American losses in World War II. Which peoples of the ussr suffered the heaviest losses in the great patriotic

The newspaper "Zavtra" clarifies the results of the Second World War, for us - the Patriotic War. As usual, this takes place in a controversy with historical falsifications.

Professor, academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences G.A.Kumanev and a special commission of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR and the Department of History of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, using previously closed statistical data in 1990, established that human casualties in the Armed Forces of the USSR, as well as the border and internal troops of the country during the Great Patriotic War wars amounted to 8,668,400 people, which is only 18,900 people more than the number of losses of the armed forces of Germany and its allies who fought against the USSR. That is, the losses in the war of German servicemen with the allies and the USSR were practically the same. The well-known historian Yu. V. Emelyanov considers the indicated number of losses to be correct.

A veteran of the Great Patriotic War, Doctor of Historical Sciences B. G. Solovyov and Candidate of Sciences V. V. Sukhodeev (2001) write: “During the years of the Great Patriotic War (including the campaign in the Far East against Japan in 1945), total irrecoverable demographic losses ( killed, gone missing, taken prisoner and did not return from it, died from wounds, diseases and as a result of accidents) of the Soviet Armed Forces together with the border and internal troops amounted to 8 million 668 thousand 400 people ... Our irrecoverable losses over the years of war look like as follows: 1941 (for six months of the war) - 27.8%; 1942 - 28.2%; 1943 - 20.5%; 1944 - 15.6%; 1945 - 7.5 percent of the total number of losses. Consequently, according to the above-mentioned historians, our losses in the first year and a half of the war amounted to 57.6 percent, and for the remaining 2.5 years - 42.4 percent ”.

They also support the results of serious research work carried out by a group of military and civilian specialists, including employees of the General Staff, published in 1993 in a work entitled: “The secrecy label has been removed. Losses of the Armed Forces of the USSR in wars, hostilities and military conflicts ”and in the publications of General of the Army MA Gareev.

I draw the reader's attention to the fact that these data are not the personal opinion of boys and uncles in love with the West, but a scientific study carried out by a group of scientists with deep analysis and scrupulous calculation of the irrecoverable losses of the Soviet army during the Great Patriotic War.

“In the war with the fascist bloc, we suffered huge losses. The people perceive them with great sorrow. They struck a heavy blow on the fate of millions of families. But these were the sacrifices made in the name of saving the Motherland, the life of future generations. And the dirty speculations that have unfolded in recent years around losses, the deliberate, malevolent exaggeration of their scale is deeply immoral. They continue after the publication of previously closed materials. Under the false mask of philanthropy, there are deliberate calculations to desecrate the Soviet past by any means, a great feat accomplished by the people, "wrote the above scientists.

Our losses were justified. At the time, even some Americans understood this. “Thus, in a greeting received from the United States in June 1943, it was emphasized:“ Many young Americans survived thanks to the sacrifices made by the defenders of Stalingrad. Every Red Army soldier defending his Soviet soil, killing a Nazi, thereby saves the lives of American soldiers. We will remember this when calculating our debt to the Soviet ally. "

For the irrecoverable losses of Soviet servicemen in the amount of 8 million. 668 thousand 400 people are indicated by the scientist OA Platonov. The indicated number of losses included the irrecoverable losses of the Red Army, the Navy, border troops, internal troops and state security agencies.

Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences G. A. Kumanev in his book "Feat and Forgery" wrote that the Eastern Front accounted for 73% of the number of casualties of the German fascist troops during World War II. Germany and its allies on the Soviet-German front lost 75% of their aircraft, 74% of their artillery and 75% of their tanks and assault guns.

And this despite the fact that on the Eastern Front they did not surrender in hundreds of thousands, as on the Western, but fiercely fought, fearing retribution for the crimes committed on Soviet soil in captivity.

The remarkable researcher Y. Mukhin also writes about our losses of 8.6 million people, including those who died from accidents, diseases and those who died in German captivity. This number of 8 million 668 thousand 400 people of irrecoverable losses of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 is recognized by the majority of Russian scientists, historians and researchers. But, in my opinion, the indicated losses of Soviet servicemen are significantly overestimated.

The majority of Russian scientists, historians and researchers indicate German losses in the amount of 8 million 649 thousand 500 people.

