German casualties in World War II
Encyclopedia
German casualties in World War II i.e. deaths, are broken down as follows:
The German Army historian
Dr. Rüdiger Overmans published a study in 2000 that estimated German military dead and missing at 5.3 million. Dr. Overmans, has provided an official reassessment of German military war dead based on a statistical survey
of German military personnel records. The results of the Overmans research project were published with the endorsement of the German Armed Forces Military History Research Office of the Federal Ministry of Defense (Germany). The study found that the statistics collected by German military during the war were incomplete and did not provide an accurate accounting of casualties
Overmans believes that there is not sufficient data to breakout the 1,230,045 deaths in the 1945 Final Battles in Germany between the Western Allied invasion of Germany and Eastern Front in 1945
, although he estimates that 2/3 of these casualties can be attributed to the Eastern Front. Soviet sources claimed that “In 1945 the German Army lost more than 1,000,000 men killed on the Soviet-German front alone.”
Russian figures for German losses on the Eastern Front Total 6,923,700: Killed 4,137,100, taken prisoner 2,571,600 and 215,000 dead among Russian volunteers in the Wehrmacht
. Deaths of POW were 450,600 including 356,700 in NKVD camps and 93,900 in transit.
Soviet sources reported that “In 1945 the German Army lost more than 1,000,000 men killed on the Soviet-German front alone.”
Figures do not include POW deaths of 363,000 in Soviet captivity, these losses were listed separately by Overmans.
Overmans did not include Russian volunteers in the Wehrmacht
in his figures. Russian military historian Grigoriy Krivosheyev's estimate for these losses is 215,000 killed.
The estimated 500,000 to 2,000,000 civilian deaths due to the expulsion of Germans after World War II
and the Forced labor of Germans in the Soviet Union
are sometimes included with World War II Casualties.
The German Army historian
German Armed Forces Military History Research Office
The German Armed Forces Military History Research Office is located at Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg, Germany.-Mission:...
Dr. Rüdiger Overmans published a study in 2000 that estimated German military dead and missing at 5.3 million. Dr. Overmans, has provided an official reassessment of German military war dead based on a statistical survey
Sampling (statistics)
In statistics and survey methodology, sampling is concerned with the selection of a subset of individuals from within a population to estimate characteristics of the whole population....
of German military personnel records. The results of the Overmans research project were published with the endorsement of the German Armed Forces Military History Research Office of the Federal Ministry of Defense (Germany). The study found that the statistics collected by German military during the war were incomplete and did not provide an accurate accounting of casualties
Military casualties
| Front | Total Dead |
|---|---|
| Eastern Front until 12/31/44 Eastern Front (World War II) The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945... |
2,742,909 |
| Western Europe until 12/31/44 Western Front (World War II) The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations... |
339,957 |
| Final Battles in Germany 1945 | 1,230,045 |
| Other (including Sea and Air War Germany) | 245,561 |
| Italy | 150,660 |
| The Balkans | 103,693 |
| Northern Europe | 30,165 |
| Africa | 16,066 |
| Prisoners of War | 459,475 |
| Total | 5,318,531 |
Overmans believes that there is not sufficient data to breakout the 1,230,045 deaths in the 1945 Final Battles in Germany between the Western Allied invasion of Germany and Eastern Front in 1945
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
, although he estimates that 2/3 of these casualties can be attributed to the Eastern Front. Soviet sources claimed that “In 1945 the German Army lost more than 1,000,000 men killed on the Soviet-German front alone.”
Russian figures for German losses on the Eastern Front Total 6,923,700: Killed 4,137,100, taken prisoner 2,571,600 and 215,000 dead among Russian volunteers in the Wehrmacht
Russian volunteer units with Axis forces
-German Army intelligence units related with the Russian cause:*"Fremde Heere Ost" Intelligence Section*"Wehrmacht Propaganda IV" or "WPrIV"-German Commanders linked with Russian units:*SS-Brigadeführer Christoph Diehm*SS-Obersturmbannführer Hans Siegling...
