How many people died in the second world war

How many people died in World War II 2

A typical life expectancy of an American citizen is 80 years and a person who is 80-year old now was only 10 when World War II finished. Soldier who witnessed battles are very elderly people today. During the latest several decades lots of writers and film directors have been rushing to record memories from WW2 participants while even few of them are still alive.

Author: Neil Halloran

We’re not going to tell you about personal war stories and those who survived. Our aim is to sum up the huge number of people’s lives that were lost in this terrible war and compare them to deaths in other historical conflicts, including modern ones.

The most horrible battle in the East was the battle of Okinawa. It went on for 82 days; 12500 Americans fell during it. Approximately 5000 of them were exterminated in the water by kamikaze attacks. And now let’s move on to the European territories. Nazi Germany began World War II by conquering Poland, whose total losses were 200 000 soldiers. The majority of them died during the occupation. Meanwhile, Hitler’s forces lost only 16000 in this campaign. Then they continued conquering European countries such as Greece, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Yugoslavia and Denmark. Having lost 92 thousand soldiers during the Battle of France, this country had to surrender. Then more than 200 000 Frenchmen died in POW camps, fighting in colonies and other war events. In Yugoslavia nearly 500 000 fighters died when the invasion and occupation happened. The casualties on both sides were rather small, but they grew because of mass executions and guerrilla movement.

But the vast majority of the Nazi casualties were from the Eastern front. Hitler’s failed attempt to conquer the Soviet Union cost the both sides an immense amount of lives. The most well-known Eastern Front battle became Stalingrad, which probably changed the course of the whole war. The Nazis’ 6th army managed to take the city at first, but after that the Soviet forces surrounded them and cut off from their supplies. About 500 000 Germans died in this battle. Another 100 000 were captured as POWs and only 6000 of them returned. POWs in WW2 survived very rarely. Also, it’s important to notice that the Nazis suffered as many losses in Stalingrad as on the whole Western Front, and though the Soviets won in this battle, they lost almost two times more people than their enemies.

The Soviets defeated the seemingly invincible Nazi war machine. They killed 2,3 million German soldiers but the war was extremely hard for them. 8,7 million, which is the official statistic given by Russian military, seems to be a highly questionable number. Several researchers have counted no less than 14 million of deaths! To make the count of war losses in Europe even more complete, we should add Nazis who were killed on other fronts, such as the North African one,
and Germany’s allies – for example, Italy, Romania and Hungary.

Now let’s move on to European civilians. First of all, we must mention the Holocaust. It took the lives of 6 million Jews. Nearly half of them – 2,7 million – were from Poland, and 700 000 were Soviet citizens. The next is Hungary and 17 other countries go after it. Almost 50 percent of the killed Jews died in the concentration camps. More than one sixth of them died in Auschwitz-Birkenau – the deadliest camp ever. The majority of these Jews were murdered in the gas chambers. Many others died of hunger, hard labor, sicknesses and lots of other horrible things. The second biggest camp was named Treblinka. It was created solely for extermination and had an innocuous appearance of a simple train station. In addition to that, there were mobile execution squads that murdered 1,4 million of Jewish people. As in the concentration camps, Nazi killed men at first, because they thought it minimized the possibility of an uprising.

How many people died WW2

Bbut Jews weren’t the only Holocaust victims. Many non-Jews also died in this horrible tragedy- for example, Roma, then known as Gypsies. Nazis thought that they were a “lower race” too, and wanted to exterminate them along with Jews and other “undesirable” nationalities. From 130 000 to 500 000 of them were executed. In addition to them, almost 250.000 disabled people were murdered. Other victims included gays, Catholics and some more groups, but they were much smaller. According to some historians, Holocaust should also include civilians who were killed on the occupied territories, such as nearly 2 million Poles without Jewish or Roma origin. Some of them were also murdered in gas chambers.

