69th Armor Page | Ray's Home Page | E-Mail Me |
Note: NVA casualty data was provided by North Vietnam in a press release to Agence France Presse (AFP) on April 3, 1995, on the 20th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. The entire press release is reproduced below.US casualty information was derived from the Combat Area Casualty File of 11/93, and The Adjutant General's Center (TAGCEN) file of 1981, available from the National Archives. Additional information was derived from the sources listed at the end of this document.
Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
US Forces | 47,378 1 | 304,704 2 | 2,338 3 | 766 4 |
ARVN | 223,748 | 1,169,763 | NA | NA |
South Korea | 4,407 | 17,060 | NA | NA |
Australia | 469 | 2,940 | 6 | NA |
Thailand | 351 | 1,358 | NA | NA |
New Zealand | 55 | 212 | NA | NA |
NVA/VC | 1,100,000 | 600,000 | NA | 26,000 5 |
Note 1: there were an additional 10,824 non-hostile deaths for a total of 58,202
Note 2: of the 304,704 WIA, 153,329 required hospitalization
Note 3: this number decreases as remains are recovered and identified
Note 4: 114 died in captivity
Note 5: Does not include 101,511 Hoi Chanh
Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
US Forces | 1,536 | 7,764 | 11 | unknown |
ARVN | 2,788 | 8,299 | 587 | unknown |
NVA/VC | 45,000 | unknown | unknown | 6,991 |
Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
US Forces | 1,864 | 7,337 | 18 | unknown |
ARVN | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
NVA/VC | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |
Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
US Forces | 5,008 1 | 29,992 | 61 | unknown |
ARVN | 11,953 | 71,584 | unknown | unknown |
NVA/VC | 71,473 | unknown | unknown | 3,247 |
Note 1: there were an additional 1,045 non-hostile deaths for a total of 6,053
Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
US Forces | 9,378 1 | 56,013 | 113 | unknown |
ARVN | 12,716 | 76,299 | 529 | unknown |
NVA/VC | 133,484 | unknown | unknown | 6,065 |
Note 1: there were an additional 1,680 non-hostile deaths for a total of 11,058
Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
US Forces | 14,594 1 | 87,388 | 176 | unknown |
ARVN | 28,800 | 172,512 | 587 | unknown |
NVA/VC | 208,254 | unknown | unknown | 9,462 |
Note 1: there were an additional 1,919 non-hostile deaths for a total of 16,511
Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
US Forces | 9,414 1 | 55,390 | 112 | unknown |
ARVN | 22,000 | 131,780 | 683 | unknown |
NVA/VC | 132,051 | unknown | unknown | 5,905 |
Note 1: there were an additional 2,113 non-hostile deaths for a total of 11,527
Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
US Forces | 4,221 1 | 24,835 | 101 | unknown |
ARVN | 23,000 | 137,770 | 727 | unknown |
NVA/VC | 86,591 | unknown | unknown | 3,934 |
Note 1: there were an additional 1,844 non-hostile deaths for a total of 6,065
Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
US Forces | 1,380 1 | 18,109 | 16 | unknown |
ARVN | 19,901 | 123,545 | 727 | unknown |
NVA/VC | 19,320 | unknown | unknown | 2,304 |
Note 1: there were an additional 968 non-hostile deaths for a total of 2,348
Force | KIA | WIA | MIA | CIA |
US Forces | 300 1 | 3,936 | 11 | unknown |
ARVN | 25,787 | 139,731 | 727 | unknown |
NVA/VC | 4,261 | unknown | unknown | 1,349 |
Note 1: there were an additional 261 non-hostile deaths for a total of 561
Force | Total Strength | Support | Combat Arms |
US Forces | 409,111 | 346,260 | 62,850 |
ARVN | Not Avail | Not Avail | Not Avail |
NVA/VC | 420,000 | unknown | unknown |
Force | Total Strength | Support | Combat Arms |
US Forces | 440,029 | 372,429 | 67,600 |
ARVN | Not Avail | Not Avail | Not Avail |
NVA/VC | 332,000 | unknown | unknown |
The figures for relative strengths assume the following: On January 1, 1969 there were 110 battalions in Vietnam (98 Infantry, 3 tank, and 9 artillery). An Infantry battalion had 656 infantrymen (4 companies per battalion with 164 men per company). An armor battalion had 204 tankers (3 companies per battalion with 68 tankers per company). An artillery battalion had approximayely 300 men. Therefore, the number of actual "trigger pullers" added up to 67,600. Note that this was "authorized strength". Most battalions were not even close to their TO&E strength during the war, with many infantry companies operating with 80 men. This was true despite the fact that the parent divisions reported being at, or slightly over, authorized strength. There were a large number of REMFs in Vietnam.