G. A. Kumanev draws attention to the huge number of Soviet losses of servicemen in German prisoner of war camps and writes the following: “While out of 4 million 126 thousand captured Nazi troops, 580 thousand 548 people died, and the rest returned home , out of 4 million 559 thousand Soviet servicemen taken prisoner, only 1 million 836 thousand people returned to their homeland. From 2.5 to 3.5 million died in the Nazi camps. " The number of German prisoners of war who died may be surprising, but it must be taken into account that people always die, and among the German prisoners there were many frostbitten and exhausted, as, for example, at Stalingrad, as well as the wounded.

VV Sukhodeev writes that 1 million 894 thousand people returned from German captivity. 65 people, and 2 million 665 thousand 935 Soviet soldiers and officers were killed in German concentration camps. Due to the destruction of Soviet prisoners of war by the Germans, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War had irrecoverable losses approximately equal to the losses of the armed forces of Germany and its allies who fought with the USSR.

Directly in the battles with the German armed forces and the armies of their allies, the Soviet Armed Forces lost 2 million 655 thousand 935 Soviet soldiers and officers in the period from 06/22/1941 to 05/09/1945. This is explained by the fact that 2 million 665 thousand 935 Soviet prisoners of war died in German captivity.

If the Soviet side in Soviet captivity killed 2 million 094 thousand 287 (in addition to the dead 580 thousand 548) prisoners of war of the fascist bloc, then the losses of Germany with its allies would exceed the losses of the Soviet army by 2 million 094 thousand 287 people.

Only the criminal murder of our prisoners of war by the Germans led to almost equal irrecoverable losses of servicemen of the German and Soviet armies during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

So which army fought better? Of course, the Soviet Red Army. With an approximate equality of the prisoners, it destroyed more than 2 million more enemy soldiers and officers in battle. And this despite the fact that our troops took by storm the largest cities in Europe and took the very capital of Germany - the city of Berlin.

Our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers brilliantly waged military operations and showed the highest degree of nobility, having spared the German prisoners of war. They had every moral right not to take them prisoner for the crimes they committed, shooting them on the spot. But the Russian soldier never showed cruelty towards the defeated enemy.

The main trick of the liberal revisionists when describing losses is to write any number and let the Russians prove its inconsistency, and during this time they will come up with a new fake. And how to prove it? After all, the true denunciators of the liberal revisionists are not allowed on television.

By the way, they tirelessly shout that all returned prisoners and deported to work in Germany in the USSR were tried and sent to forced labor camps. This is another lie too. Yu.V. Emelyanov, on the basis of the data of the historian V. Zemskov, writes that by March 1, 1946, 2,427,906 Soviet people who returned from Germany were sent to their place of residence, 801,152 - to serve in the army, and 608,095 - to working battalions of the People's Commissariat defense. Of the total number of those who returned, 272,867 people (6.5%) were transferred to the disposal of the NKVD. These, as a rule, were those who committed criminal offenses, including taking part in battles against Soviet troops, such as the "Vlasovites".

After 1945, 148 thousand "Vlasovites" entered the special settlements. On the occasion of the victory, they were freed from criminal liability for treason, limiting themselves to exile. In 1951-1952, 93.5 thousand people were released from among them.

Most Lithuanians, Latvians and Estonians who served in the German army as privates and junior commanders were released to their homes until the end of 1945.

V. V. Sukhodeev writes that up to 70% of former prisoners of war were returned to the active army, only 6% of former prisoners of war who collaborated with the Nazis were arrested and sent to penal battalions. But, apparently, many of them were forgiven.

But the United States, with its 5th column inside Russia, presented the most humane and just Soviet government in the world as the most cruel and unjust government, and the kindest, humblest, courageous and freedom-loving Russian people in the world represented the people of slaves. Yes, they imagined that the Russians themselves believed it.

It is high time for us to throw off the veil from our eyes and see Soviet Russia in all the splendor of its great victories and achievements.

In 1945, the most "bloody" war of the 20th century ended, which caused terrible destruction and claimed millions of lives. From our article you can find out what losses suffered by the countries participating in the Second World War.

Total losses

62 countries were involved in the most global military conflict of the 20th century, in 40 of which military operations were directly conducted. Their losses in World War II are primarily calculated in the number of casualties among the military and civilians, which amounted to about 70 million.

Financial losses (the price of lost property) of all parties to the conflict were significant: about $ 2,600 billion. Countries spent 60% of their income on supporting the army and conducting military operations. The total expenditures reached $ 4 trillion.