Civilian and military deaths combined make up approximately 16% of the whole European population. It’s a very large number, but not the highest one. The Soviet Union lost much, much more people – from 10 to 20 million. An especially hard part of the war for them was the Leningrad siege. Nowadays called Saint-Petersburg, Leningrad was surrounded by the Nazi army that stopped the civilians from evacuating. All supplies were blocked for two years and a half.
As a result, 1 500 000 people died of hunger. Most of them were civilians. Stalin was often cruel to his own people, and this time was no exception. It’s one of the reasons the losses were so huge. The Soviet leader forbade many people to escape from sieged cities to make the army protect them more fiercely. Nearly a million Soviet citizens died in Stalin’s prison camp system known as gulag.

So, we’ve already counted approximately 20 million civilian deaths. But don’t forget that we’re talking solely about Europe. But it wasn’t the only military theater of World War II. In addition to it, the war was going on in Asia. Here, most of the casualties are of Chinese and Japanese origin. As for civilian losses, 6 million of them were caused by Japanese war criminals. The victims were from various countries such as Korea, Indonesia, China, Indochinese countries and the Philippines. Japanese atrocities were so cruel that they can be easily compared to Nazi ones. The number of Chinese who died is really immense – it had the second death rate after the Soviet Union. One of the reasons for this was also the fact that the Chinese government didn’t hesitate to sacrifice its own citizens. One time the nationalists from that country opened the dike on the Yellow River, supposing the water would stop the advancing Japanese forces. 500 000 or even more Chinese civilians died because of this. It’s 2 or 3 times more than the total number of the Asian tsunami victims in 2004!

But the Japanese lost only 200 000 people when invading China. Most of Japan’s soldiers were killed in the Pacific theater fighting Americans and other Allies. A large percent of Japanese citizen deaths were caused by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. US officially stated that the strikes were directed at military objects, but in reality it was wrong – they targeted civilians. Americans also bombed other Japanese cities, although not with nuclear bombs, but it also led to lots of deaths.

All of this summed up give us a truly staggering number – 70 million deaths. World War Two took much more lives than any other war in human history. The fact that all these horrors happened in only six years make it even more unimaginable. Some of historical conflicts lasted for decades, but their casualties can’t be compared to this terrifying war. But, on the other hand, the population of the world has greatly increased throughout the history. So, if we look at those numbers from the point of percentage, we’ll find that, surprisingly, World War Two killed not the highest percent from the total world population. Some of the earlier wars were even more devastating to the mankind – but because Earth’s population was much smaller, the losses were incomparably smaller too.

Peace is an extremely important thing for all of us, but we usually don’t pay attention to it – just like we don’t notice when we are healthy. Sometimes we should remind ourselves of how horrifying a war could be to really appreciate our peaceful life. Of course, it’s unknown will this trend continue or not and will the future generations make the right decisions to save it. But the longer this peace stays, the more significant it gets, so if the news doesn’t make us feel optimistic about the future, the statistics might.

How many Soviet citizens died in World War II?

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial near Kremlin, dedicated to all Soviet soldiers who gave their lives protecting their country in 1941-1945.

In 1946, reacting to Winston Churchill’s Fulton speech that marked the start of the Cold War, Joseph Stalin mentioned the Great Patriotic War (how Russians refer to the war with Nazi Germany) and stated that “as a result of the German invasion, the Soviet Union irrevocably lost… around 7 million people.” That was the first ever official Soviet stance on war casualties. And it was fake news.

Numbers grow

That’s how the official estimate of the number of people the USSR lost to WWII changed from 1946 to 2015.

“In fact, Stalin had knowledge of the other statistical data: 15 million casualties. This number was contained in a report delivered to him in early 1946, by the commission led by The State Planning Committee’s president Nikolai Voznesensky,” Professor Viktor Zemskov of the Institute of Russian History notes. Zemskov supposes that Stalin was eager to hide the real scale of losses from both the Soviet citizens and the world – in order not to show the USSR as a state weakened by the war.

