List of battles with most United States military fatalities explained

This article contains a list of battles with most United States military fatalities, in terms of American deaths.

Introduction

This article lists battles and campaigns in which the number of U.S. soldiers killed was higher than 1,000. The battles and campaigns that reached that number of deaths in the field are so far limited to the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, and one campaign during the Vietnam War (the Tet Offensive from January 30 to September 23, 1968). The campaign that resulted in the most US military deaths was the Battle of Normandy (June 6 to August 25, 1944) in which 29,204 soldiers were killed fighting against Nazi Germany.

The bloodiest single day in the history of the United States military is either June 6, 1944, with 2,500 soldiers killed during the Invasion of Normandy on D-Day, or September 12th, 1918, at the start of the Battle of Saint Mihiel, with over 2,500 dead (however, this exact figure is unverifiable because of poor documentation). The third-highest single-day toll was the Battle of Antietam, with 2,108 dead.

The deadliest single-day battle in American history, if all engaged armies are considered, is the Battle of Antietam with 3,675 killed, including both United States and Confederate soldiers (total casualties for both sides were 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing Union and Confederate soldiers September 17, 1862).

The origins of the U.S. military can be traced to the Americans' fight for independence from their former colonial power, Great Britain, in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). The three bloodiest conflicts have been American Civil War (1861–1865), World War I (1917–1918), and World War II (1941–1945 for declared American involvement). Other significant conflicts involving the United States ordered by casualties include the Korean War (1950–1953), the Vietnam War (1964–1973), the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), and various conflicts in the Middle East.

Scope and definitions

The definition of "battle" as a concept in military science has varied with the changes in the organization, employment, and technology of military forces. Before the 20th century, "battle" usually meant a military clash over a small area, lasting a few days at most and often just one day—such as the Battle of Waterloo, which began and ended on 18 June 1815 on a field a few kilometers across.

Especially in 20th-century conflicts, "battle" has meant "military campaign"—larger and longer military operations, on the operational or even strategic level—such as the Battle of the Atlantic, fought for several years (1939–1945) over about a fifth of the Earth's surface.

Since both types of "battles" are not usefully comparable in many ways, including casualty comparisons, this article is divided into two sections, one for battle in the older, more restricted sense and one for campaigns, many of which are also called battles.

There are actions at the margins that can be reasonably assigned to either list. For instance, the Battle of Spotsylvania lasted 14 days, but the main part was fought on a small field (less than three kilometers on a side), and in this way being more in the nature of a siege (a military action typically of long duration but in covering a relatively small area). Like the similar Battle of Cold Harbor, also part of the Overland Campaign, it is included in this article on the Battles list. The Battle of Saint-Mihiel, lasting only about four days, but on a larger field (roughly 12 kilometers by 25 kilometers), is also included on the Battles list.

The term casualty in warfare can often be confusing. It often does not refer to those who are killed on the battlefield; rather, it refers to those who can no longer fight. That can include disabled by injuries, disabled by psychological trauma, captured, deserted, or missing. A casualty is only a soldier who is no longer available for the immediate battle or campaign, the major consideration in combat, and the number of casualties is simply the number of members of a unit who are not available for duty. For example, during the Seven Days Battles during the American Civil War (June 25 to July 1, 1862) there were 5,228 killed, 23,824 wounded and 7,007 missing or taken prisoners for a total of 36,059 casualties. The word casualty has been used in a military context since at least 1513.[1] In this article the numbers killed refer to those killed in action, killed by disease or someone who died from their wounds.

Battles

Battle or siegeConflictDatedata-sort-type="number"Estimated number killed Opposing forceReferences
Battle of Elsenborn Ridge (part of the Battle of the Bulge)World War II Germany[2]
Battle of Saint-MihielWorld War I Germany[3]
Battle of GettysburgAmerican Civil War Confederate States of America
Battle of Leyte GulfWorld War II Japan
Battle of SpotsylvaniaAmerican Civil War Confederate States of America
D-Day (first day of Operation Overlord)World War II Germany
Pearl Harbor AttackWorld War II Japan
Battle of the WildernessAmerican Civil War Confederate States of America
Operation Thunderbolt (part of the Chinese Invasion of South Korea)Korean War China
North Korea		[4]
Battle of AntietamAmerican Civil War Confederate States of America
Battle of Aachen (part of the Battle of Hürtgen Forest)World War II Germany
Battle of Cold HarborAmerican Civil War Confederate States of America
Battle of TarawaWorld War II Japan
Battle of ShilohAmerican Civil War Confederate States of America
Second Battle of Bull RunAmerican Civil War Confederate States of America
Seven Days BattlesAmerican Civil War killed Confederate States of America
UN Invasion of North KoreaKorean War North Korea
China
Naval Battle of GuadalcanalWorld War IIJapan
Battle of Stones RiverAmerican Civil War Confederate States of America
Battle of ChickamaugaAmerican Civil War Confederate States of America
Battle of ChancellorsvilleAmerican Civil War Confederate States of America
UN Counteroffensive from the Pusan Perimeter (including the Inchon Landings and the Second Battle of Seoul)Korean War North Korea
Task Force FaithKorean War China
Second Battle of Naktong Bulge (part of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter)Korean War North Korea[5]
Battle of FredericksburgAmerican Civil War Confederate States of America
Battle of TaejonKorean WarNorth Korea[6]
Battle of Savo Island (part of the Guadalcanal Campaign) World War II Japan
Battle of Belleau WoodWorld War I killed Germany
Battle of Masan (part of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter)Korean War North Korea[7]
Battle of Manila (part of the Battle of Luzon)World War II Japan[8]

