Equipment losses in World War II or Matériel losses in World War II refers to military equipment destroyed during World War II, the deadliest and most costly war in human history.
On the Western Front in 1944–1945, 4,477 British Commonwealth tanks were destroyed, including 2,712 M4 Sherman tanks, 656 Churchill tanks, 609 Cromwell tanks, 433 M3 Stuart light tanks, 39 Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger tanks, 26 Comet tanks, 2 M24 Chaffee light tanks. [8]
From June 6, 1944 through May 15, 1945 for US tank and tank destroyer losses in the European Theater of Operations, United States Army ( Western Front): around 7,000 (including 4,295–4,399 M4 tanks, 178 M4 (105mm howitzer), 1,507 M3 Stuart tanks and 909–919 tank destroyers, of which 540 M10 tank destroyers, 217 M18 Hellcat and 152 M36 tank destroyers). [9] [10] Losses of 5th Army (Sicily, Italy): 3,377 armored vehicles, including 1,171 M4s. [11] [12] [13] Several hundred tanks lost in the Pacific Theater.
Soviet claims according to Grigori F. Krivosheev: 42,700 tanks, tank destroyers, self-propelled guns and assault guns, 379,400 guns and mortars and 75,700 combat aircraft were lost on the Eastern front. [14] According to Heinz Guderian (supplied by Q.M.G of the General Staff of the Army): Total 33,324 tanks, assault guns, tank destroyers, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers and armored cars lost on the Eastern Front from 22/6/1941 until November 1944. Paul Winter, in Defeating Hitler, states "these figures are undoubtedly too low" [15]
Received | Total stock | Losses | % of Total stock loss | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tanks | 86,100 | 108,700 | 83,500 | 76.8 |
Heavy | 10,000 | 10,500 | 5,200 | 49.5 |
Medium | 55,000 | 55,900 | 44,900 | 80.3 |
Light | 21,100 | 42,300 | 33,400 | 79.0 |
SP Guns | 23,100 | 23,100 | 13,000 | 56.3 |
Heavy | 5,000 | 5,000 | 2,300 | 46.0 |
Medium | 4,000 | 4,000 | 2,100 | 52.5 |
Light | 14,000 | 14,000 | 8,600 | 61.4 |
Tanks and SP Guns | 109,100 | 131,700 | 96,500 | 73.3 |
Armored cars, tractors, other armoured vehicles |
59,100 | 72,200 | 37,600 | 52.1 |
1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Soviet Tank strength(1) | 22,600 | 7,700 | 20,600 | 21,100 | 25,400 | |
German Tank strength(1) | 5,262 | 4,896 | 5,648 | 5,266 | 6,284 | |
Soviet Tank Production | 6,274 | 24,639 | 19,959 | 16,975 | 4,384 | 72,231 |
German Tank Production | 3,256 | 4,278 | 5,966 | 9,161 | 1,098 | 23,759 |
Production ratio(2) (German:Soviet) |
1:1.9 | 1:5.8 | 1:3.3 | 1:1.9 | 1:4.0 | 1:3.0 |
Soviet Tank losses | 20,500 | 15,000 | 22,400 | 16,900 | 8,700 | 83,500 |
German Tank losses | 2,758 | 2,648 | 6,362 | 6,434 | 7,382 | 25,584 |
Tank exchange ratio(2) (German:Soviet) |
1:7.4 | 1:5.7 | 1:3.5 | 1:2.6 | 1:1.2 | 1:3.3 |
Note: Table does not include assault guns or any other type of SPG.
According to Steven Zaloga:
(1) "As of January each year, except for 1941 which is as of 22 June 1941. German strength is entire strength, not only the Eastern Front. In July 1944 the Germans had over 1,500 tanks in Normandy and several hundred in other theatres such as Italy and the Balkans. Likewise, the Soviet kept about 3,000 tanks in the Far East through much of the war."
(2) "German tank losses here include all fronts; the tank exchange ratio deletes estimated German losses to Anglo-American forces and so reflects only the Soviet-German loss."