Nevertheless, the official 7-million estimate of casualties didn’t last long, as most Soviet people believed that number to be too low. In 1965, Nikita Khrushchev, who succeeded Stalin as USSR’s leader, mentioned a higher number: 20 million. Essentially, this is the number that became the official evaluation for the rest of the Soviet era – Leonid Brezhnev adhered to it too, but added “more than” to the 20 million casualties.

The Unknown Soldier memorial often is decorated with flowers.

Both Khrushchev and Brezhnev used the phrase “the war cost the country…” to lump everyone together, not separating those who died in the battlefield, victims of German occupation, those who starved to death, etc.

After the dissolution of the USSR, the estimate grew again. According to the latest statements that Russian authorities officially acknowledge, overall losses (both among soldiers and civilians) amounted to 26,6 million people. That’s the official evaluation of the losses today (in 2019) – at least, it’s the number Russian state officials mention on Victory day, commemorations and so on.

Devil in the details

While dealing with those numbers, they didn’t take the whole World War II into account, but rather only the war between the USSR and Nazi Germany between 1941-1945, excluding the Soviet operations between 1939-1941 (the invasion of Poland and the Winter War with Finland) and the Soviet-Japanese war of 1945.

Another important nuance is that the official estimate, given by the Ministry of Defence in 2015, separates the number of losses (26,6 million people) into the two following categories:

— Around 12 million soldiers were killed in the battlefield, captured (not having returned) or gone missing.

— The rest (approximately 14,6 million people) were civilians who died in the occupation zones, were forcefully moved to Germany (and did not come back) or lost their lives to starvation, illnesses and so on.

Greater losses?

A Soviet officer raising his unit for an attack.

The 26,6 million estimate of losses clearly is official (as of now), but far from being the only one. Though the Great Patriotic War ended almost 75 years ago, the war of numbers still goes on, with different historians proposing different ways to measure the number of losses.

On the one hand, from time to time occurring versions suggest even bigger losses than the official estimate. For instance, in 2017, Nikolai Zemtsov, Deputy of the Russian State Duma, stated that “the USSR irrevocably lost almost 42 million people due to [the Great Patriotic] war factors.” That version, however, is very doubtful – Zemtsov included in that enormous number not only people who actually died, but children who were not born due to the war – which is incorrect, as professional demographers state.

Or overestimation?

Soviet forensic archaeologists studying dead bodies found in a concentration camp, 1943.

On the other hand, there are opinions that suggest 26,6 million is already an overestimation. In his 2015 article, Viktor Zemskov suggested that the estimation of war casualties (11,5 – 12 million) is correct, but the number of civilian losses due to war factors includes too many people: “Such statistics include the increased mortality in the Soviet home front because of malnutrition, overburdening work and so on… I disagree with such an approach.”

According to Zemskov, it is too hard to distinguish between deaths caused by war and natural reasons in this case – so to be more precise, historians should have only included in the number of civilian deaths caused by war, i.e. those killed directly by Germans, by bombardments, those who died during the Siege of Leningrad – that amounts to 4,5 million victims. Combined with actual war casualties, that gives us 16 million people. Nevertheless, official statistics embrace a larger number of people.

While the argument on the evaluation methods can go on forever, one thing is undeniable: during the Great Patriotic War, the USSR lost a great number of people – strong and passionate men and women in their prime – but it saved the world from German Nazism. The price of victory was terrible, but the price of defeat would have been unthinkable.

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VE Day: How many people died in World War Two?

VE Day marked the end of the war in Europe in 1945, and in 2020 we will mark the 75th anniversary of this historic day. How many people died in World War Two?

Princess Margaret brands Winston Churchill a ‘hero’ in 1995

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How many people died in World War Two?

Sources differ on exactly how many people died during World War Two.

However, according to the World Population Review, between 70 million and 85 million people died as a result of World War Two globally.

Civilian deaths exceed the number of military deaths during the war, with estimates suggesting as many as 55 million civilians died worldwide.

Civilian deaths occurred as a direct result of war, but also because of disease and famine.

VE Day: How many people died in World War Two? (Image: GETTY)

World War Two: Millions of people died during World War Two (Image: GETTY)

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How many people died in the UK during World War Two?