Campaigns

CampaignConflictDatedata-sort-type="number"Estimated number killed Opposing forceReferences
Battle of NormandyWorld War IIGermany[9]
Meuse–Argonne OffensiveWorld War IGermany
Battle of the BulgeWorld War IIGermany
Central Europe CampaignWorld War IIGermany
38th Parallel Static Warfare CampaignKorean WarChina[10]
Philippines CampaignWorld War IIJapan[11]
Battle of OkinawaWorld War IIJapan[12]
Battle of Hürtgen ForestWorld War IIGermany
North Apennines CampaignWorld War IIGermany
Battle of LuzonWorld War IIJapan
Chinese Invasion of South KoreaKorean WarChina[13]
Operation DragoonWorld War IIGermany
Guadalcanal CampaignWorld War IIJapan
Alsace CampaignWorld War IIGermany[14]
Battle of Iwo JimaWorld War IIJapan
Lorraine CampaignWorld War IIGermany
Naples–Foggia CampaignWorld War IIGermany
Battle of AnzioWorld War IIGermany
Battle of Pusan PerimeterKorean WarNorth Korea
Chinese Second Phase Offensive in North KoreaKorean WarChina
Chinese Spring Offensive and UN Counteroffensive (part of the Chinese Invasion of South Korea)Korean WarChina
North Korea		[15]
Battle of LeyteWorld War IIJapan
Saar-Palatinate OffensiveWorld War IIGermany[16]
Battle of SaipanWorld War IIJapan
Tet OffensiveVietnam WarNorth Vietnam
Viet Cong
North Korean Invasion of South KoreaKorean WarNorth Korea[17]
Battle of Chosin ReservoirKorean WarChina
Tunisian CampaignWorld War IIGermany
Italy
Battle of SicilyWorld War IIItaly
Germany
Dutch East Indies CampaignWorld War IIJapan[18]
Second Battle of the MarneWorld War IGermany
Po Valley OffensiveWorld War IIApril 5 to May 8, 1945Germany
Battle of GuamWorld War IIJapan[19]
Operation LumberjackWorld War IIGermany[20]
Battle of the Ch'ongch'on RiverKorean War killedChina[21]
Battle of PeleliuWorld War IIJapan[22]
Operation GrenadeWorld War IIGermany[23]
Battle of MindanaoWorld War IIJapan

See also

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed gives a 1513 reference for military casualty, and an 1844 reference for civilian use
  2. “A Time for Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge“, p. 410
  3. Web site: St. Mihiel American Cemetery | American Battle Monuments Commission.
  4. Ecker, Richard E. (2005). Korean Battle Chronology: Unit-by-Unit United States Casualty Figures and Medal of Honor Citations. McFarland. ISBN 0786419806. Page 83.
  5. Ecker, Richard E. (2004), Battles of the Korean War: A Chronology, with Unit-by-Unit United States Casualty Figures & Medal of Honor Citations, McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0-7864-1980-7. Page 16 and 20.
  6. Ecker, Richard E. (2004), Battles of the Korean War: A Chronology, with Unit-by-Unit United States Casualty Figures & Medal of Honor Citations, McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0-7864-1980-7. Page 6.
  7. Ecker, Richard E. (2004), Battles of the Korean War: A Chronology, with Unit-by-Unit United States Casualty Figures & Medal of Honor Citations, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0-7864-1980-7. Page 29, 31, 39.
  8. “The Battle for Manila” p. 195
  9. “ Determining the Decisive Moments: The Invasion of Normandy” p 341
  10. Ecker, Richard E. (2005). Korean Battle Chronology: Unit-by-Unit United States Casualty Figures and Medal of Honor Citations. McFarland. ISBN 0786419806.
  11. Hard to get exact numbers because post-World War II history books about the 1941-42 Philippines campaign focus mostly on the Bataan Death March and brutality in POW camps and don't give exact numbers on the KIA during the actual Battle of Bataan. Usually ~10,000 U.S. forces killed is given for the KIA in the actual Battle of Bataan. On Corregidor there were ~1,000 KIA. There were thousands more sailors and airmen killed in action during the 1941-42 Philippines Campaign on sunken U.S. Navy ships and hundreds of destroyed USAAF airplanes from December 1941 to May 1942.
  12. Web site: HyperWar: US Army in WWII: Okinawa: The Last Battle [Appendix C] ]. www.ibiblio.org . 10 November 2022.
  13. Ecker, Richard E. (2005). Korean Battle Chronology: Unit-by-Unit United States Casualty Figures and Medal of Honor Citations. McFarland. ISBN 0786419806. Page 73-105.
  14. Web site: The Colmar Pocket – "The Forgotten Campaign".
  15. Ecker, Richard E. (2005). Korean Battle Chronology: Unit-by-Unit United States Casualty Figures and Medal of Honor Citations. McFarland. ISBN 0786419806. Page 93-105.
  16. “Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015, 4th Ed.” page 480
  17. Sobieski, Anthony J. 1127 Days of Death – a Korean War Chronology – Part I, 1950. https://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/Korea/KoreanWarPartI . Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  18. 10 U.S. Navy ships were sunk, resulting in 1,973 killed in action. 24 U.S. Army soldiers of the Lost Battalion were killed in action. Unknown number of USAAF airmen flying P-40 fighters were also killed during this campaign.
  19. Book: Rottman . Gordon L . Guam 1941 & 1944: Loss and Reconquest . 2004 . Osprey Publishing Ltd. . Botley . 978-1-84176-811-3 . 1st . 1 November 2020.
  20. “Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015, 4th Ed.” page 479
  21. .
  22. Eggenberger, D. "An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present". Courier Corporation. 2012.
  23. "Warfare and Armed Conflicts" p. 479

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