. Deaths of POW were 450,600 including 356,700 in NKVD camps and 93,900 in transit.
| Year | Total Dead |
|---|---|
| 1939 | 19,000 |
| 1940 | 83,000 |
| 1941 | 357,000 |
| 1942 | 572,000 |
| 1943 | 812,000 |
| 1944 | 1,802,000 |
| 1945 (Jan-May) | 1,407,000 |
| After June 1945 | 266,000 |
| Total | 5,318,000 |
| Total During Year | Total Dead |
|---|---|
| 1941 | 302,000 |
| 1942 | 507,000 |
| 1943 | 701,000 |
| 1944 | 1,233,000 |
| Total 1941-1944 | 2,742,000 |
Soviet sources reported that “In 1945 the German Army lost more than 1,000,000 men killed on the Soviet-German front alone.”
Figures do not include POW deaths of 363,000 in Soviet captivity, these losses were listed separately by Overmans.
| Branch | Total Dead |
|---|---|
| Army | 4,202,030 |
| Air Force (Including Infantry Units) | 432,706 |
| Navy | 138,429 |
| Waffen SS | 313,749 |
| Volkssturm | 77,726 |
| Paramilitary and support forces | 153,891 |
| Total | 5,318,531 |
| Nation | Total Dead |
|---|---|
| Pre-war Germany (1937 borders) and the Free City of Danzig | 4,456,000 |
| Austria | 261,000 |
| Ethnic Germans conscripted in Eastern Europe | 534,000 |
| French | 30,000 |
| Volunteers from Western Europe | 37,000 |
| Total | 5,318,000 |
Overmans did not include Russian volunteers in the Wehrmacht
Russian volunteer units with Axis forces
-German Army intelligence units related with the Russian cause:*"Fremde Heere Ost" Intelligence Section*"Wehrmacht Propaganda IV" or "WPrIV"-German Commanders linked with Russian units:*SS-Brigadeführer Christoph Diehm*SS-Obersturmbannführer Hans Siegling...
in his figures. Russian military historian Grigoriy Krivosheyev's estimate for these losses is 215,000 killed.
| Total Dead | |
|---|---|
| Killed in Action | 2,303,320 |
| Died of wounds, disease or accidents | 505,165 |
| Sentenced to Death | 11,000 |
| Missing in action or unaccounted for | 2,007,571 |
| Suicides | 25,000 |
| Unknown | 6,469 |
| Confirmed POW Deaths | 459,475 |
| Total | 5,318,000 |
| Total Dead | |
|---|---|
| In Soviet captivity | 363,000 |
| In French captivity | 34,000 |
| In American captivity | 22,000 |
| In British captivity | 21,000 |
| In Yugoslav captivity | 11,000 |
| Other nations captivity | 8,000 |
| Total | 459,000 |
| Average during Quarter | Held Western Allies | Held by Soviets & their Allies | Total Living POW |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Quarter 1941 | 6,600 | 26,000 | 32,600 |
| 4th Quarter 1942 | 22,300 | 100,000 | 122,300 |
| 4th Quarter 1943 | 200,000 | 155,000 | 355,000 |
| 4th Quarter 1944 | 720,000 | 563,000 | 1,283,000 |
| 1st Quarter 1945 | 920,000 | 1,103,000 | 2,023,000 |
| 2nd Quarter 1945 | 5,440,000 | 2,130,000 | 7,570,000 |
| 3rd Quarter 1945 | 6,672,000 | 2,163,000 | 8,835,000 |
Civilian Casualties
| Total Dead | |
|---|---|
| Killed in Allied Aerial Bombardment | 370,000 |
| Killed during the fighting in Berlin | 22,000 |
| Killed by Soviet military and their allies in Eastern Europe (Including killed due military activity) | 150,000. |
| Killed by Nazis due to political, racial and religious persecution | 300,000 (Including 160,000 German Jews) |
| Killed in Nazi Action T4 euthanasia program | at least 100,000 |
| Total | 942,000 |
The estimated 500,000 to 2,000,000 civilian deaths due to the expulsion of Germans after World War II
Expulsion of Germans after World War II
The later stages of World War II, and the period after the end of that war, saw the forced migration of millions of German nationals and ethnic Germans from various European states and territories, mostly into the areas which would become post-war Germany and post-war Austria...
and the Forced labor of Germans in the Soviet Union
Forced labor of Germans in the Soviet Union
Forced labor of Germans in the Soviet Union was considered by the Soviet Union to be part of German war reparations for the damage inflicted by Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union during World War II. German civilians in Eastern Europe were deported to the USSR after World War II as forced laborers...
are sometimes included with World War II Casualties.