WWII stats for personnel and flying craft

[old Grump]

Not real sure where to put this so stuck it in GD but I think we should have a military history forum fort this kind of thing. If we do my apologies but I looked and cannot find one.

http://pippaettore.com/Horrific_WWII_Statistics.html

Great pictures and amazing production numbers. Fatality numbers are horrific.

We lost an average of 220 people every single day from 1941 to 1945. Makes the decision to Fire bomb Dresden or to nuke Japan understandable with those kinds of numbers.

• Most Americans who were not adults during WWII have no understanding of the magnitude of it. This listing of some of the aircraft facts gives a bit of insight to it.

• 276,000 aircraft manufactured in the US .
• 43,000 planes lost overseas, including 23,000 in combat.
• 14,000 lost in the continental U.S.

The US civilian population maintained a dedicated effort for four years, many working long hours seven days per week and often also volunteering for other work. WWII was the largest human effort in history.

[5.56NATO]

And the 0bama regime is trying to make that effort pointless.

[dfariswheel]

The Air Corp in Europe alone took heavier causalities then the Marine Corp did in the Pacific.
In 1943 NO ONE in England made their 25 missions.
They were all shot down and captured, killed, or were so badly injured they had to be evacuated home.

Military aircraft are always cutting edge and very dangerous. Training casualties in the USA were extremely high. There are crashed WWII aircraft all over the US in isolated mountains, the bottom of lakes, in the big woods, and in the desert.

[jet3534]

The Air Corp in Europe alone took heavier causalities then the Marine Corp did in the Pacific.
In 1943 NO ONE in England made their 25 missions.
They were all shot down and captured, killed, or were so badly injured they had to be evacuated home.

Military aircraft are always cutting edge and very dangerous. Training casualties in the USA were extremely high. There are crashed WWII aircraft all over the US in isolated mountains, the bottom of lakes, in the big woods, and in the desert.

When I started working in the early 70s, all of the managers where I worked were former WWII bomber pilots, navigators, etc. They really seemed crazy at the time but then when I got a little older and learned something about history the basis for their behavior became clear, i.e., very serious PSTD. My boss was a B17 pilot who was a real SOB. I heard that this guy after retirement had alzhiemers so bad he didn't even know who he was. I thought this was funny 30 years ago, but now I find it a sad end for a war hero.

[T2K]

The stats described by the US as horrific would be considered minimal to the Germans or Russians! But, better them than us.

Interesting that the US produced 2000 more B-17 BOMBERS than Japan produced Zero fighters in the entire war. The most-produced airplanes of WWII had only two Japanese types (Zero and Oscar). Lots of Russian fighters, more than I would have realized. Of course, when you had several German Aces with 250+ kills on the Eastern Front, one sees why.

[Krupski]

Not real sure where to put this so stuck it in GD but I think we should have a military history forum fort this kind of thing. If we do my apologies but I looked and cannot find one.

http://pippaettore.com/Horrific_WWII_Statistics.html

Great pictures and amazing production numbers. Fatality numbers are horrific.

We lost an average of 220 people every single day from 1941 to 1945. Makes the decision to Fire bomb Dresden or to nuke Japan understandable with those kinds of numbers.

VERY good and interesting read. Thanks.


Amazing... the cost of my favorite airplane: P-51 Mustang - $51,572

[Cypher]

On average, 6,600 American servicemen died per month during WWII, about 220 a day. By the end of the war, over 40,000 airmen were killed in combat theatres and another 18,000 wounded. Some 12,000 missing men were declared dead, including a number "liberated" by the Soviets but never returned. More than 41,000 were captured, half of the 5,400 held by the Japanese died in captivity, compared with one-tenth in German hands. Total combat casualties were pegged at 121,867.

I find these comments interesting. Did the POW's liberated by the Russians get killed by the Russians?

Half of the US prisoners kille by Japanese compared to the prisoners held by Germans. How much of that was because of the Bataan death march. You would think it would be about the same but the Japanese were ruthless around that time in their history, much, much different today.

[5.56NATO]

I find these comments interesting. Did the POW's liberated by the Russians get killed by the Russians?

Half of the US prisoners kille by Japanese compared to the prisoners held by Germans. How much of that was because of the Bataan death march. You would think it would be about the same but the Japanese were ruthless around that time in their history, much, much different today.

This book is what you want to read if you want to know more about our servicemembers abandoned by the feds after various wars:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Medusa-Fil.../dp/0963906240

[5.56NATO]

The stats described by the US as horrific would be considered minimal to the Germans or Russians! But, better them than us.

Interesting that the US produced 2000 more B-17 BOMBERS than Japan produced Zero fighters in the entire war. The most-produced airplanes of WWII had only two Japanese types (Zero and Oscar). Lots of Russian fighters, more than I would have realized. Of course, when you had several German Aces with 250+ kills on the Eastern Front, one sees why.

And that brings up another point. Germany used their pilots untill they were either dead or injured, they weren't sent home or had other duty after 25 missions. This is why some of them had a few hundred air victories. And there's the guy who killed like 500 tanks with a stuka.

[old Grump]

And that brings up another point. Germany used their pilots untill they were either dead or injured, they weren't sent home or had other duty after 25 missions. This is why some of them had a few hundred air victories. And there's the guy who killed like 500 tanks with a stuka.

That would be Hans-Ulrich Rudel. He flew his last 30 or so missions with one leg amputated, if I remember correctly he had over 2600 missions. The book Stuka pilot was a fascinating read. Even Hitler couldn't keep him on the ground, he refused to stay grounded and kept flying even when his leg was in a cast.

[5.56NATO]

Yeah some of the airmen back then were really dedicated. Douglas Bader comes to mind, he had his legs shot off or destroyed in a crash as a brit Spitfire pilot. He had to get shot down and captured to keep him out of the air, and even then he tried to escape, several times.