bigpigeon.us webpage World Wars > WW II Addendum > WW II Data, updated by RAC 25 Apr '19.
This webpage is in process. I intend it to describe the scope and organization of America's World War II effort.
During World War II, the War Department and the Navy Department were separate cabinet agencies, which subsequently in 1947 were merged into the new Department of Defense.
The War Department supported the United States Army, which consisted of three components, with a peak strength around 11.2 million:
The Navy Department supported the following:
The merchant marine was not part of the military, and was overseen by the War Shipping Administration during most of World War II. Merchant mariners were civilians with a high death rate; 215,000 served, 8,600 died. In addition, many merchant marine ships carried Navy gun crews, where 145,000 served and 1,800 died.
United States Army Deaths (K denotes 1,000):
Army Ground Forces:
Army Air Forces:
During World War II, the War Department and the Navy Department were separate cabinet agencies, which subsequently in 1947 were merged into the new Department of Defense.
The War Department supported the United States Army, which consisted of three components, with a peak strength around 11.2 million:
- Army Ground Forces
- Army Air Forces, peak strength 2.4 million.
- Army Service Forces
The Navy Department supported the following:
- United States Navy peak strength 4.2 million.
- United States Marine Corps, peak strength 660,000.
- United States Coast Guard (transferred from the Treasury Department during WW II).
The merchant marine was not part of the military, and was overseen by the War Shipping Administration during most of World War II. Merchant mariners were civilians with a high death rate; 215,000 served, 8,600 died. In addition, many merchant marine ships carried Navy gun crews, where 145,000 served and 1,800 died.
United States Army Deaths (K denotes 1,000):
Army Ground Forces:
Army Air Forces:
- 88 K died in service.
- 52 K battle deaths, of which 46 K were killed in action.
- 36 K non-battle deaths, of which 26 K were killed in aircraft accidents.
WW II Data webpage sources
- The webpage header photo, "Mobile Data Processing", shows the inside of a 32nd Machine Records Unit truck. It is taken from an on-line book, http://www.ibiblio.org/cizewski/signalcorps/32mru/32mruhistory.pdf, courtesy of Donna Barolla, the niece of the book's late author, Otis F. Wollenberg. In the pre-computer error of World War II, the United States Army used a number of mobile data processing centers. Card punch machines were used to punch data onto what were popularly called IBM Cards and massive decks of cards were then processed by different machines such as sorters and tabulators. Printers would then generate reports.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Air_Forces
- http://www.armed-guard.com