Approximately 450,700 civilians and people in the military died from the UK during World War 2.

Of this number, it is estimated 383,600 of the people who died were serving in the military.

The Soviet Union had the highest death toll of any nation involved in World War 2.

In total, some 24 million people died, with 10.7 million of these deaths among people in the military.

World War Two: London was bombed during the Blitz (Image: GETTY)

Following the Soviet Union is China with the second-highest death toll of the war.

In total, 20 million people died from China, with four million of these deaths military.

From Germany estimates suggest 8.8 million people died, with more than 5.5 million of these deaths military.

Across Europe, approximately six million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.

How Many People Died in World War 2?

It is hard to say with exact certainty how many people died in World War 2, but estimates vary between 50 million to over 80 million. An incontrovertible fact, however, is that it has been the deadliest war ever, wiping out around 3 percent of the world population at the time.

Fatalities:

It is estimated that around 15,000,000 soldiers died in battle during World War 2. Military deaths, which include soldiers missing in action as well as fatalities due to disease, accidents and prisoners of war deaths, along with battle deaths, are estimated to be between 22,000,000 to 30,000,000.

However, what made World War 2 so deadly, in addition to the unforeseen scale of the battle, was the targeted extermination of civilian populations. Ethnic cleansing had appeared in previous wars, notably the Armenian Genocide of World War 1, but it had never been carried out with the full power of an industrialized society as had Germany against its Jewish, Roma, and disabled populations. Civilian deaths, including Holocaust victims and those killed through crimes against humanity, strategic bombing and population transfers are estimated to total between 19,000,000 and 30,000,000. Civilians killed by war-related diseases and famine counted between 19,000,000 and 25,000,000.

Countries with the Highest Fatalities

How many people died in World War 2 in terms of the highest number of fatalities in one nation? According to estimates, the Soviet Union suffered the highest amount of total deaths (including military and civilian) with between 21,800,000 and 28,000,00 dying during World War 2. This is due to the sheer level of manpower provided, the numbers killed in German sieges, and Russian battle tactics that paid little consideration to the preservation of their soldiers’ lives.

How many people died in World War 2 in terms of the highest number of fatalities in a Far Eastern nation? China is second in total number of deaths with between 10,000,000 and 20,000,000 (although some say that the civilian toll might have been much higher) and then Germany with between 7,000,000 to 9,000,000 deaths. Other countries that suffered between 2,000,000 and 6,000,000 deaths include Poland, Dutch East Indies, Japan and India.

How many people died in WW2?

31.8. 2: Casualties of World War II

Some 75 million people died in World War II, including about 20 million military personnel and 40 million civilians, many of whom died because of deliberate genocide, massacres, mass-bombings, disease, and starvation.

In this manner, Does WW2 have zombies?

WWII includes a zombies cooperative game mode, similar to previous entries by Treyarch and Infinity Ward, with its own original storyline set in alternate history and separate from the campaign.

Keeping this in view, How many people died in ww2 USA?

Furthermore, Which country lost the most soldiers in ww2?

In terms of total numbers, the Soviet Union bore an incredible brunt of casualties during WWII. An estimated 16,825,000 people died in the war, over 15% of its population. China also lost an astounding 20,000,000 people during the conflict.

How many Americans died on D Day?

Wednesday’s toll eclipsed American deaths on the opening day of the Normandy invasion during World War II: 2,500, out of some 4,400 allied dead. And it topped the toll on Sept. 11, 2001: 2,977. New cases per day are running at all-time highs of over 209,000 on average.

Secondly, What are the best guns in WW2 zombies?

Here are the best guns in Call of Duty: WW2’s Nazi Zombies mode for anyone serious about getting to higher rounds or completing its elaborate Easter Eggs.
…
Off the Wall

Table of Contents

How do you pack a punch in WW2?