Grigori F. Krivosheev concludes: "Losses during strategic operations accounted for 61.48% of small-arms losses, 65.52% of tank and SP gun losses, 56.89% of gun and mortar losses and 58.6% of combat aircraft losses during the war. On average 11,000 small arms, 68 tanks, and 30 aircraft were lost each day. In such as the Baltic, Beyelorussian, Kiev and Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad defensive operations, 20-30,000 small arms, 90-290 tanks, 200-520 guns and mortars and 30-100 combat aircraft were lost daily. Losses were also high during the Battle of Kursk and Berlin offensive, with 70-90 tanks, 90-210 guns and mortars and 25-40 aircraft lost each day." [20]
Country | Carriers, Escort carrier and Seaplane tenders | Battleships and battlecruisers | Cruisers | Destroyers | Escort destroyers, frigates and Sloops | Submarines | Other warships | Auxiliary | Total | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 15 | ||||
Canada | 6 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 31 | |||||
France | 2 | 8 | 36 | 33 | 14 | 2 | 94 | |||
Free France | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | |||||
Germany | 4 | 9 | 27 | 765 | 805 | Includes scuttled ships | ||||
Greece | 2 [note 1] | 1 [note 2] | 4 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 26 | |||
Italy | 2 | 11 | 48 | 89 | 305 | 455 | [25] | |||
Empire of Japan | 19 | 8 | 37 | 134 | 130 | 328 | 3 further battleships foundered | |||
Netherlands | 2 | 9 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 26 | 57 | |||
Norway | 2 [note 3] | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 23 | |||
Soviet Union | 1 [note 4] | 1 | 33 [note 5] | 4 | 98 | 522 [a 1] | 356 [a 1] | 1,014 | [a 1] | |
United Kingdom | 10 | 5 | 31 | 132 | 42 [note 6] | 75 | 0 | 1,035 | 1,340 | [26] |
United States | 15 | 3 | 10 | 87 | 15 | 54 | 109 | 367 | 660 | |
Poland | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
Equipment losses in World War II or Matériel losses in World War II refers to military equipment destroyed during World War II, the deadliest and most costly war in human history.
On the Western Front in 1944–1945, 4,477 British Commonwealth tanks were destroyed, including 2,712 M4 Sherman tanks, 656 Churchill tanks, 609 Cromwell tanks, 433 M3 Stuart light tanks, 39 Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger tanks, 26 Comet tanks, 2 M24 Chaffee light tanks. [8]
From June 6, 1944 through May 15, 1945 for US tank and tank destroyer losses in the European Theater of Operations, United States Army ( Western Front): around 7,000 (including 4,295–4,399 M4 tanks, 178 M4 (105mm howitzer), 1,507 M3 Stuart tanks and 909–919 tank destroyers, of which 540 M10 tank destroyers, 217 M18 Hellcat and 152 M36 tank destroyers). [9] [10] Losses of 5th Army (Sicily, Italy): 3,377 armored vehicles, including 1,171 M4s. [11] [12] [13] Several hundred tanks lost in the Pacific Theater.
