| This information was found on pages 22 and 23 of the June/July 2003 VFW Magazine. Deaths by Combat
Arms Branch:
| Branch |
Number |
% of Total |
| Infantry |
22,765 |
82% |
| Artillery |
2,332 |
8% |
| Combat Engineers |
850 |
3% |
| Army Medical Service |
830 |
3% |
| Armor |
530 |
2% |
Note: These branches account for 98% of all 27,731 Army hostile deaths. Source: Micheal Clodfelter,
Warfare & Armed Conflicts. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2002, p. 735.
10 Deadliest Battles of the Korean War:
| Battle |
Combat Fatalities* |
Dates |
| Pusan Perimeter |
3,603 |
Aug 4-Sep 16, 1950 |
| Chosin Reservoir |
1,641 |
Nov 27-Dec 9, 1950 |
| Kunu-ri |
1,194 |
Nov 29-Dec 1, 1950 |
| Naktong Breakout |
834 |
Sep 16-27, 1950 |
| Hoengsong |
773 |
Feb 11-13, 1951 |
| Taejon |
638 |
Jul 19-20, 1950 |
| Heartbreak Ridge |
616 |
Sep 13-Oct 15, 1951 |
| Kum River |
490 |
Jul 13-16, 1950 |
| Unsan |
454 |
Nov 1-2, 1950 |
| Soyang River |
406 |
May 17-20, 1951 |
*This includes killed in action, died of wounds, died while POW and MIAs later declared KIA. Source:
Korean War veteran Dick Ecker of Illinois compiled these statistics from a database he developed. Ecker
notes that, while there is always a margin of error in historical research, this is the only known
compilation of its kind. The fatalities include killed in action, died of wounds, died while prisoner of
war, and missing in action later declared killed in action. It should further be noted that in the first
battle of Pork Chop Hill on April 16-18, 1953, there were 112 Americans killed in action. Ecker drew heavily
on Army records for this casualty study.
Miscellaneous Total U.S. Wounded (not mortal, hospitalized):
103,284 Prisoners of War:
7,140 (4,418 returned; 2,701 died in captivity; 21 refused repatriation) Deadliest U.S. Week (KIA):
November 26-December 2, 1950 = 3,567 fatalities Deadliest U.S. Day (KIA):
November 30, 1950 =
799 fatalities Peak U.S. Fatality Month:
November 1950 = 3,627 Medal of Honor Recipients:
131 Black Participation & Deaths:
13% of troops & 8% of total deaths = 3,075 |