World War II led to enormous destruction (about 10 thousand large cities and towns). In the USSR alone, more than 1,700 cities, 70 thousand villages, 32 thousand enterprises were affected by the bombing. The opponents destroyed about 96 thousand Soviet tanks and self-propelled artillery installations, 37 thousand armored vehicles.

Historical facts show that it was the USSR of all the participants in the anti-Hitler coalition that suffered the most serious losses. To clarify the death toll, special measures were taken. In 1959, a population census was carried out (the first after the war). Then the figure of 20 million victims was announced. To date, other specific data are known (26.6 million), announced by the state commission in 2011. They coincided with the figures announced in 1990. Most of the dead were civilians.

Rice. 1. The destroyed city of the Second World War.

Human sacrifice

Unfortunately, the exact number of victims is still unknown. Objective reasons (lack of official documentation) complicate the count, so many continue to be listed as missing.

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Before talking about the dead, let us indicate the number of people called up to serve by states, whose participation in the war was key, and who were injured in the course of hostilities:

• Germany : 17 893 200 soldiers, of which: 5 435 000 wounded, 4 100 000 were in captivity;
• Japan : 9 058 811: 3 600 000: 1 644 614;
• Italy : 3,100,000: 350,000: 620,000;
• the USSR : 34 476 700: 15 685 593: about 5 million;
• United Kingdom : 5 896 000: 280 thousand: 192 thousand;
• USA : 16 112 566: 671 846: 130 201;
• China : 17 250 521: 7 million: 750 thousand;
• France : 6 million: 280 thousand: 2 673 000

Rice. 2. Wounded soldiers during the Second World War.

For convenience, we present a table of losses of countries in World War II. The number of deaths in it is indicated, taking into account all causes of death, approximately (average figures between the minimum and maximum):

Summary of the previous part: the German Armed Forces (WASH) during the Second World War mobilized approximately 19 million people. But how many WASH lost in the war? It is impossible to calculate this directly, there are no documents that would take into account all the losses, and all that remained was to add them up to get the required figure. The mass of German servicemen went out of action at all without being reflected in any reporting.

The military history team under the leadership of Krivosheev stated: "Determining ... the losses of the German armed forces ... is a very difficult problem ... this is due to the lack of a complete set of reporting and statistical materials ..." (quote from the book "Russia and the USSR in the wars of the XX century"). To solve the problem of determining German losses, according to Krivosheev, it is possible to use the balance method. It is necessary to see: how much is mobilized in the WASH and how much is left at the time of surrender, the difference will be a decline - it remains to distribute it for reasons. The result is the following (in thousands of people):

In total during the war years he was involved in the armed forces
Germany, taking into account those who served before March 1, 1939 - 21107

To the beginning of the surrender of the German troops:
- remained in service - 4100
- was in hospitals - 700

Decreased during the war (total) - 16307
of them:
a) Irrecoverable losses (total) - 11844
Including:
- died, died of wounds and illness, missing - 4457
- captured - 7387

b) Other decline (total) - 4463
of them:
- fired for injury and illness for a long time
as unfit for military service (disabled), deserted - 2463
- demobilized and sent to work

in industry - 2000

Balance according to Krivosheev: 21.1 million were mobilized in the WASH, of which 4.1 million remained to surrender (+ 0.7 million wounded in hospitals). Consequently, 16.3 million dropped out during the war - of which 7.4 million were captured, 4.4 million were crippled or sent to industry; 4.5 million remain - these are the victims.

Krivosheev's figures have long been the object of criticism. The total number of those mobilized (21 million) is overestimated. But the figures that follow are clearly dubious. The column "demobilized for work in industry" is unclear - 2,000,000 people. Krivosheev himself does not provide links and explanations of the origin of such a figure. So he just took it from Müller-Hillebrand. But how did M-G get this figure? M-G does not give links; his book is fundamental, it does not refer to anything, they refer to it. There is an opinion that these are soldiers who were seriously wounded, because of which they could no longer carry out military service, but they were still able to work. No, this contingent should be included in the column demobilized for disability (2.5 million people).

