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WORLD
WAR 2 DATA
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WORLD WAR 2 DATA
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WORLD WAR 2 CASUALTIES -
ARMY
Source: Wikipedia
World War II (1939-1945) (US Entry -
1941-1945) (aka: WWII
or WW2), was a military conflict on a global scale. It involved most of
the world's nations and all the great powers of that era. Eventually 2
military alliances were formed, the Allies and the Axis (see table
below), which would oppose one another. More than 100 million military
person were mobilised making this the most widespread war in history.
Germany and Slovakia's invasion into Poland on 1 September 1939 seems to
be the generally accepted catalyst for the start of the war. This led to
France declaring war on Germany which was soon followed by countries of
the British Empire and Commonwealth.
Due to Germany's early
successful military campaigns and political treaties, between 1939-early
1941 they had conquered or subdued most of continental Europe, leaving
only the Soviet Union, Britain, and the Commonwealth able to continue
the fight. In June 1941, the European Axis invaded the Soviet Uniion,
starting the largest land theatre of war in history.
In December
1941, Japan, fresh from their attacks and successes in China, attacked
the United States and European possessions in the Pacific. This marked
the inclusion of the United State into the war and on the side of the
Allies. Up to this point the United States was struggling with political
pressures for Neutrality and / or Isolationsim. After defeating Japan in
a series of navel battles, compounded by devastating defeats of European
Axis troops in North Africa and at Stalingrad, by 1942 the tides were
turning. In 1943, another series of German defeats in Eastern Europe,
the Allied invasion of Fascist Italy, and American victories in the
Pacific, resulted in the Axis loss of strategic initiatives and need to
execute strategic retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western Allies
invaded France, whereas the Soviet Union regained all territorial losses
and invaded the territory of Germany and its allies. On 8 May 1945, the
war in Europe ended with the capture of Berlin by Soviet troops. This
resulted in Germany's unconditional surrender. By that time, the
Japanese Navy was defeated by the United States, and invasion of the
Japanese Archipelago ("Home Islands") became imminent. By 1945, the
Allies were victorius over both Germany and Japan.
To the
men and women who served and to their families we honor in the best way
we can - by remembering.
The US Department of Defence and other
sources provides the following US statistics:
- abt 16,113,000 Soldiers deployed over the course
of the conflict
- Some in Combat
- Some at Home
- All Heros
- abt 290,000 Battle Dead
- abt 114,000 Non-battle deaths
- abt 670,000 Wounded (not mortal)
| Allies (partial list)
| Axis (partial list
| Comments |
|
United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, China, France,
Yugoslavia, Belguim, Poland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South
Africa, Netherlands, Greece, Norway
| Germany, Japan, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Bulgaria,
Thailand, Iraq |
Not all participated at the same time. China and Japan were in
fact at war as early as 1939; United States and Soviet Union did not
enter war until 1941 |
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