Casualty Rate for a Functioning Unit

Discussion in 'World War 2' started by sdmahaneysc, Mar 23, 2015.

  1. sdmahaneysc

    sdmahaneysc New Member

    Please help me remember something, or where I found it!

    I am sure that in my recent research I read a paragraph on how much a large unit can lose, and how U.S. Marine Corps units somehow could take more and keep going. The rule of thumb is 70% to 75% of a unit's soldiers must be capable for the unit to keep up an offensive. On Peleliu and Tarawa and elsewhere Marine battalions and regiments took much worse and kept going.

    I could have swore I read it in one of Bill Sloan's books, or in a begrudging admission in Bob Green's Okinawa book. I can't find in in those, nor from Eugene Sledge.

    While I've written fiction, I try to have things referenced and documented in the margins. Does anyone remember reading such a line, or have data on such stats?
     

Share This Page