bigpigeon.us webpage WWII US > WWII Casualties, © 2025 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 20 Feb 2025
World War II United Sates Military Casualties
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Big Pigeon's WWII Casualties subpages:
The official summary of United States WWII dead and wounded, as of November 2023, follows
United States Casualties in World War II
United States Casualties in World War II
Commentary on the above table:
  • The Army row includes the United States Army Air Force.
  • I don't know yet if the Navy row includes the United States Coast Guard.
  • Data is for the period 7 Dec 1941–31 Dec 1946, plus early Navy combat deaths in the Atlantic in October 1941.
  • All civilian deaths, including Merchant Marine members, are excluded.
  • Army Total Deaths include 5,800 from Iowa and 5,337, mostly Philippine Scouts, from the Philippines. 
  • The Navy recorded only major wounds such as those requiring evacuation of the casualty to a rear area. Thus, the Navy wounded count is lower than expected.
  • This table is courtesy of the Defense Casualty Analysis System and was found at https://dcas.dmdc.osd.mil/dcas/app/summaryData/casualties/principalWars.
Below are seven tables, arranged in three parts, showing WWII US military casualties:
  • Part 1 - Total United States casualties.
  • Part 2 - US Casualties as reported by the War and Navy Departments.
  • Part 3 - US Casualties by service branch: Army; Air Force; Navy; Marine Corps.
dAbout WWII Casualty Codes and Death Codes:
  • Military doctrine specifies four categories of casualties resulting from a combat-related operation: killed; wounded; taken prisoner; missing.
  • Major casualty codes used by the War Department: KIA - Killed in Action; WIA - Wounded in Action; POW - Prisoner of War;  MIA - Missing in Action.
  • Similar to casualty codes were death codes. The most common was also KIA.
  • A death code of DOW denoted a WIA casulty who later died of wounds. (Occasionally the death code DOI (Died Of Injuries) was used to denote a death from a combat-related injury.)
  • A POW who died as a prisoner from military action (e.g., killed by an air raid on the POW camp) would receive a death code of KIA. 
  • In WWII, a missing casualty who remained missing would be carried on the rolls for at least a year, and then would usually receive a death code of FOD (Finding Of Death).
  • The War Department assigned those who died, but didn't warrant a KIA status, the death code of DNB (Died Non Battle).
  • A prisoner who died in captivity generally received a death code of DNB, unless they died as a result of hostile action.
  • The Navy Department used different codes.
  • Navy Department data did not single out the missing in action and sometimes omitted the lightly wounded.
  • Rather than receive a death code like FOD, deceased Navy or Marine personnel who didn't die from operations related to combat were omitted from the Navy Department roster of dead.
About the following casualty tables:
  • Columns: first - casualty count; second - casualty survival count; third - casualty dead count.
  • For the Army and Army Air Force, I use Source 1 in the list of sources at the end of this webpage.
  • For the Navy and Marine Corps, there is no standard reliable source. Different sources would produce different numbers in my tables.
Part 1 - Total United States Military Casualties 1941–1946
​(summing the counts in Part 2)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Killed in Action (KIA)            241,679  Wounded in Action (WIA)   697,155
Prisoner of War (POW)       130,272
Missing in Action (MIA) 
                                              ------------
US Casualty Total             1,069,106​

WIA - Survived                      668,192
POW - Survived                    115,900
​MIA - Survived ​                        
​                                               ------------
US Casualty Survivals         684,092
​Killed in Action                     241,679
WIA - Died of Wounds           28,963
POW - Died while prisoner   14,072
MIA - Died  while missing        
​                                                ------------
US Casualty Deaths

==> Part 2 - US Casualties as reported by the War and Navy Departments <==
War Department - US Army Casualties 1941–1946 (including Army Air Force)
​copied to WWII Casualties > Army, 26 Nov 2023
​--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Killed in Action (KIA)            189,696
Wounded in Action (WIA)   592,170
Prisoner of War (POW)       124,079
Missing in Action (MIA)         30,314
                                              ------------
Casualty Total                   936,259
​War Department

WIA - Survived                      565,861
POW - Survived                    111,426
MIA - Survived ​                       24,098
​                                              ------------
​Casualty Survivals            701,385
War Department
Killed in Action                    189,696
WIA - Died of Wounds          26,309  POW - Died while prisoner  12,653
MIA - Died  while missing       6,216
​                                              ------------
​Casualty Deaths                234,874
​War Department

​Navy Department - US Navy, Marine Corps & Coast Guard Casualties 1941–1946
​-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Killed in Action (KIA)               51,983
Wounded in Action (WIA)    104,985
Prisoner of War (POW)             6,193
Missing in Action (MIA)          
                                                ------------
Casualty Total
​Navy Department                

