Selected Equipment Loss Statistics World War II

This table provides a small selection about a wide range of equipment listed as destroyed or damaged by all sides during the Second World War.

The tables are grouped according similar equipment / categories to allow comparisons. For example: total aircraft lost by each participant is grouped together. Within the aircraft table different types produced by each nation are grouped together to allow that comparison and so forth.

In all cases either official loss reports are used or the best estimate from a variety of sources was used to come up with the figures.

Aircraft and Personnel Losses

Aircraft Losses During the Second World War (1937-1945)
Country Total A/C Lost 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 KIA POW MIA Total Mobilized
United States 41,575         411 1,727 6,619 20,394 12,424        
Germany                            
United Kingdom                     55,564 (Bomber command)      
France                            
Russia                            
Italy                            
Japan                            
Poland                            
Hungary                            
Romania                            
Canada                            

See http://www.usaaf.net/digest/t100.htm for breakdown of US loss by theatre

In the ETO (non Mediterranean MTO) during 1944, USAAF lost 1,293 fighter aircraft to enemy fighters, while losing 1,611 due to German Flak. In 1945 the ratio of fighters lost to Flak vs Luftwaffe fighters was almost 4:1.

3,249 Lancasters were lost on operations. Each Lancaster carried 7 crewmen. Even though mostly flown at night the ability of the German night-fighter pilots were so good that only 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations.

Naval Equipment

Naval Equipment Losses - Values in ( ) is personnel lost by while serving in that type of ship
  Battleships Pocket Battleships Fleet Carriers Escort Carriers Battle Cruisers Cruisers Lt. Cruisers Destroyers Frigates or similar Oilers Liberty Ships Other Supply Ships PT Boats Other Submarines Personnel
United States 2   5 6   10   71     226       52 (3,623 personnel, 4 subs in the Atlantic)  
Germany 4 3     2 2 5 44 86         550 785  
Japan 10   20     38   115             119  
Britain 4   5 5 2 33   154 138         2,633 90  
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 
Total Axis Losses                                
Total Allied Losses                     5,150 (2828 by U-Boats)          

US Figures from statistical Abstract of the US (1944, 1947, 1950), Enclylopedia America (1995), and books on US Naval operations during WWII. Of the US battleships at Pearl Harbor, only two: Arizona and Utah, were unable to be salvaged, the other 5 returned to combat or served some other use (one was an ammo ship!).

Unique Air Battle Losses Over Europe

8th AF - Heaviest Mission Losses of Bombers

Date Mission Number Target Dispatched Abort Crossed Coast Lost En Route Bombed Total Lost Cat E Damaged
17-Aug-43 84 Schweinfurt 230 21 209 21 188 36 3 118
17-Aug-43 84 Regensburg 146 5 141 14 127 24 1 50
17-Aug-43 Total     376 26 350 35 315 60 4 168
6-Sep-43 91 Stuggart (various targets) 181 10 171 20 151 27 9 47
6-Sep-43 91 Stuggart (FW Factory) 157 28 129 18 111 18 1 69
6-Sep-43 91 B-24s (Diversion) 69 9 60 0 60 0 0 0
6-Sep-43 Total     407 47 360 38 322 45 10 116
4-Oct-43 108 Wiesbaden / Frankfurt 104 7 97 0 97 5   45
4-Oct-43 108 Frankfurt 51 14 37 0 37 3   35
4-Oct-43 108 Saarlautern 115 10 105 0 105 4 4 19
4-Oct-43 108 Sarreguemnines 53 6 47 0 47 0   2
4-Oct-43 108 Diversion (B-24s) 38 0 38 0 38 4   19
4-Oct-43 Total     361 37 324 0 324 16 4 120
8-Oct-43 111 Bremen 118 13 105 0 105 9   61
8-Oct-43 111 Bremen 56 3 53 0 53 4   44
8-Oct-43 111 Vegesack (B-24s) 55 12 43 0 43 3   21
8-Oct-43 111 Bremen 170 14 156 0 156 14 2 110
8-Oct-43 Total     399 42 357 0 357 30 2 236
9-Oct-43 113 Anklam 115 9 106 0 106 18 1 51
9-Oct-43 113 Marienburg 100 4 96 0 96 2   13
9-Oct-43 113 Gydnia 112 3 109 0 109 6 1 62
9-Oct-43 Total     327 16 311 0 311 26 2 126
10-Oct-43 114 Munster 274 38 236 0 236 30 3 102
10-Oct-43 Total     274 38 236 0 236 30 3 102
14-Oct-43 115 Schweinfurt 291 37 254 32 222 60 7 138
14-Oct-43 115 Schweinfurt (B24s Diversion 60 31 0 0 0 0 0 0
14-Oct-43 Total     351 68 254 32 222 60 7 138
11-Jan-44 182 Oschersleben 177   177 0 159 34 2 83
11-Jan-44 182 Halberstadt 114   114 0 107 8 1 42
11-Jan-44 182 Brunswick (Plus 1 B-24 tag-along) 234   234 0 219 16 1 47
11-Jan-44 182 Brunswick (B-24s) 138 70 68 2 66 2 1 7
11-Jan-44 Total     663 70 593 2 551 60 5 179
6-Mar-44 250 Berlin 504   504 0 474 35 3 121
6-Mar-44 250 Berlin 226 12 226 0 198 16 1 54
6-Mar-44 Total     730 0 0 0 672 51 4 175
Grand Total     3888 344 2785 107 3310 378 41 1360

The mission to Ploseti from bases in North Africa. Two B-24 units of the 8th Air Force participated in this mission.

Date Mission Number Target Dispatched Abort Crossed Coast Lost En Route Bombed Total Lost Cat E Damaged
1-Aug-43   Ploseti, Rumania 179 2 175 1 174 55 2  

The IPMS Group in Atlanta Georgia made dioramas of Ploesti for the 8th AF Museum and the 44th BG

Sources

 

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