Soviet claims according to Grigori F. Krivosheev: 42,700 tanks, tank destroyers, self-propelled guns and assault guns, 379,400 guns and mortars and 75,700 combat aircraft were lost on the Eastern front. [14] According to Heinz Guderian (supplied by Q.M.G of the General Staff of the Army): Total 33,324 tanks, assault guns, tank destroyers, self-propelled guns, armored personnel carriers and armored cars lost on the Eastern Front from 22/6/1941 until November 1944. Paul Winter, in Defeating Hitler, states "these figures are undoubtedly too low" [15]
Received | Total stock | Losses | % of Total stock loss | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tanks | 86,100 | 108,700 | 83,500 | 76.8 |
Heavy | 10,000 | 10,500 | 5,200 | 49.5 |
Medium | 55,000 | 55,900 | 44,900 | 80.3 |
Light | 21,100 | 42,300 | 33,400 | 79.0 |
SP Guns | 23,100 | 23,100 | 13,000 | 56.3 |
Heavy | 5,000 | 5,000 | 2,300 | 46.0 |
Medium | 4,000 | 4,000 | 2,100 | 52.5 |
Light | 14,000 | 14,000 | 8,600 | 61.4 |
Tanks and SP Guns | 109,100 | 131,700 | 96,500 | 73.3 |
Armored cars, tractors, other armoured vehicles |
59,100 | 72,200 | 37,600 | 52.1 |
1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Soviet Tank strength(1) | 22,600 | 7,700 | 20,600 | 21,100 | 25,400 | |
German Tank strength(1) | 5,262 | 4,896 | 5,648 | 5,266 | 6,284 | |
Soviet Tank Production | 6,274 | 24,639 | 19,959 | 16,975 | 4,384 | 72,231 |
German Tank Production | 3,256 | 4,278 | 5,966 | 9,161 | 1,098 | 23,759 |
Production ratio(2) (German:Soviet) |
1:1.9 | 1:5.8 | 1:3.3 | 1:1.9 | 1:4.0 | 1:3.0 |
Soviet Tank losses | 20,500 | 15,000 | 22,400 | 16,900 | 8,700 | 83,500 |
German Tank losses | 2,758 | 2,648 | 6,362 | 6,434 | 7,382 | 25,584 |
Tank exchange ratio(2) (German:Soviet) |
1:7.4 | 1:5.7 | 1:3.5 | 1:2.6 | 1:1.2 | 1:3.3 |
Note: Table does not include assault guns or any other type of SPG.
According to Steven Zaloga:
(1) "As of January each year, except for 1941 which is as of 22 June 1941. German strength is entire strength, not only the Eastern Front. In July 1944 the Germans had over 1,500 tanks in Normandy and several hundred in other theatres such as Italy and the Balkans. Likewise, the Soviet kept about 3,000 tanks in the Far East through much of the war."
(2) "German tank losses here include all fronts; the tank exchange ratio deletes estimated German losses to Anglo-American forces and so reflects only the Soviet-German loss."
Grigori F. Krivosheev concludes: "Losses during strategic operations accounted for 61.48% of small-arms losses, 65.52% of tank and SP gun losses, 56.89% of gun and mortar losses and 58.6% of combat aircraft losses during the war. On average 11,000 small arms, 68 tanks, and 30 aircraft were lost each day. In such as the Baltic, Beyelorussian, Kiev and Voronezh-Voroshilovgrad defensive operations, 20-30,000 small arms, 90-290 tanks, 200-520 guns and mortars and 30-100 combat aircraft were lost daily. Losses were also high during the Battle of Kursk and Berlin offensive, with 70-90 tanks, 90-210 guns and mortars and 25-40 aircraft lost each day." [20]
Country | Carriers, Escort carrier and Seaplane tenders | Battleships and battlecruisers | Cruisers | Destroyers | Escort destroyers, frigates and Sloops | Submarines | Other warships | Auxiliary | Total | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 15 | ||||
Canada | 6 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 31 | |||||
France | 2 | 8 | 36 | 33 | 14 | 2 | 94 | |||
Free France | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | |||||
Germany | 4 | 9 | 27 | 765 | 805 | Includes scuttled ships | ||||
Greece | 2 [note 1] | 1 [note 2] | 4 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 26 | |||
Italy | 2 | 11 | 48 | 89 | 305 | 455 | [25] | |||
Empire of Japan | 19 | 8 | 37 | 134 | 130 | 328 | 3 further battleships foundered | |||
Netherlands | 2 | 9 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 26 | 57 | |||
Norway | 2 [note 3] | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 23 | |||
Soviet Union | 1 [note 4] | 1 | 33 [note 5] | 4 | 98 | 522 [a 1] | 356 [a 1] | 1,014 | [a 1] | |
United Kingdom | 10 | 5 | 31 | 132 | 42 [note 6] | 75 | 0 | 1,035 | 1,340 | [26] |
United States | 15 | 3 | 10 | 87 | 15 | 54 | 109 | 367 | 660 | |
Poland | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 |