WIA - Survived                       102,331
POW - Survived                         4,774
MIA - Survived ​         
​                                                ------------
​Casualty Survivals 
Navy Department            
Killed in Action                        51,983
WIA - Died of Wounds              2,654
POW - Died while prisoner      1,419
MIA - Died  while missing        
​                                                ------------
​Casualty Deaths 
​Navy Department               

​==> ​Part 3 - US Casualties by service branch: Army; Air Force; Navy; Marine Corps <==

​US Army Casualties (less Army Air Force) 1941–1946
​copied to WWII Casualties > Army, 26 Nov 2023
​--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Killed in Action (KIA)             144,911
Wounded in Action (WIA)    573,806
Prisoner of War (POW)          83,022
Missing in Action (MIA)          19,138
                                                ------------
US Army Casualty Total   820,877
                                                      
WIA - Survived                       548,502
POW - Survived                       73,132
MIA - Survived                         16,542
​                                                ------------
Army Casualty Survivals  638,176
Killed in Action                     144,911
WIA - Died of Wounds          25,304  
POW - Died while prisoner    9,890 
MIA - Died while missing        2,596 
​                                                -----------
Army Casualty Deaths     182,701
​
​US Army Air Force Casualties 1941–1946
​copied to WWII Casualties > Army, 26 Nov 2023
​------------------------------------------------------------
Killed in Action (KIA)               44,785
Wounded in Action (WIA)      18,364
Prisoner of War (POW)          41,057
Missing in Action (MIA)          11,176
                                                ------------
USAAF Casualty Total       115,382
                                                    
WIA - Survived                         17,359
POW - Survived                       38,294
MIA - Survived                           7,556
​                                                ------------
USAAF Casualty Survivals  63,209
Killed in Action                        44,785
WIA - Died of Wounds              1,005
POW - Died while prisoner      2,763
MIA - Died  while missing        3,620
​                                                ------------
USAAF Casualty Deaths      52,173

​US Navy Casualties 1941-1946 - copied to WWII Casualties > Navy 25 Nov 2023
​----------------------------------------------
Killed in Action (KIA)              34,014
Wounded in Action (WIA)     37,778
Prisoner of War (POW)           3,379
Missing in Action (MIA)    unknown
​                                               ------------
US Navy Casualty Total    75,171
                                                     
WIA - Survived                          35,941
POW - Survived                          2,640
MIA - Survived                     unknown​
​​                                               ------------   Navy Casualty Survivals    38,581
Killed in Action                        34,014
​WIA - Died of Wounds              1,837
POW - Died while prisoner         739
​MIA - Died while missing            190
​                                               ------------
​Navy Casualty Deaths        
US Navy casualty notes:
  • Source 3 below gives a killed in action figure of 34,004, a died while prisoner figure of 919, and an other deaths due to enemy action, which I use, of 190.

​US Marine Corps Casualties 1941–1946 - copied to WWII Casualties > Marine Corps 25 Nov 2023
​------------------------------------------------------------
Killed in Action (KIA)               17,376
Wounded in Action (WIA)      68,207
Prisoner of War (POW)            2,274
Missing in Action (MIA)     unknown
                                               ------------
​USMC Casualty Total          87,857
                                                    
WIA - Survived                         67,207
POW - Survived                         1,756
MIA - Survived                    unknown​
​                                               ------------
​USMC Casualty Survivals  68,963
Killed in Action                        17,376
​WIA - Died of Wounds              1,000
POW - Died while prisoner         518
​MIA - Died while missing  unknown
                                               ------------
​USMC Casualty Deaths       18,904
US Marine Corps casualty notes:
  • The right two columns total to 87,871 rather than 87,857.
Sources for Big Pigeon's WWII US > Casualties webpage:
  1. http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/Casualties/Casualties-Intro.html - Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths in World War II, Final Report, 7 December 1941–31 December 1946, p. 5 - for the above US Army and US Army Air Force data.
  2. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/w/world-war-ii-casualties.html - World War II Casualties, Navy Heritage and History Command - used for the following US Navy and US Marine Corps data: Killed in Action; Died of Wounds; Died as Prisoner.
  3. https://www.naval-history.net/WW2UScasaaDB-USNaNOTEonTOTALS.htm - World War 2 - United States Navy at War, UNITED STATES NAVY CASUALTIES - INTERIM NOTE ON NUMBERS, 2017 - This is death and not casualty data.
  4. https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/History%20of%20the%20U.S.%20Marine%20Corps%20in%20WWII%20Vol%20V%20-%20Victory%20and%20Occupation%20%20PCN%2019000262800_5.pdf - Marine POWs.
  5. http://www.indianarollingthunder.com/nationalpowstatistics.html - National POW Statistics.
20 Feb 2025: Temporary text element while subpage links are updated.
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