It is unclear with the number of prisoners. 7.8 million are counted as surrendering during the fighting. The number is incredible, the ratio of surrendered and killed in the German army simply was not like that. After the surrender, another 4.1 million surrendered; 700 thousand were in hospitals - they should also be attributed to prisoners. 7.8 million prisoners before surrender and 4.8 million after, total: captured German soldiers - 12.2 million

Krivosheev cites statistics: our troops reported the capture of 4377.3 thousand prisoners. Of these, 752.5 thousand are military personnel of the allied countries of Germany. Another 600 thousand people. were released directly at the fronts - it turned out that these were not German soldiers. Remains about 3 million people.

The number of those taken prisoner is really huge. But the problem is that these were not only German soldiers. There are mentions that firefighters and railroad workers were captured (they are in uniform, men of draft age); police officers were taken prisoner without fail; The same applies to members of paramilitary organizations, as well as the Volkssturm, the German construction battalion, the Khivi, the administration, etc.

A striking example: the troops reported that 134,000 prisoners were taken in Berlin. But there are publications, the authors of which insist that there were no more than 50,000 German troops in Berlin. The same with Koenigsberg: 94,000 were taken prisoner, and the garrison, according to German data, was 48,000, including the Volkssturm. In general, there were many prisoners, but how many of them were actually military? - It is unknown. What percentage of the real military among the total number of prisoners is anyone's guess.

The Western Allies surrendered 2.8 million people between the landing in Normandy and the end of April 1945, 1.5 million of them in April - the German front in the west collapsed at this time. The total number of prisoners of war recorded by the Western Allies, by April 30, 1945, amounted to 3.15 million, and increased to 7.6 million after the surrender of Germany.

But the allies also counted as prisoners of war not only military personnel, but also the personnel of numerous paramilitary formations, NSDAP functionaries, security and police officers, up to firefighters. There were 7.6 million prisoners, but there were significantly fewer real prisoners of war.

Canadian D. Buck drew attention to the huge discrepancy between how much the Allies captured and how much they later released. The number released is much less than the number taken. From this D. Buck concluded that up to a million German prisoners died in the Allied camps. Buck's critics were quick to assure that the prisoners were not killed, and the discrepancy in the numbers arose from careless, relaxed accounting.

Until April 1945, approximately 1.5 million people were taken into Soviet and Western captivity (this is if you count with all the exaggeration). The total number of prisoners according to Krivosheev is 12 million. It turns out that by April 1945 Germany had an army of 9 million - despite all the defeats suffered. And, despite such an army, it suffered a final defeat in a month. Rather, it should be assumed that there is something wrong with the count of prisoners. Perhaps there was a double count of the same prisoners. The 4.8 million prisoners taken after the surrender were mixed with the 7.4 million prisoners taken before the surrender. So, the figure of 7.4 million taken prisoner before surrender cannot be accepted.

It is also not clear where the figure of 4.1 million soldiers who remained in the WASH at the beginning of the surrender came from.

The map shows the territory left by the Reich by May 1945. By May 9th, this territory has decreased even more. Could more than 4 million soldiers fit on it? How was such a quantity established? Perhaps based on counting those who surrendered after surrender. We return to the question: who was taken prisoner, considered to be German military personnel?

The general surrender of Germany on May 9 was preceded by a series of surrenders in the west: on April 29, 1945, German troops surrendered in Italy; On May 4, the act of surrender of the German armed forces in Holland, Denmark, and North-West Germany was signed; On May 5, German troops surrendered in Bavaria and Western Austria.

By May 9, the active German troops remained only in front of the Soviet army (in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Courland) and in front of the Yugoslav army. On the western fronts, the Germans had already surrendered; only the army remained in Norway (9 divisions with reinforcement units - no more than 300,000 troops) and small garrisons of several coastal fortresses. Soviet troops reported 1.4 million captured after surrender; the Yugoslavs reported 200,000 prisoners. Together with the army in Norway, it turns out no more than 2 million people (again, it is not known how many of them are actually military personnel). Perhaps the phrase "to the beginning of the surrender" does not mean by May 9, but by the end of April, when the surrender began on the western fronts. That is, 4.1 million in service and 0.7 million in hospitals - this is the situation at the end of April. Krivosheev does not elaborate on this.

4.5 million deaths of German servicemen - this is the figure that Krivosheev received in the end result. The modern (relatively) German researcher R. Overmans counted 5.1 million military deaths (5.3 * together with the dead employees of paramilitary organizations (+ 1.2 million civilian deaths)). This is more than Krivosheev's figure. Overmans' figure - 5.3 million dead soldiers - is not officially accepted in Germany, but it is indicated in the German wiki. That is, society accepted it

In general, Krivosheev's numbers are clearly dubious, he does not solve the problem of determining German losses. The balance method does not work here either, since there is no reliable data required for this either. So this question remains: where did the 19 million soldiers of the German army go?

