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1. Sources of Information on US Navy Personnel Casualties in
World War II.
2. US Navy and Marine Corps Casualty
Statistics for World War II.
3. Friendly Fire
The Bureau of Naval Personnel's official list of the Navy's World
War II casualties resulting from enemy action is a 1947 IBM printout
arranged chronologically by the campaigns as listed in the Secretary
of the Navy's Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual. Under each
campaign, the ships and units are listed alphabetically and then,
the personnel casualties are listed alphabetically by last name.
The man's service number, rank/rate, casualty code (wounded or
killed), and date of casualty are included. The original printout
and extensive records including folders of casualties from naval
ships and of the armed guard crews of merchant ships were transferred
to the Modern Military Branch, National Archives and Records
Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.
However, the Operational Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center
had placed this Bureau of Naval Personnel Cambat Casualty IBM
printout and the casualty code description on six reels of microfilm,
NRS-1980-1 and also available on sixty-one sheets of microfiche,
F-457. The Operational Archives Branch can provide a duplicate
set microfilm, NRS-1980-1, or microfiche F-457 for the prices
indicated on the fee schedule.
If you want to order a copy, please specify whether you want film
or fiche and then complete and return the duplication
order form along with a check for the appropriate amount,
made payable to the DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY, to the Operational
Archives Branch, Naval Historical Center, 805 Kidder Breese, SE,
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060 for processing.
In addition, the Operational Archives Branch has several other
lists of personnel casualties on microfiche. Microfiche, F-458
(eight fiche) contains a list of personnel killed or wounded in
World War II actions not designated in the Navy and Marine
Corps Awards Manual, such as naval gun crews on merchant ships
and Army transports. The casualties are arranged chronologically
and then alphabetical under the unit. The name, service number,
rank or rate, casualty code, and date of casualty is included.
All the information on F-458 is included on NRS-1980-1.
Microfiche F-454 (two fiche) is a list of officers and enlisted
prisoners of war as of 25 September 1945. Arranged alphabetically,
the list includes service number, rank or rate, date of capture
and the prisoner of war camp designation. Another microfiche F-455
(two fiche) is an alphabetical list of the officer and enlisted
prisoners of war in the Pacific and Asiatic areas as of 28 July
1945. It provides the same information as fiche F-454.
Lists of casualties are also included in two publications which
may be located at a large university or depository libraries in
your area or through interlibrary loan channels:
US Navy. Naval Historical Division. United States Submarine Losses, World War II. Washington: Naval History Division, 1963. (Includes crew lists.) OCLC 06579378
US Navy. Office of Information. Combat Connected Naval Casualties, World War II, by States. 2 vols. Washington: Office of Information, 1946. (Vol. 1 covers Alabama through Missouri; vol.2. covers Montana through Wyoming and other areas) OCLC 03829654
Source:
This history lists the Navy and Marine Corps personnel who were
killed in action with the enemy, died of wounds, and died as a
prisoner of war, as well as those who were discharged from the
service because of their wounds (invalided from service.)
The history provides statistics by officer and enlisted, but for
the purpose of this summary, these numbers are totaled for each
service.
Place of action KIA Wounded, Died, Invalided
died later POW from service
----------------------------------------------------------------------
North African landings
Navy 472 17 0 80
Marine 3 1 0 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sicilian landings
Navy 521 24 0 33
Marine 1 0 0 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Italian landings
Navy 788 31 1 74
Marine 0 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Landings in Southern France
Navy 36 8 0 20
Marine 0 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Invasion of France
Navy 1068 32 2 263
Marine 0 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Atlantic or Caribbean area unspecified
Navy 2443 14 0 79
Marine 1 0 0 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Navy 1744 17 2 41
Marine 99 2 0 6
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Fall of the Philippines
Navy 337 2 630 3
Marine 89 0 413 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Netherlands, East Indies engagement
Navy 1656 12 94 7
Marine 36 0 7 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific raids
Navy 40 0 4 2
Marine 0 1 0 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of Coral Sea
Navy 537 6 1 11
Marine 19 2 0 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of Midway
Navy 301 8 1 15
Marine 39 1 0 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Guadalcanal, Tulagi landings
Navy 1176 20 2 85
Marine 988 77 12 365
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of Savo Island
Navy 936 11 0 51
Marine 33 0 0 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of Eastern Solomons
Navy 85 4 0 4
Marine 0 1 0 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of Cape Esperance
Navy 168 1 0 5
Marine 7 0 0 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of Santa Cruz Islands
Navy 242 5 0 16
Marine 12 3 0 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of Guadalcanal
Navy 971 20 2 62
Marine 10 1 0 8
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of Tassafaronga
Navy 389 8 0 8
Marine 0 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Capture of remaining Solomons
Navy 1246 56 0 174
Marine 781 68 26 277
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of Tarawa
Navy 724 3 0 23
Marine 950 34 0 210
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of Cape Gloucester
Navy 145 9 0 20
Marine 325 33 2 157
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Invasion of Marshall Islands
Navy 187 3 1 44
Marine 401 34 0 141
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Invasion of Marianas
Navy 513 43 1 228
Marine 3995 342 0 2138
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Invasion of Palau Islands
Navy 185 10 0 68
Marine 1171 101 1 681
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Landings on Biak New Guinea
Navy 164 6 0 40
Marine 0 0 0 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bombardment of Truk
Navy 78 3 0 12
Marine 7 0 0 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Return to the Philippines
Navy 4026 270 40 830
Marine 132 10 1 25
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Battle of Iwo Jima
Navy 934 48 0 349
Marine 4907 614 0 3114
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bombardments of Formosa French Indochina
Navy 269 9 2 30
Marine 3 0 0 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bombing and landing on Okinawa
Navy 3809 219 0 876
Marine 2897 347 0 2028
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bombardment of Kyushu Island and Japan
Navy 963 6 1 38
Marine 61 0 0 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aleutian or Alaskan area, unspecified
Navy 177 1 0 8
Marine 2 0 0 5
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pacific or Asiatic area, unspecified
Navy 4462 12 93 188
Marine 20 0 1 1
----------------------------------------------------------------------
After 1 July 1945
Navy 1103 14 2 88
Marine 41 0 4 172
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Specific action not determined
Navy 1719 20 30 773
Marine 346 10 43 721
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total, all actions
Navy 34607 972 909 4647
Marine 17376 1682 510 10063
Total 51983 2654 1419 14710
Casualties on US Ships Hit by Allied Gunfire During WW2
1942 1943 1944 1945 Total
Ship Type WIA KIA WIA KIA WIA KIA WIA KIA WIA KIA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carrier 0 0 0 0 0 0 115 16 15 16
Destroyer 8 5 0 0 21 3 80 10 109 18
Battleship 0 0 0 0 0 0 99 21 109 21
Submarine 0 0 0 0 0 83 0 0 0 83
PT Boat 0 0 0 0 23 22 0 4 23 26
Landing Ship 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 3 35 3
Salvage Ship 0 0 18 8 0 0 0 6 18 14
Cruiser 0 0 0 0 0 0 21 2 21 2
Transport 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 1 8 1
Patrol Craft 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 6 1
Minesweeper 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 3 1
Cargo Ship 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Seaplane Tender 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hospital Ship 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 8 5 18 8 44 108 368 65 438 186
Source:
Gauker, Eleanor D. and Christopher G. Blood. "Friendly Fire Incidents During World War II Naval Operations." Naval War College Review 48, no.1 (Winter 1995): 115-22.
31 July 2000