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I'd like to offer my thoughts and prayers to our Australian brothers and sisters on this solemn day.
I'd like to offer my thoughts and prayers to our Australian brothers and sisters on this solemn day.
With their small populations, Australia and New Zealand's casualty ratios were 65% and 58% respectively. Incredibly high for any nation to sustain.
With their small populations, Australia and New Zealand's casualty ratios were 65% and 58% respectively. Incredibly high for any nation to sustain.
Can you elaborate on your casualty ratios? How did you arrive at 65% and 58% respectively?
A total of 100,444 New Zealander troops and nurses served during WW1, out of a total population of just over a million. Casualties for them were 16,697 killed and 41,317 wounded, or total of 58,014 casualties, which constituted 57.78% rate of casualties.
Australia mobilized 421,809 with 331,781 serving overseas, with the casualties broken down as these: 53,993 battle-related deaths; 7,727 non-battle related deaths; 137,013 wounded in action; 16,496 gassed; 3,647 prisoners of war and 109 prisoner of war deaths. Its is a total casualty rate of (roughly) 197,000 personnel. So for total casualties versus total mobilized it's 48%, but the ones who actually served in the war overseas, that's 65%.
In short, both Australia and New Zealand raised very large forces relative to their population, and suffered high losses during the war.
By comparison, the US mobilized and sent roughly 2,000,000 personnel to war. A 58% rate would've meant 1,160,000 casualties, and a 65% would've been 1,300,000 casualties.