Unit | Nickname | KIA | Comment |
1st Cavalry Division | First Team | 5,464 | - |
25th Infantry Division | Tropic Lightning | 4,561 | - |
101st Airborne Division | Screaming Eagles | 4,022 | - |
1st Infantry Division | Big Red One | 3,151 | - |
Various Individual Units | - | 2,872 | See Note 1 below |
9th Infantry Division | Old Reliables | 2,629 | - |
4th Infantry Division | Ivy Division | 2,541 | - |
173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) | Sky Soldier | 1,758 | - |
1st Aviation Brigade | - | 1,706 | - |
196th Light Infantry Brigade | - | 1,188 | - |
11th Light Infantry Brigade | - | 1,109 | - |
Military Assistance Command Vietnam | MACV | 1,017 | Advisors to ARVN |
198th Light Infantry Brigade | - | 987 | - |
United States Army Vietnam | USARV | 847 | Headquarters - includes advisors |
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) | Green Berets | 834 | - |
23rd Infantry Division | Americal | 809 | non-brigade units |
199th Light Infantry Brigade | Redcatchers | 757 | - |
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment | Blackhorse | 729 | - |
1st Logistical Command | - | 598 | - |
5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) | Red Diamond | 530 | 1st Brigade only |
I Field Force Vietnam | IFFV | 353 | - |
82d Airborne Division | All American | 228 | 3rd Brigade only |
1st Signal Brigade | - | 193 | - |
II Field Force Vietnam | IIFFV | 80 | - |
Engineer Command | - | 64 | - |
Unit unknown | - | 6 | - |
Note 1: This group is comprised of the following individual units with no further breakdown
17th Field Hospital (An Khe)
22nd Surgical Hospital (Phu Bai)
71st Evacuation Hospital (Pleiku)
91st Evacuation Hospital (Tuy Hoa)
95th Field Hospital (Qui Nhon)
3rd Field Hospital (III Corps)
7th Surgical Hospital (III Corps)
45th Surgical Hospital (III Corps)
93rd Evacuation Hospital (III Corps)
80th Engineer Group
121st Assault Helicopter Company
18th Military Police Brigade
89th Military Police Brigade
8th Transportation Group
48th Transportation Group
11th Aviation Group
12th Aviation Group
23rd Artillery Group
108th Artillery Group
35th Engineer Group
45th Engineer Group
34th General Support Group
506th Field Depot
All US Forces KIA in Vietnam = 58,169
US Army Soldiers KIA in Vietnam = 38,190
US Army Infantrymen (MOS 11B, 11C, etc.) KIA in Vietnam = 20,460
US Army Helicopter Crewmen KIA in Vietnam = 3,007
US Army Scouts KIA in Vietnam = 1,127
US Army Tankers KIA in Vietnam = 725 (equals 27% of all tankers ever assigned to Vietnam)
US Marines Killed In Action in Vietnam = 14,836
The highest loss-rate for any MOS was 11E (Armor Crewman) 27% KIA
Code | Province | KIA | Comment |
99 | Province unknown | 6,276 | Military Region unknown |
02 | Thua Thien | 2,893 | I Corps - Hue, etc. |
23 | Binh Duong | 2,742 | III Corps |
22 | Tay Ninh | 2,648 | III Corps |
05 | Quang Ngai | 2,342 | I Corps - Border w/II Corps |
07 | Binh Dinh | 2,211 | II Corps - Bong Son, An Loa Valley, etc. |
04 | Quang Tin | 2,068 | I Corps - Tam Ky, etc. |
01 | Quang Tri | 1,683 | I Corps - south of DMZ |
06 | Kontum | 1,641 | II Corps - Dak To, Ben Het, etc. |
42 | Hua Nghia | 1,424 | III Corps - Khiem Cuong, etc. |
25 | Bien Hoa | 1,147 | III Corps |
24 | Gia Dinh | 1,064 | Capital Special Zone - Saigon |
08 | Pleiku | 1,015 | II Corps - Hwy 14, Ia Drang, etc. |
27 | Long An | 1,002 | III Corps |
03 | Quang Nam | 971 | I Corps - Da Nang, etc. |
21 | Binh Long | 909 | III Corps |
30 | Dinh Tuong | 794 | IV Corps - My Tho, etc. |
14 | Phuoc Long | 679 | III Corps - Phuoc Binh, etc. |
19 | Long Khanh | 558 | III Corps - Xuan Loc, etc. |
** | Unknown Code | 467 | NARA error |
33 | Kien Hoa | 416 | IV Corps - Truc Giang, etc. |
17 | Binh Thuan | 300 | II Corps - Phan Thiet, etc. |
09 | Phu Yen | 282 | II Corps - Tuy Hoa, etc. |
11 | Khanh Hoa | 275 | II Corps - Nha Trang, etc. |
26 | Phuoc Tuy | 204 | III Corps - Vung Tau, Phuoc Le, etc. |
18 | Binh Thuy | 176 | III Corps - Ham Tan, etc. |
