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Vietnam War casualties

 
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Vietnam War casualties

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The Vietnam War began in 1945 and did not end until 1975 when all US personnel left and North Vietnamise forces conquered Saigon. Over this time period the war escalated from an insurgency in South Vietnam sponsored by the North Vietnamese government to a direct military intervention in the south by North Vietnam and the United States and its allies as well as to warfare in the surrounding countries of Cambodia and Laos. Accordingly, an exhaustive reckoning of the casualties incurred as a result of the war must take into account statistical information available for each theater of the conflict. The casualty figures below focus on Vietnam and so far exclude the millions who died in Cambodia and Laos. South Vietnam was the country where most of the fighting occurred, hence most deaths happened there and it was most devastated by the war.


Contents

South Vietnam

ARVN Deaths

The Army of the Republic of Vietnam ARVN suffered 266,000 killed from 1959 through 1975, Rummel's range was 216,000 at the low end and 316,000 at the high end.[1] A PBS estimate was a quarter of a million.[2]

South Vietnamese military deaths[citation needed]
Year Regular RF/PF Para Total
1966 4,418 7,535 - 11,953
1967 6,110 6,606 - 12,716
1968 12,930 11,393 3,592 27,915
1969 8,652 10,286 2,895 21,833
1970 9,647 11,738 1,961 23,346
1971 8,864 13,118 756 22,738
1972 38,697 890 39,587

RF/PF=Regional Force/Popular Force militia, Para=paramilitary forces

North Vietnamese Deaths

According to the Vietnamese government, 1,100,000 Vietnam People's Army and National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam military personnel were killed during the Vietnam War[3] R.J. Rummel reviewed the many casuality data sets, this number is in keeping with his mid-level estimate of 1,011,000 North Vietnamese combat deaths.[4] He further calculated a mid-level estimate of 251,000 Viet Cong military deaths.[5] Thus, Southern Forces (Viet Cong) were around 22% of the total military deaths. What percentage of the remaining 849,000 North Vietnamese Regulars died in South Vietnam is unknown. A reasonable assumption is the vast majority of these deaths occurred in South Vietnam. If 80% of the North Vietnamese died in South Vietname this equals 680,000 men, and then 251,000 Viet Cong for a total 931,000 combat deaths.

Specific Incidients

  • 1969 Tet Offensive Major Offensive by North Vietnamese. They failed in their most ambitious goal to produce a general uprising and suffered over 45,267 communist (mainly Viet Cong troop deaths[6]
  • 1972 Easter Offensive by North kills 75,000 - 100,000 North Vietnamese Forces and loses over 700 tanks, it was broken by US air power.[7]

Non-Uniformed/Civilian Deaths in South Vietnam

The Viet Cong and upon occasion the North Vietnamese Regulars would wear civilian clothes. In addition civilians would be mistaken for a being a supporter of the North or South or just caught in a battle. South Vietnam suffered the bulk of one estimated 500,000[8] to 2,000,000 civilians killed[3] R.J. Rummel's review of the various data sets lead to a mid-level estimate of 843,000 civilian deaths in both North and South Vietnam. The detailed Figures are not complete, but the mid-level R.J. Rummel estimates are that around 391,000 South Vietnamese civilians died. Another 643,000 died as the Communist North Vietnamese consolidated power. Rummel's low-level estimate was 361,000 South Vietnamese civilians and his high-estimate was 720,000.[9] Below is a loose outline of which forces caused these non-uniformed and civilian deaths. The Communist Vietnamese government in 1995 estimated that 2,000,000 Vietnamese civilians on both sides died in the conflict, but does not allocate these deaths between North and South Vietnam.[3] Rummel estimated (apart from the post 1975 communist power consolidation) that a low-level of 486,000 civilians died, the mid-level was 843,000, and the high level was 1,200,000.[10] [3]</ref>

Deaths Caused by North Vietnamese Forces

North Vietnamese forces killed around 130,000 civilian and POWs from 1957 to 1975. Rummel's summary of the various data sets has a mid-level estimate of 17,000 South Vietnamese officials killed by North Vietnamese Forces (includes Viet Cong), in addition another 49,000 civilains were executed.[11] Another 50,000 refuges were killed as well as 1,260 civilians during Saigon shelling, and another 6,000 civilains were killed in Hue during the Tet Offensive.[12] In addtion, around 130 US POWs and 16,000 South Vietnamese POWs were executed. [13]

Deaths Caused by South Vietnamese Forces

The estimated total number of civilian and suspected communist deaths caused by South Vietnamese forces from 1955 to 1975 was 89,500.

