Putting the losses of WW2 into perspective (And only Slightly)

[Jracule]

One disturbing thing I have noticed while attending University is that many seem to underestimate the costs and scale of the Second World War. (And all war for that matter) Many only know how and where one achieved victory, but few know what It took to get it.

 

I found this picture while randomly surfing the web today and thought it very interesting. It displays the naval units lost by Britain alone during the Second World War. A graph also shows the losses of WW1.

 

 

Mind boggling right? Remember that each of these ships had a crew, each of these crewmembers had a family, and the very real chance that these families lost a loved one. The scope becomes even larger when you remember that every other nation involved had a collection of ships just like this. Ships that never came back home.

[Krieg]

Yeah, a lot of people don't appreciate the losses. A further chilling fact were the Northern supply convoys to the USSR. If your ship went down in those waters the whole crew was a goner.

[Daltron]

Ballsacks.

 

That's almost incomprehensible. The sheer materiel and time needed to make these ships and the men who had lives and the service history of all these ships.

 

Just gone.

[Snakehead1234]

Ballsacks?  :Smile_sceptic:

[evanrafuse]

how do u get to play this game

[DementedMind]

evanrafuse, on 06 February 2013 - 10:13 PM, said:

how do u get to play this game

My reaction reading this message: :Smile_unsure:... :Smile_sceptic:... :Smile-angry:... :Smile_izmena:

Evanrafuse, please read FAQ.

edit: forgot all about this thread, very interesting find. It is sad how much energy and lost men we have invested into this war...

[Jagdzeit]

and correct me if im wrong, but thats just british ships, and warships too.

 

the merchants, as well as all other nations losses

 

ironbottom sound was 49 losses by the end of the guadalcanal campaign, and that was just one battle.

 

and if im correct, only 58% of all submariners lived to see the end of the war.

[nixxxie]

Scroll for human losses by country. Especially check civilian losses: http://en.wikipedia....r_II_casualties

[turmacil]

Wow, that is a lot.

 

And I had never really realized that Great Britain had fielded much less lost that many carriers.

[lapon2046]

It's mind-boggling what it cost, in materials and lives, for everyone involved. Best we can do is honor the memories and try to not do it again.

[Commanderjoebob]

I hear about the air corp and how many losses they took. It was just unbelievable. the U.S. predicted another million losses if they didn't drop the atomic bomb. Fun fact: In preparation for the invasion of the Japanese mainland 1,000,000 purple hearts were manufacture, but due to the Atomic bomb none were used. So still today we use that supply and another has never been made since.

[Commanderjoebob]

http://en.wikipedia....in_World_War_II

[Commanderjoebob]

http://users.erols.c...28/ww2-loss.htm

[nixxxie]

Commanderjoebob, on 07 February 2013 - 02:17 AM, said:

http://users.erols.c...28/ww2-loss.htm

Makes you think, but it's still not complete, compare with my wiki link.

But at least it has pre-war borders...

PS: It took me a while to decipher what this "cog" is. Should be yellow and with thicker lines.

[Anikus_Augustus]

One of the things I find staggering about the second world war is that bodies and various graves are still being found to this day. Expanding cities in Europe, constructions projects in Asia and Russia are turning up long dead soldiers (some still in their tanks and aircraft). Even after almost 70 years since the conflict has ened, the casualty figures for WW2 are still increasing.

[Wunderwaffen1945]

Ther are still to many men missing and not count in finall number of dead

[Sampsonite]

And they are all still lying on the bottom of the ocean, many still undiscovered....Unmarked graves.....

[trojankv]

The scale of human loss of life in WW2 is just so big it's incomprehensible.  Especially when you compare it to what happened in recent past when say more than 100 soldiers were lost in Iraq or Afghanistan in a month and it's considered one of the worst months (which was still a great tragedy).

nixxxie, on 07 February 2013 - 12:05 AM, said:

Scroll for human losses by country. Especially check civilian losses: http://en.wikipedia....r_II_casualties

Like almost 25 million Russians.  It's hard to fathom.

[MerryPrankster]

Hard to say how many Chinese lost their lives at the hands of the Japanese.

[ReiAyanami]

U boat net has a detailed list of submarine caused losses. The Greek merchant marine had

119 ships sunk (520,209 tons) and 4 ships damaged (18,569 tons) by German U boats.

 

http://www.uboat.net...ants/search.php

Adding the losses caused by luftwaffe, the Italian navy and other Axis action, the result is the following

 

334 were sunk through Axis action, 32 were seized by the Axis powers, 63 were lost for other reasons. Total tonnage lost amounted to 1,346,502,   71% of the 1939 fleet.

Quote

Two thousand seamen lost their lives and a further 2,500 were wounded, losses which had a disproportionate impact on the relatively small number of Aegean islands from which crews were recruited

[ScrewySqrl]

A book I have, "Dirty Little Secrets of World War II"  adds all the records known at that time (1993), and suggests 100 million for total deaths.

[admarillstonewall]

a lot of lives

[Tyekanik]

You are still alive?

[MM2ss]

I highly suggest folks visit local memorials and museums, it an be very enlightening and moving.

 

After my first deployment we had a sort of social event for the crew and families at a museum up in Virginia (Huntington Park in Newport News).  There are a number of memorials there, including one for the submarines of WWII that remain on eternal patron, another for the crew of the Scorpion, and many others as well.  I no longer have the pictures, but I did find one of a similar memorial at another location (chained off and lacking the torpedo but still, otherwise very similar).

 

When I read the names of the ships lost it was frankly a very emotional moment.  Reading the names of the members of the crew of the Scorpion choked me up.  The extent of the losses experienced in WWII were staggering and heartbreaking.

 

 

Fair winds and following seas shipmates.

[Coldt]

All those ships, each one of them a grave for dozens, hundreds, or thousands of men.  That is the terrible cost of war, and yet even this is nothing.  There are millions of memorials around the world that stand as a testament to the kind of horror man is capable of, and to the amazing valor shown by those who fought  and gave so much to try and stop the suffering.  Each of these statues, or stones, or plaques, or grand structures is only a sorrowful, tear stained, page in the book of humanity.  They're the physical embodiment of our darkest chapters, the tales of monsters who slayed countless innocents and of armies that plundered and massacred countless more.  But, hidden in the darkest reaches of these shadowed pages are the brightest lights that humanity will ever bare witness.  These are of the heroes that gave everything in the name of hope.  We have an obligation to these heroes to remember not just what they did but why, why they did, why they felt it was necessary to risk everything.  They hoped that humanity would be better, that it would be greater than hate, that it could do away with suffering and defeat cruelty, and spread its kindness throughout countless more ages.  The fact that we are here today is a testament to their success.  However, the story of humanity is far from over.  No one can say for certain when it will end or whether or not the ending will be a happy one or a sad one.  Remember, and learn, and teach the good teachings, and we can all do our part to truly honor those that have sacrificed, and ensure that, when the last page of our book finally turns, it's a bright and glorious end, and a shining new beginning.