sure of these figures and it was the 22nd Div? This place you used for a reference
Wikiwai ? dont seem too reliable. Something is wrong somewhere. Think you better double check.

Realy does my heart good to see a couple of friends (Stever 126 and Gary Orr) who stood by me and Recon and the Sarge and some others in our times of need on this forum. It has never been forgotten. Yes, Recon is no longer on the forum or e mailing me. Last E mail was his blood disease was getting to him and he was giving up on the computer. Tried phoning him but no results in the last 18 months. Did everything to contact him but no results.
Gary, good find on the casualties on the 1sr Marine Div as I could not find any Marine Div casualties or the U.S. Airborne divs. casualties
in WW 2 from a reliable source on the web. Any
info would be appreciated along with a reliable source. Joe
but no results and I keep trying.

Dang...regardless of whether we look at these morbid statistics as absolute numbers or percentages or from the Allied or Axis POV, you guys were always a bullet away from KIA.
I am glad you are here to share the experiences and educate those of us (despite our toe to toe verbal combat), who care to learn from you guys.
The Easy company was highlighted as a heavy caualty/KIA statistic. What division were they in?

gsott posted that the 9th Infantry Division was so badly mauled that they were withdrawn for refitting. NOT TRUE for ALL of the Regiments of the 9th I.D.
The 47th Inf. Regt. was "loaned out" to the 3rd Armored Div.to support their drive on the north edge of the Huertgen Forest, then the 47th was "reloaned" to the 1st Inf. Div. for their drive from Aachen to Duren, while the other two regiments, the 39th & the 60th, went to rest up at Camp ELsenborn.
Then all three regiments went back into the forest to slip and slide trying to go ahead.
By this time the "BULGE" came along and they had to remain in place to stop Jerry. But once the crisis was over, once more, for the third stinking time, the three regiments of the 9th I.D. had to enter the forest. Finally on February 28th, we crossed a pontoon bridge over the Roer River and left that Damned Forest behind.
This was not from any webpage, but my memory.

j3rdinf, Thank you for pointing out the error. It was a very busy day for me yesterday but I wanted to make a quick post on the many brave lives lost at Huertgen Forest. Lessoned learned.

Joe, thanks for the kind words. Here is a list of the ten highest US battle casualties by Division. It is from "The Pacific War Encyclopedia" (Dunnigan & Nofi).

3rd ID: 5558 KIA, 20,419 Wounded
9th ID: 4504, 18,773
4th ID: 4836, 17824
45th ID: 4080, 16913
1st ID: 4280, 16379
29th ID: 4786, 15834
36th ID: 3637, 15829
1st Mar. Div: 5435, 13849
90th ID: 3930, 15270
30th ID: 3516, 14930

The 101st A/B is not in the top 20. They had 2090 KIA, and 6064 wounded, though a much smaller division. All the top 10 Divisions were in the ETO with the exception of the 1st Marine Division.

Correction
9th I.D. K.I.A.= 4,581
Wounded = 16,961
Missing = 750
___________________
TOTAL = 22,292

Hey growlybear,
Here is part of the route of march of the 99th Recon Troop that my dad was in:

Nov. 10, 1944 -- Elsenborn, Belgium:
Robots flying really low; dug in for first time, baptized by fire. Third platoon had blazed the trail. Remember "The Hole", the mortar squads Thanksgiving Day banquet, and Murphy shooting it out with Ninth Division "snowball kings"?

Bajan: Please read Gary Orrs figures from a reliable source. Easy company (band of brothers
TV series) of the 101 Airborne was not in the "top ten" for casualties by any means. Or the top 20.
You figure it out.

Thanks j3rdinf...as we commonly agree, a lot of the portrayals in that series were extremely loosely based on true facts.
I felt much of it was fluffed up for effect and glamourized to sensationalize what you guys did as duty without pausing to think about medals and parades on returning home.
Carry on smartly.