During the Diem Regime (1955-1963; a bit before US involvement)an estimated 24,000 persons died during forced relocations of 900,000 civilians, 4,000 prisoners were killed through ill-treatment, another 10,000 suspected communists were executed, 1,500 civilians died in shelling. Diem's total is around 39,500 civilian deaths, apart from the Viet Cong and other North Vietnamese forces his regime killed.[14]

From 1964 to 1975 an estimated 1,500 persons died during the forced relocations of some 1,200,000 civilians, another 5,000 prisoners will killed through ill-treatment and another 30,000 suspected communists were executed, and 6,000 civilians died in the more extensive shelling. In Qam Ham provence another 4,700 civilians were killed in 1969. This is another 50,000 deaths caused by the South Vietnamese forces, apart from North Vietnamese forces killed by the government of South Vietnam.[15]

Deaths Caused by US Forces

US forces killed an estimated 90,000 South Vietnamese civilians due to their extensive use of fire power (artilery, bombings, small weapons). Another 1,500 were killed in various massacres. [16] Again, these are deaths caused by US Forces apart from combat deaths inflicted on North Vietnames forces.

Deaths Caused by North Vietnamese Communist Power Consolidation

An estimated 95,000 civilians died in the communist re-education camps, another 500,000 were involved in forced labor projects, which killed 48,000 civilians. Another 100,000 were executed. Finally, 400,000 boat people died while trying to flee Vietnam. This is 643,000 killed during the consolidation of communist rule.[17] This consolidation ended around 1984, although boat people deaths occurred through 1988. A similar high death tool occurred in North Vietnam during 1950s when the Communists consolidated power in that geographic region.

Specific incidents

  • 347 to 504 Vietnam civilians were deliberately massacred by US soldiers on 16 March, 1968, in the My Lai area of South Vietnam. See My Lai Massacre.
  • 2800 to 6000 civilians were executed by the National Liberation Front in the city of Hue during the Tet Offensive. [18] See Hue Massacre.
  • A Newsweek Journalist claimed an unamed official told him that an estimated 5,000 civilians were killed by the American military in Operation Speedy Express.[19]
  • More than 25,000 South Vietnamese civilians are killed, almost a million become refugues, with over 600,000 living in South Vietnamese Government camps as a result of the 1972 North Vietnam's Easter Offensive.[20]

North Vietnam

Combat Deaths

According to the Vietnamese government, 1,100,000 Vietnam People's Army and National Front for the Liberation of Vietnam military personnel were killed during the Vietnam War[3] R.J. Rummel reviewed the many casuality data sets, this number is in keeping with his mid-level estimate of 1,011,000 North Vietnamese combat deaths.[21] He further calculated a mid-level estimate of 251,000 Viet Cong military deaths.[22] Thus, Southern Forces (i.e.,Viet Cong) were around 22% of the total military deaths. What percentage of the remaining 849,000 North Vietnamese Regulars died in South Vietnam is unknown. The assumption is the vast majority of these deaths occurred in South Vietnam.

Civilian Deaths

R.J. Rummel's mid-level estimated that 65,000 North Vietnamese Civilians died from 1960-1975.[23] Furthermore, he estimates that in the 1957 to 1975 period the North Vietnamese government executed around 50,000 North Vietnamise civilians (most were executed by the 1960).[24]

The Vietnamese communist government in 1995 estimated that 2,000,000 Vietnamese civilians on both sides died in the conflict.[3] Overall figures for North Vietnamese civilian dead range from 50,000[1] to "several million."[25]

Specific Incidents

Complete statistics for the American bombings of North Vietnam are unavailable. As noted above estimates of total 1957 to 1975 North Vietnamese civilian deaths caused by American bombing range from Rummell's low estimate of 52,000, his mid-level estimate of 65,000, his high level estimate of 70,000[1]. There is a separate PBS estimate that the 3.5 year Operation Rolling Thunder killed 182,000 civilians, with an additional 20,000 Chinese troops.[26]

United States Armed Forces

Casualties as of May 26, 2008:

  • 58,260 KIA and other dead (including the missing)[27]
  • 303,644 WIA (including 153,303 who required hospitalization and 150,341 who didn't)[28]
  • 1,724 MIA[29]

