The Free Lance-Star (June 24, 1943)
U.S. Armed Forces report 87,304 casualties in war
Washington (AP) –
The U.S. Armed Forces have suffered 87,304 announced casualties in all war theaters to date. Of that number, 15,132 were killed in action or died of wounds.
Army casualties total 63,958, Secretary of War Stimson said, and the Navy’s latest list, also issued today, placed Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard losses at 26,902, with 7,604 dead, 4,732 wounded, 11,010 missing and 3,556 prisoners of war in its three branches.
The lull in recent fighting has permitted the Army to complete a tabulation of its casualty reports, Stimson told his press conference, disclosing that the Army lost 7,528 men who were killed in action or died of wounds, 17,128 wounded, 22,687 missing and 16,615 officially reported prisoners of the Japanese, the Germans or the Italians.
The Secretary said:
While our casualties have been heavy, it is certain that in practically all theaters of war in which our troops have been engaged, the enemy’s losses have been much greater than our own.
Expect heavier losses
He added, however, that future military operations are likely to involve much greater numbers of our troops and that correspondingly heavier casualties should be expected.
Thus far, Stimson said, the defensive campaign in the Philippines remains the costliest in casualties. The total, including the Philippine Scouts but not the Philippine Constabulary or the Commonwealth Army, is 31,610. Most of these are presumed to be prisoners, he said, and many have been so reported officially.
Because of the failure to receive casualty reports during the last bitter days of fighting in both Bataan and on Corregidor, the Secretary cautioned that the Philippine casualty figures probably include some duplications, many listed as wounded presumably being also included among the missing and the prisoners, and probably many of those listed as missing being killed or wounded in the final days of combat.
Detailed figures
The Philippines figures, he said, show 1,273 killed, 1,746 wounded, 17,939 missing, and 10,652 prisoners.
For other theaters, he supplies these figures:
ASIA (291): 131 killed, 15 wounded, 85 missing, 60 prisoners.
CENTRAL PACIFIC, INCLUDING PEARL HARBOR (741): 272 killed, 412 wounded, 57 missing, no prisoners.
EUROPE (2,890): 436 killed, 664 wounded, 1,196 missing, 594 prisoners.
LATIN AMERICA (37): 8 killed, 3 wounded, 26 missing, no prisoners.
MIDDLE EAST, INCLUDING 9th AIR FORCE (462): 106 killed, 96 wounded, 214 missing, 46 prisoners.
NORTH AFRICA (18,738): 2,574 killed, 9,437 wounded, 1,620 missing and 5,107 prisoners.
NORTH AMERICA, INCLUDING ALASKA AND GREENLAND (2,324): 864 killed, 1,246 wounded, 214 missing, no prisoners.
SOUTH PACIFIC, INCLUDING GUADALCANAL (2,023): 622 killed, 1,165 wounded, 233 missing, no prisoners.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC, INCLUDING NEW GUINEA (4,842): 1,242 killed, 2,344 wounded, 1,100 missing (including 500 listed after the capture of Java by the Japanese), 156 prisoners.