There are researchers who propose a method of demographic calculation: determine the total losses of the population of Germany, and on their basis, roughly estimate the military. There were also such calculations on the topvar ("The losses of the USSR and Germany in the Second World War"): the population of Germany in 1939 - 70.2 million (excluding Austrians (6.76 million) and Sudetense (3.64 million)). The occupation authorities in 1946 conducted a census of the population of Germany - there were 65,931,000 people. 70.2 - 65.9 = 4.3 million. To this figure must be added the natural population growth in 1939-46. - 3.5-3.8 million. Then it is necessary to subtract the figure of natural mortality for 1939-46 - 2.8 million people. And then add at least 6.5 million people, and presumably even 8 million. These are the Germans expelled from the Sudetenland, Poznan and Upper Silesia (6.5 million) and about 1-1.5 million Germans fled from Alsace and Lorraine. Arithmetic mean from 6.5-8 million - 7.25 million

So it turns out:

The population in 1939 was 70.2 million people.
Population in 1946 was 65.93 million people.
Natural mortality is 2.8 million people.
Natural growth of 3.5 million people.
Emigration inflow of 7.25 million people.
Total losses (70.2 - 65.93 - 2.8) + 3.5 + 7.25 = 12.22 million people.

However, according to the 1946 census, much is unclear. It was carried out without Saar (800,000 pre-war population). Were prisoners taken into account in the camps? The author does not clarify this point; there is an indication in the English wiki that no were not taken into account. The emigration inflow is clearly overstated; 1.5 million Germans did not flee from Alsace. It is not Germans who live in Alsace, but Alsatians, loyal French citizens, they had no need to flee. 6.5 million Germans could not be expelled from the Sudetenland, Poznan and Upper Silesia - there were not so many Germans there. And part of the expelled settled in Austria, and not in Germany. But besides the Germans, others fled to Germany - a lot of assorted accomplices, how many were there? It is not even known approximately. How were they counted in the census?

As Krivosheev wrote: "Determining with reliable accuracy the scale of human losses of the armed forces of Germany ... on the Soviet-German front during the Second World War is a very difficult problem." Krivosheev apparently believed that this problem was difficult, but solvable. However, his attempt came out completely unconvincing. In fact, this task is simply unsolvable.

* Distribution of losses along the fronts: 104,000 were killed in the Balkans, 151,000 in Italy, 340,000 in the West, 2,743,000 in the East, 291,000 in other theaters of military operations, and 1,230,000 in the final period of the war (of which East up to a million), died in captivity (according to the official data of the USSR and the Western allies) 495,000. According to the Germans, 1.1 million died in captivity, mostly in the Soviet Union. According to Soviet records, more than half the number of deaths died in captivity. So, those who perished who are attributed to Soviet captivity in Germany actually died in battle (at least for the most part). After death they were mobilized again - to the propaganda front.

To date, it is not known exactly how many people died in World War II. Less than 10 years ago, statistics claimed that 50 million people died, data for 2016 says that the number of victims exceeded 70 million. Perhaps, after a while, this figure will be refuted by new calculations.

The number of deaths during the war

The first mention of the victims was in the March 1946 issue of the Pravda newspaper. At that time, the figure was officially announced at 7 million. To date, when almost all the archives have been studied, it can be argued that the losses of the Red Army and the civilian population of the Soviet Union totaled 27 million people. Other countries that are part of the anti-Hitler coalition also suffered significant losses, or rather:

• France - 600,000 people;
• China - 200,000 people;
• India - 150,000 people;
• United States of America - 419,000;
• Luxembourg - 2,000 people;
• Denmark - 3,200 people.

Budapest, Hungary. Monument on the banks of the Danube in memory of the Jews who were shot in these places in 1944-45.

At the same time, losses on the German side were noticeably less and amounted to 5.4 million soldiers and 1.4 million civilians. The countries that fought on the side of Germany suffered the following human losses:

• Norway - 9,500 people;
• Italy - 455,000 people;
• Spain - 4,500 people;
• Japan - 2,700,000 people;
• Bulgaria - 25,000 people.

Least of all deaths in Switzerland, Finland, Mongolia and Ireland.

During what period did the biggest losses occur?