By Service Branch

Country Branch of service Number serving Worldwide Number serving Southeast Asia Number serving South Vietnam Killed Wounded Missing
USA[4] Army 4,368,000 2,276,000 1,736,000 38,218 96,802 558 {A}
Marines 794,000 513,000 391,000 14,840 51,392 213 {B}
Navy 1,842,000 229,000 174,000 2,565 4,178 369 {C}
Air Force 1,740,000 385,000 293,000 2,587 1,021 566 {D}
Coast Guard 7 59 0 {E}
Civilians 19 34 {F}
Total 8,744,000 3,403,000 2,594,000 58,236 153,452 1,740

Note: Footnote # 1 gives breakdown of Casualty by Branch of service as follows: Army 38,209; Marines 14,838; Navy 2,555; Air Force 2,584; Coast Guard 7. Total: 58,193. As of 12/1998
Note: PMSA {Personnel Missing Southeast Asia} website lists 1,740 at [5] broken down as of May 2009:

  • A) Note: PMSA reports 558 to be accounted for {278 KIA/BNR; 22 POWs died/not returned; 258 presumed dead}. PMSA reports 1 AWOL/deserter returned; 13 POWs died/returned; 171 remains returned; 17 escaped; 122 POWs returned.
  • B) Note: reports 213 are to be accounted for {130 KIA/BNR; 2 POW/NR; 81 presumed dead}. PMSA reports 1 AWOL/deserter returned; 7 POWs died/returned; 82 remains returned; 10 POWs escaped; 28 POWs returned.
  • C) Note: PMSA reports 369 to be accounted for {281 KIA/BNR; 88 presumed dead}. PMSA reports 2 escaped; 10 POWs died/remains returned; 161 remains/returned; 149 POWs returned.
  • D) Note: PMSA reports 566 to be accounted for {193 KIA/BNR; 5 POW/NR; 368 presumed dead}. PMSA also reports that of 784 POWs, 1 escaped; 15 POWs died/remains returned; 436 remains returned/recovered; 332 POWs returned.
  • E) Note: 1 MIA C.G. remains found 2002 and Identified 2005. C.G. casualty total can be found at [6].
  • F) Note: PMSA reports 34 to be accounted for {4 KIA/BNR; 5 POW/NR; 11 MIA; 8 POWs; 6 presumed dead}. PMSA also reports 5 POWs escaped; 4 POWs died/remains returned; 15 remains returned; 54 POWs returned.

Note: as of July 4, 2008 the following [30] gives the following report of 2,646 missing and 889 repatriated/identified for the Vietnam conflict:

  • Vietnam: original missing 1,978 of whom 630 are repatriated/identified and 1,348 missing {Note: 611 missing are reported as not recoverable}
  • Laos: original missing 573 of whom 227 are repatriated/identified and 346 missing
  • Cambodia: original missing 85 of whom 29 are repatriated/identified and 29 missing
  • China: original missing 10 of whom 3 are repatriated/idenfifed and 7 are missing
  • Note: as of May 2009 PMSA includes in each service branch of Vietnam Conflict fatalities "Country not listed": US Army 27; USMC 8; US Navy 17; Civilians 6.
  • As of May 2009 PMSA reports 915 remains returned: 184 {US Army} 451 {USAF} 171 {US Navy} 89 {USMC} 1 {Coast Guard} 19 {Civilians}

By Year

Country Year of Death Number Killed
USA[7]
1956-1964 401
1965 1,863
1966 6,143
1967 11,153
1968 16,592
1969 11,616
1970 6,081
1971 2,357
1972 641
1973 168
1974-1998 1178

By Ethnic Group

Ethnic Group Number Killed
White 49,802 or 85,57%
Black 7,241 or 12,44%
Hispanics 349 or 00,60%
Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians 229 or 00,39%
Native Americans 226 or 00,39%
More than one Race or Unknown 204 or 00,35%
Asians 139 or 00,24%

By Enlistment

Enlistment Number Killed
Volunteer 40,484
Draftees 17,725

First and last US Casualties

  • {First casualties-1945; 1954; 1956, 1957; 1959}:
  • {Last casualties-1975}:

Prisoners of War

  • First POW seized
    • December 26, 1961 - George F. Fryett was the first seized POW, he was released in June 1962.
  • Last POW seized
    • January 27, 1973 - Phillip A. Kientzler was the last POW to be seized, he was released March 27, 1973.
  • Longest held POW
    • 8 years, 355 days - Floyd James Thompson was captured on March 26, 1964 and released March 16, 1973. Spent 10 days short of 9 years as a POW, he is the longest held POW of the Vietnam war and longest held POW in the United States history.
  • Second longest held POW
    • 8 years, 7 months - Everett Alvarez Jr. was captured on August 5, 1964 and released February 12, 1973.
  • Most famous POW John McCain
    • Later to become senator and republican presidential candidate.