First off, you’ll need to activate the power in the Sewers and open the Bunker to access the Control Command Room. After you’ve done that and activated both power switches in the Morgue and Laboratory, you’ll be able to unlock the Pack-a-Punch.

What war killed the most US soldiers?

United States | Military History

The Civil War maintains the highest American casualty total of any conflict. In its first 100 years of existence, over 683,000 Americans lost their lives, with the Civil War accounting for 623,026 of that total (91.2%).

What country killed the most German soldiers in World war 2?

Russians also point to the fact that Soviet forces killed more German soldiers than their Western counterparts, accounting for 76 percent of Germany’s military dead.

Why did so many Chinese died in ww2?

Rather, two of the major factors in the high death toll during the war was Famine and Flooding, of which there were in fact several, and which absolutely eviscerated the civilian population during the conflict.

Who has the biggest army in history?

The United States lays claim to the largest army ever seen in the history of the world. This force was assembled and deployed during World War II. When the United States military was at its largest, there were more than 12 million individuals enlisted in the different branches of the United States armed forces.

Which war had the most deaths?

By far the most costly war in terms of human life was World War II (1939–45), in which the total number of fatalities, including battle deaths and civilians of all countries, is estimated to have been 56.4 million, assuming 26.6 million Soviet fatalities and 7.8 million Chinese civilians were killed.

Who has the largest army in ww2?

The Second World War pitted two alliances against each other, the Axis powers and the Allied powers; the Soviet Union served 35 million men, with the U.S serving 16 million, Germany 13 million, the British Empire 8.5 million and Japan 6 million.

Are there still bodies in Normandy?

It covers 172.5 acres, and contains the remains of 9,388 American military dead, most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing military operations in World War II. … Only some of the soldiers who died overseas are buried in the overseas American military cemeteries.

How many soldiers drowned on D-Day?

German casualties on D-Day have been estimated at 4,000 to 9,000 men. Allied casualties were documented for at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead.

Why is D-Day called D-Day?

The 10 Things you Need to Know about D-Day. … On D-Day, 6 June 1944, Allied forces launched a combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France. The ‘D’ in D-Day stands simply for ‘day’ and the term was used to describe the first day of any large military operation.

Is there a ray gun in WW2?

For its successors, see Ray Gun Mark 2 and GKZ-45 Mk3.
…
Call of Duty: World at War.

What is the highest round in WW2 zombies?

Since they began streaming their run on the new map, InsomniaVirus has put in over 105 hours in only 9 days, and has reached round 716, putting them well on their way to reaching round 935 – which is the highest round possible.

Can you beat the final Reich solo?

Full gameplay for the challenge: “Defeat the panzermörder by round 12”. It’s possible to do it solo and it’s not even difficult. … ONLY use Frontline after you put the battery on the panzermörder for the second time AND TRAIN the zombies that are spawning in (don’t run away).

Is there pack a punch in WW2?

In Nazi Zombies WW2, Pack-a-Punch is now called the Weapon Upgrade Station, and requires you to jump through a few hoops before you can use it.

Where are the 3 tunnels in WW2 zombies?

The Tunnels can be found in the Main Bunker room with the large map, The Lab on the lower floor and through the Pub.

Is there pack a punch in cod WW2?

The Pack-a-Punch weapon upgrade station is located in the sewers section of the Final Reich map, so you’re going to have to turn on the power, clear out the sewers using the fire trap, and make it to the Command Room before you can even think about unlocking the Pack-a-Punch machine for use by your team.

What wars did America lose?

Wars The United States Didn’t Win

Has the US ever surrendered a war?

Troops surrender in Bataan, Philippines, in largest-ever U.S. surrender. On April 9, 1942, Major General Edward P. King Jr. … He was held responsible for the death march, a war crime, and was executed by firing squad on April 3, 1946.

Which war killed the most?

By far the most costly war in terms of human life was World War II (1939–45), in which the total number of fatalities, including battle deaths and civilians of all countries, is estimated to have been 56.4 million, assuming 26.6 million Soviet fatalities and 7.8 million Chinese civilians were killed.

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