13 | Quang Duc | 171 | II Corps - Gia Nghia, etc. |
10 | Darlac | 163 | II Corps - Ban Me Thout, etc. |
35 | Phong Dinh | 146 | IV Corps - Can Tho, etc. |
15 | Lam Dong | 143 | II Corps - Bao Loc, etc. |
32 | Vinh Long | 142 | IV Corps |
28 | Kien Tuong | 140 | IV Corps - Moc Hoa, etc. |
16 | Ninh Thuan | 97 | II Corps - Phan Rang, etc. |
36 | Kien Giang | 77 | IV Corps - Rach Gia, etc. |
12 | Tuyen Duc | 76 | II Corps - Da Lat, etc. |
29 | Kien Phong | 65 | IV Corps - Cao Lanh, etc. |
47 | Unknown code | 60 | Possibly Saigon Area |
38 | Ba Xuyen | 56 | IV Corps - Khanh Hung, etc. |
34 | Vinh Binh | 49 | IV Corps - Phu Vinh, etc. |
43 | Go Cong | 40 | IV Corps - Go Cong, etc. |
93 | Province unknown | 34 | Military region 3 - III Corps |
39 | An Xuyen | 33 | IV Corps - Quon Long, etc. |
37 | Chuong Thien | 30 | IV Corps - Vi Thanh, etc. |
92 | Province unknown | 25 | Military region 2 - II Corps |
46 | Sa Dec | 25 | IV Corps - Sa Dec, etc. |
41 | Phu Bon | 24 | II Corps - Hau Bon, Song Ba River, etc. |
99 | Province unknown | 22 | Military region 1 - I Corps |
31 | An Giang | 17 | IV Corps - Long Xuyen, etc. |
81 | Offshore | 19 | Military Region 1 - I Corps |
89 | Offshore unknown | 19 | Province & Military Region unknown |
44 | Bac Lieu | 14 | IV Corps - Bac Lieu, etc. |
82 | Offshore | 11 | Military Region 2 - II Corps |
NZ | Unknown Code | 10 | NARA error |
94 | Province unknown | 9 | Military region 4 - IV Corps |
83 | Offshore | 2 | Military Region 3 -III Corps |
84 | Offshore | 2 | Military Region 4 - IV Corps |
20 | No code provided | 1 | NARA error, possibly Cam Ranh Bay |
40 | Con Son Island | 1 | IV Corps |
45 | Chua Doc | 1 | IV Corps - Shau Phu, etc. |
48 | Unknown code | 1 | NARA error |
49 | Phu Quoc Island | 1 | IV Corps |
50 | DMZ | 0 | Demilitarized Zone |
After Tet, Ronald H. Spector, New York: Random House, 1993
Code Name Bright Light, Veith, George J., New York: The Free Press, 1998
Inside The VC And The NVA, Lanning, Michael, New York: Random House, 1992
The Rise And Fall Of An American Army, Stanton, Shelby L., Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1985
The Vietnam War, Nalty, Bernard C., New York: Smithmark Publishers, 1996
Vietnam: A History, Karnow, Stanley, New York: Viking, 1983
Vietnam At War: The History 1946-1975, Davidson, Phillip, New York: Oxford Univ Press, 1988
HANOI (AP) - April 4. Cinq millions de morts: 20 ans apregraves la fin de la guerre du Vietnam, le gouvernement de Hanoi a reacute veacute leacute, lundi, le bilan d'un conflit dent le nombre de victimes avait eacute teacute minore a l'eacutepoque pour ne pas affecter le moral de la population.Selon Hanoi, il y a eu pres de deux millions de morts dans la population civile du Nord et deux autres millions dans celle du Sud. Quant aux combats proprement dits, les chiffres sent d'un million cent mille militaires tueacutes et de 600.000 blesseacutes en 21 ans de guerre.
Ce dernier bilan comprend a la fois les victimes de la guerilla vietcong et les soldats nord-vietamiens qui les eacute paulaient. Les preacute ceacute dentes estimations de source occidentale faisaient eacute tat d'un bilan de 666.000 morts parmi Ies combattants Vietnamiens.
Translation
The Hanoi government revealed on April 4 that the true civilian
casualties of the Vietnam War were 2,000,000 in the north, and 2,000,000 in the south. Military
casualties were 1.1 million killed and 600,000 wounded in 21 years of war. These figures were
deliberately falsified during the war by the North Vietnamese Communists to avoid demoralizing
the population.
End Translation
Note: Given a Vietnamese population of approximately 38 million during the period 1954-1975, Vietnamese casualties represent a good 12-13% of the entire population. To put this in perspective, consider that the population of the US was 220 million during the Vietnam War. Had The US sustained casualties of 13% of its population, there would have been 28 million US dead.
T O P | 69th Armor Page | Ray's Home Page | E-Mail Me |