The most difficult time for the Red Army was 1941-1942, it was then that the losses amounted to 1/3 of those killed during the entire period of the war. The armed forces of fascist Germany suffered the greatest losses in the period from 1944 to 1946. In addition, at this time, 3,259 civilians in Germany were killed. Another 200,000 German soldiers did not return from captivity.
The United States lost the most people in 1945 in air attacks and evacuations. Other countries participating in hostilities experienced the most terrible times and colossal casualties in the final stages of World War II.

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The United States was forced to enter the war on December 7, 1941, as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. And although the scale of the battles was not the same as on the Eastern Front, this does not negate their fierceness. Bogged down in battles with the Japanese, the United States was able to secure the rear of the USSR, and later opening a second front, brought the defeat of Germany closer and made its collapse inevitable. In total, the main losses in World War II are due to the following factors:

The Allied contribution to victory should not be underestimated. In fact, while fierce battles were raging in the east and the blitzkrieg was raging, Great Britain and the United States also did not sit idly by, stretching the forces of the Germans and their allies in several directions, thereby reducing the pressure on the USSR.

During the entire war, a huge number of recruits were mobilized in the United States - more than 16 million people. Such reserves were sufficient to wage long wars of attrition, in addition, the American soldiers did not have the worst level of training, which allowed them to withstand even superior enemy forces.

After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the destruction of one of the most powerful military bases, the United States entered the war. Just hours after the attack, the Americans declared war on Japan and began planning a response.

Starting in 1942, the Japanese army lost its advantage and ceased to gain significant victories, which led to defeat at the Battle of Midway, and dealt a crushing blow to the imperial troops.

After that, the Americans continued their systematic offensive, liberating all the islands that came across on the way. The Japanese refused to surrender even when they found themselves in a completely stalemate in 1945. Foreseeing heavy losses at the beginning of the assault on the main island of Japan, the US command decided to drop two atomic bombs, which finally broke the spirit of the Japanese and led to the subsequent complete surrender.

In total, during the war with the Japanese, the Americans lost about 300 thousand soldiers and sailors killed, taken prisoner and subsequently killed from their wounds. In addition, it is known about the injured civilians. So the Japanese managed to intern over 12 thousand civilians.

One of the main "meat grinders" - the place where the Allies suffered the greatest losses, were the beaches during Operation Overlord. The infantry had to storm enemy bunkers, advancing through open areas, under the furious fire of artillery and machine guns. However, due to the disagreements of the German commanders, who as a result were unable to provide assistance to each other in an organized manner, the defenses were broken. The battle for Normandy lasted for about two months. The main task of the allies was to capture, expand and strengthen coastal bridgeheads in order to create favorable conditions for subsequent attacks on the enemy. This operation went down in history as the largest amphibious assault, as it involved more than 3 million soldiers who crossed the English Channel.

Great losses to the allies were inflicted by powerful German armored vehicles - an outdated military doctrine affected. The main tank of the US Army at that time was the M4 "Sherman", equipped with a short-barreled 75-mm gun, which was not able to adequately deal with enemy tanks that destroyed "Shermans" at distances of more than a kilometer. The use of specialized self-propelled guns did not give significant results, which is why the Americans lost heavily to the mechanized divisions of the Wehrmacht. As a result, due to the large casualties, the Americans had to quickly develop new types of tanks, as well as figure out how to modernize the current ones that remained in service.

Even despite the complete American dominance of the air, German forces continued to offer serious resistance. Especially here the Hitler Youth managed to excel. The teenagers, under the guidance of experienced officers, managed to inflict enormous damage on the American forces, turning the French vineyards into a real hell. However, they did not stand a chance, since the Americans were more prepared and already possessed combat skills by the time the operation began. Some units had real combat experience gained during battles with the Japanese. This played a cruel joke with the American Marines, since the Germans used completely different battle tactics, which also led to large losses at first.

In total, during the bloody battles in Europe, the United States lost almost 186 thousand soldiers killed, which, of course, is quite small when compared with the losses of the USSR.

Conclusion

The greatest contribution to the victory over the Third Reich, undoubtedly, made. The allies could only indirectly help the Soviet troops, diverting the attention of the Wehrmacht command and forcing them to scatter their forces. And also additionally supplied weapons for the Soviet army under the Lend-Lease program. In total, the losses of the United States in World War II amounted to 405 thousand killed and 671 thousand wounded.