The Pittsburgh Press (August 31, 1944)
Army casualties rise to 284,838
Late July’s heavy fighting in northern France caused a sharp increase in U.S. Army casualties, Acting Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson disclosed today, swelling the total for all theaters to 283,838 through Aug. 13.
This represented an increase of 23,249 over the total reported a week ago, and Mr. Patterson said the increase was “largely reflected in the period of heaviest fighting in northern France near the end of July.”
Secretary Patterson’s announcement brought to 349,523 the number of casualties thus far announced for all services since Pearl Harbor, as tabulated below.
| Army | Navy | |
|---|---|---|
| Killed | 53,101 | 23,544 |
| Wounded | 142,686 | 20,701 |
| Prisoners | 44,408 | 4,466 |
| Missing | 44,643 | 9,642 |
| — | — | — |
| TOTAL | 284,838 | 58,353 |
Mr. Patterson also disclosed that the fighting in southern France, from the landings Aug. 15 through Aug. 24, had cost the Americans 1,242 killed or missing and 5,090 wounded – relatively light losses.
In Southeast Asia operations since January, more than 50,000 Japs have been killed, Mr. Patterson said. Jap dead counted in Central and South Pacific operations now total more than 115,000, he said.