South Korea

  • 5,099 KIA
  • 11,232 WIA
  • 4 MIA[31]

North Korea

According to Chinese soldiers stationed in Vietnam manning the anti-aircraft artillery next to that of the North Korean, several dozen North Korean anti-aircraft artillery crews were killed by American bombing.

China

1,446 KIA[citation needed]

Soviet Union

About 16.[32]

Philippines

Thailand

  • 351 KIA[31]
  • 1,358 WIA

Australia

  • 426 KIA, 74 died of other causes[33]
  • 2,940 WIA[31]
  • 6 MIA (All have been accounted for and have been repatriated)

New Zealand

  • 55 KIA + 2 Civilians
  • 212 WIA[31]

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF
  2. ^ Battlefield:Vietnam | Timeline
  3. ^ a b c d e 20 Years After Victory, April 1995, Folder 14, Box 24, Douglas Pike Collection: Unit 06 - Democratic Republic of Vietnam, The Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University.[1]
  4. ^ R.J. Rummell (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Line 102. web site. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  5. ^ R.J. Rummell (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Line 83. web site. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  6. ^ Tran Van Tra, Tet, pp. 49, 50.
  7. ^ web site (1997). "North Vietnamese Army’s 1972 Eastertide Offensive". web site. http://www.historynet.com/north-vietnamese-armys-1972-eastertide-offensive.htm. Retrieved 2010-02-01. 
  8. ^ http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1B.GIF
  9. ^ R.J. Rummel (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Line 117. web site. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  10. ^ R.J. Rummel (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Line 800. web site. 
  11. ^ R.J. Rummell (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Lines 397 & 406 & 433. web site. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  12. ^ R.J. Rummel (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Lines 448, 454, 456 and 464. web site. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  13. ^ R.J. Rummel (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Lines 457 & 459. web site. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  14. ^ R.J. Rummel (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Lines 481, 494, 515, 518, 521. web site. 
  15. ^ R.J. Rummel (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Lines 540, 556, 563, 566, 569, 575. web site. 
  16. ^ R.J. Rummel (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Lines 589 & 601. web site. 
  17. ^ R.J. Rummel (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Lines 673, 687, 698 and 749. web site. 
  18. ^ R.J. Rummel (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Lines 448. web site. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  19. ^ Kevin Buckley, "Pacification's Deadly Price," Newsweek 1972.
  20. ^ Andrade, p. 529.
  21. ^ R.J. Rummell (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Line 102. web site. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  22. ^ R.J. Rummell (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Line 83. web site. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  23. ^ R.J. Rummell (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Line 61. web site. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  24. ^ R.J. Rummell (1997). "Table 6.1A Vietnam Democide: Estimates, Sources & Calculations". Line 370-371. web site. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/SOD.TAB6.1A.GIF. Retrieved 2010-01-01. 
  25. ^ Viet Nam Destruction - War Damage, 1977, Folder 03, Box 04, Douglas Pike Collection: Unit 11 - Monographs, The Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University.
  26. ^ Battlefield:Vietnam | Timeline
  27. ^ Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund - Vietnam Veterans Memorial Name Additions
  28. ^ US Military Operations: Casualty Breakdown
  29. ^ 552 Army, 369 Navy, 213 Marine Corps, 558 Air Force, 32 civilians as of 9 December 2009 (2009 -12-09), per The Personnel Missing - Southeast Asia (PMSEA) Database from Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personal Office (DPMO)
  30. ^ [2]
  31. ^ a b c d KOREA military army official statistics, AUG 28, 2005
  32. ^ Dunnigan, James & Nofi, Albert: Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War: Military Information You're Not Supposed to Know. St. Martin's Press, 2000, page 284. ISBN 031225282X
  33. ^ "Vietnam War, 1962-72 - Statistics". Australian War Memorial. 2003. http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/vietnam/statistics.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-04. 

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