World War 2 in Numbers

WORLD WAR 2 IN NUMBERS

THE WAR WAS ONE OF THE DEADLIEST IN HISTORY. MILLIONS FOUGHT AND, SADLY, MILLIONS DIED. NO CONTINENT OR OCEAN WAS LEFT UNTOUCHED. THE NUMBER OF DEATHS WERE BETWEEN 70 MILLION TO 85 MILLION PEOPLE. OF THESE, ABOUT 22 MILLION WERE MILITARY, ALLIES AND AXIS. THE REMAINING WERE CIVILIANS KILLED THROUGH MILITARY OPERATIONS, RESULTING FAMINE, OR IN CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY. NEITHER THE OLD NOR THE YOUNG WERE SPARED.

THREE MEN, FUHRER ADOLF HITLER (GERMANY), PRIME MINISTER BENITO MUSSOLINI (ITALY), AND PRIME MINISTER TOJO HIDEKI (JAPAN) WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALMOST 4% OF THE 2.3 BILLION WORLD POPULATION BEING KILLED. EACH WANTED WORLD DOMINANCE FOR THEIR COUNTRY.

IT IS HARD TO SEPARATE ONE COUNTRY’S MILITARY CONTRIBUTION FROM ANOTHER’S. OVER 40 COUNTRIES AND 1.9 BILLION MILITARY, RESISTANCE AND GUERRILLAS FOUGHT. THE UNTED STATES ALONE CONTRIBUTED 16.2 MILLION MEN AND 358,074 WOMEN FOR AN AVERAGE BASE PAY OF $71.33 PER MONTH FOR ENLISTED AND $203.50 FOR OFFICERS.

IN FOUR YEARS THE UNITED STATES USED 150,000 PLANES; 100,000 TANKS; 250,000 MACHINE GUNS, 12 MILLION RIFLES AND CARBINES AND 11 MILLION TONS OF ARTILLARY AMMUNITION.

PROFILE OF U.S. SERVICEMEN (1941-1945)

• HAD TO BE BETWEEN 18 (17 WITH PARENTAL CONSENT) AND 45
• HAD TO BE OVER 5’0″ TALL AND WEIGH AT LEAST 105 POUNDS
• TYPICALLY CARRIED CLOSE TO 90 LBS OF GEAR AND EQUIPMENT
• 464 MEDALS OF HONOR WERE RECEIVED, 266 POSTHUMOUSLY
• OVER 5,000 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDALS WERE AWARDED.
• MEN AS YOUNG AS 19 LEAD TROOPS IN COMBAT
• OVER 200,000 LIED ABOUT THEIR AGE AND WERE UNDER 17
• COMBAT SURVIVABILITY (OUT OF 1,000): 8.6 KILLED IN ACTION.

UNITED STATES MILITARY CASUALTIES IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR