D-Day, June 6, 1944 FAQ’s:

What does the “D” in D-Day stand for?

The “D” does not stand for “Deliverance”, “Doom”, “Debarkation” or similar words. In fact, it does not stand for anything. The “D” is derived from the word “Day”. “D-Day” means the day on which a military operation begins. The term “D-Day” has been used for many different operations, but it is now generally only used to refer to the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944.

Why was the expression “D-Day” used?

When a military operation is being planned, its actual date and time is not always known exactly. The term “D-Day” was therefore used to mean the date on which operations would begin, whenever that was to be. The day before D-Day was known as “D-1″, while the day after D-Day was “D+1″, and so on. This meant that if the projected date of an operation changed, all the dates in the plan did not also need to be changed. This actually happened in the case of the Normandy Landings. D-Day in Normandy was originally intended to be on 5 June 1944, but at the last minute bad weather delayed it until the following day. The armed forces also used the expression “H-Hour” for the time during the day at which operations were to begin.

What were Operation Overlord, Operation Neptune and the Battle of Normandy? When did they take place?

The armed forces use code names to refer to the planning and execution of specific military operations. Operation Overlord was the codename for the Allied invasion of north-west Europe. The assault phase of Operation Overlord was known as Operation Neptune. This operation involved landing the troops on the beaches, and all other associated supporting operations required to establish a beachhead in France. Operation Neptune began on D-Day (6 June 1944) and ended on 30 June 1944. By this time, the Allies had established a firm foothold in Normandy. Operation Overlord also began on D-Day, and continued until Allied forces crossed the River Seine on 19 August 1944. The Battle of Normandy is the name given to the fighting in Normandy between D-Day and the end of August 1944.

Which Allied nations took part in the fighting?

The majority of troops who landed on the D-Day beaches were from the United Kingdom, Canada and the US. However, troops from many other countries participated in D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, in all the different armed services: Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.

How many Allied troops were involved in D-Day?

On D-Day, the Allies landed around 156,000 troops in Normandy. The American forces landed numbered 73,000: 23,250 on Utah Beach, 34,250 on Omaha Beach, and 15,500 airborne troops. In the British and Canadian sector, 83,115 troops were landed (61,715 of them British): 24,970 on Gold Beach, 21,400 on Juno Beach, 28,845 on Sword Beach, and 7900 airborne troops.

11,590 aircraft were available to support the landings. On D-Day, Allied aircraft flew 14,674 sorties, and 127 were lost.

In the airborne landings on both flanks of the beaches, 2395 aircraft and 867 gliders of the RAF and USAAF were used on D-Day.

Operation Neptune involved huge naval forces, including 6939 vessels: 1213 naval combat ships, 4126 landing ships and landing craft, 736 ancillary craft and 864 merchant vessels. Some 195,700 personnel were assigned to Operation Neptune: 52,889 US, 112,824 British, and 4988 from other Allied countries.

By the end of 11 June (D + 5), 326,547 troops, 54,186 vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies had been landed on the beaches.

As well as the troops who landed in Normandy on D-Day, and those in supporting roles at sea and in the air, millions more men and women in the Allied countries were involved in the preparations for D-Day. They played thousands of different roles, both in the armed forces and as civilians.

How many Allied and German casualties were there on D-Day, and in the Battle of Normandy?

“Casualties” refers to all losses suffered by the armed forces: killed, wounded, missing in action (meaning that their bodies were not found) and prisoners of war. There is no “official” casualty figure for D-Day. Under the circumstances, accurate record keeping was very difficult. For example, some troops who were listed as missing may actually have landed in the wrong place, and have rejoined their parent unit only later.

In April and May 1944, the Allied air forces lost nearly 12,000 men and over 2,000 aircraft in operations which paved the way for D-Day.

The Allied casualties figures for D-Day have generally been estimated at 10,000, including 2500 dead. Broken down by nationality, the usual D-Day casualty figures are approximately 2700 British, 946 Canadians, and 6603 Americans. However recent painstaking research by the US National D-Day Memorial Foundation has achieved a more accurate - and much higher - figure for the Allied personnel who were killed on D-Day. They have recorded the names of individual Allied personnel killed on 6 June 1944 in Operation Overlord, and so far they have verified 2499 American D-Day fatalities and 1915 from the other Allied nations, a total of 4414 dead (much higher than the traditional figure of 2500 dead). Further research may mean that these numbers will increase slightly in future. The details of this research will in due course be available on the Foundation’s website at www.dday.org. This new research means that the casualty figures given for individual units in the next few paragraphs are no doubt inaccurate, and hopefully more accurate figures will one day be calculated.

Casualties on the British beaches were roughly 1000 on Gold Beach and the same number on Sword Beach. The remainder of the British losses were amongst the airborne troops: some 600 were killed or wounded, and 600 more were missing; 100 glider pilots also became casualties. The losses of 3rd Canadian Division at Juno Beach have been given as 340 killed, 574 wounded and 47 taken prisoner.

The breakdown of US casualties was 1465 dead, 3184 wounded, 1928 missing and 26 captured. Of the total US figure, 2499 casualties were from the US airborne troops (238 of them being deaths). The casualties at Utah Beach were relatively light: 197, including 60 missing. However, the US 1st and 29th Divisions together suffered around 2000 casualties at Omaha Beach.

The total German casualties on D-Day are not known, but are estimated as being between 4000 and 9000 men.

Naval losses for June 1944 included 24 warships and 35 merchantmen or auxiliaries sunk, and a further 120 vessels damaged.

Over 425,000 Allied and German troops were killed, wounded or went missing during the Battle of Normandy. This figure includes over 209,000 Allied casualties, with nearly 37,000 dead amongst the ground forces and a further 16,714 deaths amongst the Allied air forces. Of the Allied casualties, 83,045 were from 21st Army Group (British, Canadian and Polish ground forces), 125,847 from the US ground forces. The losses of the German forces during the Battle of Normandy can only be estimated. Roughly 200,000 German troops were killed or wounded. The Allies also captured 200,000 prisoners of war (not included in the 425,000 total, above). During the fighting around the Falaise Pocket (August 1944) alone, the Germans suffered losses of around 90,000, including prisoners.

Today, twenty-seven war cemeteries hold the remains of over 110,000 dead from both sides: 77,866 German, 9386 American, 17,769 British, 5002 Canadian and 650 Poles.

Between 15,000 and 20,000 French civilians were killed, mainly as a result of Allied bombing. Thousands more fled their homes to escape the fighting.

D-Day by the numbers

Operation Neptune/Overlord

195,701 - Number of personnel assigned to Operation Neptune (sailors and soldiers)

25,000 - Number of Navy allies crews engaged in the framework of Operation Neptune

15,500 - Number of U.S. airborne units parachuted on June 6, 1944 at midnight

11,590 - Number of aircrafts provided for the operation Neptune (fighters, bombers, transport and reconnaissance aircrafts, gliders)

10,750 - Number of trips of the Allied air forces during 24 hours on June 6, 1944

9,500 - Number of Allied attack and support planes on flight on D-Day

7,900 - Number of British airborne units parachuted on June 6, 1944 at midnight

6,939 - Total number of ships deployed during operation Neptune

6,460 - Number of warships and civilian ships deployed during the amphibious assault

1,900 - Number of aircrafts and gliders used in the night of June 5 to 6, 1944

319 - Total interventions of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) on June 6, 1944

200 - Number of warships that participated in the naval bombardment of June 6, 1944 (battleships, monitors, cruisers and destroyers)

120 - Number of damaged Allied ships (June 6 to 30, 1944)

59 - Number of sunk Allied ships (June 6 to 30, 1944)

The landings on June 6, 1944 in Normandy

156,000 - Number of soldiers who took part in the Normandy landings

132,000 - Number of Allied soldiers who have landed on June 6, 1944 at midnight

73,000 - Number of British soldiers who have landed on June 6, 1944 at midnight

59,000 - Number of American soldiers who have landed on June 6, 1944 at midnight

34,250 - Number of U.S. soldiers landed on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944 at midnight

28,845 - Number of British soldiers landed on Sword Beach on June 6, 1944 at midnight

24,970 - Number of British soldiers landed on Gold Beach on June 6, 1944 at midnight

23,250 - Number of U.S. soldiers landed on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944 at midnight

21,400 - Number of Canadian soldiers landed on Juno Beach on June 6, 1944 at midnight

10,500 - Number of allied losses on June 6 at midnight (killed, wounded, missing, prisoners)

10,000 - Estimated number of the German losses on June 6, 19444 at midnight

117 - Number of French soldiers belonging to the Kieffer commando landed on Sword Beach

WWII by the numbers

Number of Americans who served in World War II: 16.1 million

Average amount of time each U.S. military serviceman served overseas during World War II: 16 months

Estimated number of people serving in World War II worldwide: 1.9 billion

Estimated number of U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines killed in battle during World War II: 292,000

… of U.S. troops who perished outside of battle during World War II: 114,000

… of U.S. troops wounded during World War II: 672,000

… of deaths, in total, sustained by U.S. forces during World War II: 405,000

… of U.S. military deaths as a percent of the total United States population: 0.4%

Estimated number of deaths sustained worldwide during World War II: 72 million

Estimated total number of European Jews killed in the Nazi Holocaust: 6 million

Estimated number of German Jews killed in the Holocaust: 125,000

Estimated number of Polish Jews killed in the Holocaust: 3 million

Estimated number of deaths sustained by Polish military forces during World War II: 123,000

… by French military forces during World War II: 213,000

… by British military forces: 373,000

… by Chinese military forces: 1.3 million

… by Japanese military forces: 1.3 million

… by German military forces: 3.5 million

… by Russian military forces: 11 million

Estimated number of British civilians killed during World War II: 93,000

… of French civilians killed during World War II: 350,000

… of Japanese civilians killed: 672,000

… of German civilians killed: 780,000

… of Polish civilians killed: 5.7 million

… of Russian civilians killed: 7 million

Nazi Body Count

Scott Manning
April 1, 2009

The Nazi Body Count represents non-battle deaths caused by Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945. This includes genocide, execution of civilians and POWs, forced labor that resulted in deaths, bombing of civilian populations, imposed famine and resulting diseases, and “euthanasia.” These numbers do not include civilians who got caught in the cross-fire of battle.

The numbers are mid-estimates. The source for the numbers, R. J. Rummel’s Democide: Nazi Genocide and Mass Murder, uses of a method of accumulating all available estimates typically from government sources or scholarly examinations. The estimates are sorted by lows, mids, and highs. Averages are determined from the estimates to arrive at a low-estimate (the minimum), a mid-estimate (the more probable), and a high-estimate (the least likely).1

The Nazi body counts are grouped by country and sorted from highest to lowest. Also, an occupation death rate is provided for the countries that Nazi Germany actually occupied. This number was determined by dividing the 1939 population estimate by the body count to give the percentage that a citizen of that country was likely to be killed during that time period. An appendix at the end lists the sources for the population estimates.

Subsequent articles will examine each country in detail: Their relationship with Nazi Germany and more information on the numbers.

Nazi Body Count: 20,946,000 Non-Battle Deaths

1. USSR
Body Count: 12,250,0002
Occupation Death Rate: 18.85%
Deaths caused between 1941-1945

* 6,500,000 died through imposed famine and resulting diseases
* 3,000,000 killed POWs
* 1,224,000 killed through executions, massacres, or bombing of civilian populations3
* 876,000 killed Jews
* 650,000 died through forced labor

2. Poland
Body Count: 5,400,0004
Occupation Death Rate: 15.39%
Deaths caused between 1939-1945

* 3,000,000 killed Jews
* 2,300,000 killed or died through forced labor.

3. Nazi Germany
Body Count: 762,0005
Deaths caused between 1933-1945

* 288,000 killed through executions and purges, or died through forced labor
* 173,000 killed through “euthanasia”6
* 160,000 killed Jews
* 88,000 Germans died in February, 1945 during forced evacuation from Eastern territories
* 55,000 killed homosexuals.

4. Yugoslavia
Body Count: 625,0007
Occupation Death Rate: 3.98%
Deaths caused between 1941-1945

* 588,000 killed through massacres and bombing of civilian populations, died through forced labor, or killed Serbians
* 37,000 killed Jews

5. Hungary
Body Count: 406,0008
Occupation Death Rate: 3.01%
Deaths caused between 1941-1945.

* 378,000 killed Jews
* 28,000 killed Gypsies

6. France
Body Count: 256,0009
Occupation Death Rate: 0.61%
Deaths caused between 1940-1945

* 158,000 killed or died through forced labor
* 98,000 killed Jews

7. Czechoslovakia
Body Count: 214,00010
Occupation Death Rate: 1.41%
Deaths caused between 1939-1945

* 150,000 killed Jews
* 56,000 killed or executed
* 8,000 killed Gypsies

8. Lithuania
Body Count: 176,18211
Occupation Death Rate: 7.21%
Deaths caused between 1941-1945
176,182 killed Jews and Gypsies, executed, or died during deportation.

9. Netherlands
Body Count: 175,70612
Occupation Death Rate: 1.99%
Deaths caused between 1940-1945

* 108,000 killed Jews
* 35,000 died through forced labor
* 17,000 killings and massacres of hostages
* 15,000 died through imposed famine and resulting diseases
* 706 killed through bombing of civilian populations

10. Greece
Body Count: 140,00013
Occupation Death Rate: 1.94%
Deaths caused between 1941-1945

* 73,000 killings and massacres of hostages, or died through imposed famine and resulting diseases
* 67,000 killed Jews

11. Austria
Body Count: 133,00014
Occupation Death Rate: 1.97%
Deaths caused between 1938-1945

* 65,000 killed Gypsies
* 58,000 killed Jews
* 10,000 killed or executed

12. United Kingdom
Body Count: 87,60015
Deaths caused between 1940-1945
87,600 were killed through bombing of civilian populations or were killed POWs.

13. Latvia
Body Count: 69,54516
Occupation Death Rate: 3.56%
Deaths caused between 1941-1945
69,545 killed Jews and Gypsies, executed or died during deportation.

14. Romania
Body Count: 70,00017
Deaths caused between 1941-1945
70,000 Jews were killed.

15. Italy
Body Count: 64,00018
Occupation Death Rate: 0.15%
Deaths caused between 1943-1945

* 56,000 killed POWs and reprisal murders
* 8,000 killed Jews

16. Belgium
Body Count: 50,50019
Occupation Death Rate: 0.60%
Deaths caused between 1941-1945

* 40,000 killed Jews
* 10,000 died through forced labor or were executed
* 500 killed Gypsies

17. Spain
Body Count: 21,60020
Deaths caused between 1937-1945

* 20,000 died through forced labor or were executed
* 1,600 bombing of civilian population in Guernica in 1938

18. Independent State of Croatia
Body Count: 21,00021
Deaths caused between 1941-1945

* 20,000 rounded up and shot after the Battle of Kozara in July, 1942
* 1,000 killed Gypsies

19. Estonia
Body Count: 9,27222
Occupation Death Rate: 0.83%
Deaths caused between 1941-1945
9,272 killed Jews and Gypsies, were executed, or died during deportation.

20. Bulgaria
Body Count: 7,00023
Deaths caused between 1941-1945
7,000 Jews were killed.

21. United States of America
Body Count: 2,03824
Deaths caused between 1942-1945
2,038 POWs were killed.

22. Luxembourg
Body Count: 2,20025
Deaths caused between 1940-1945

* 2,000 killed Jews
* 200 killed Gypsies

23. Norway
Body Count: 1,50026
Occupation Death Rate: 0.05%
Deaths caused between 1940-1945
1,500 Jews were killed.

24. Denmark
Body Count: 70027
Deaths caused between 1939-1945

* 500 killed Jews
* 200 killed

25. Italian Libya
Body Count: 56228
Deaths caused between 1939-1945
562 Jews were killed.

26. Albanian Kingdom
Body Count: 20029
Deaths caused between 1943-1945
200 Jews were killed.

27. Finland
Body Count: 630
Deaths caused between 1941-1945
6 Jews were killed.

Appendix

The following population estimates were used to determine the occupation death rates for the countries. Unless otherwise noted, the estimates come from International Statistical Year-Book 1940/1941 published by the League of Nations in 194131.

Populations of Countries Occupied by Nazi Germany
Country Year Population
Austria 1937 6,760,00032
Belgium 1939 8,396,000
Czechoslovakia 1937 15,213,00033
Denmark 1939 3,825,000
Estonia 1939 1,122,000
France 1939 41,950,000
Greece 1939 7,201,000
Hungary 1939 13,500,000
Italy 1939 13,300,000
Latvia 1939 1,951,000
Lithuania 1939 2,442,000
Luxembourg 1939 301,000
Netherlands 1939 8,834,000
Norway 1939 2,937,000
Poland 1938 35,090,000
USSR 1942 65,000,00034
Yugosolavia 1939 15,703,000

Notes

* Rummel provides a more detailed explanation for his methods and procedures on his website. This same explanation is provided in each of his books related to death estimates. R. J. Rummel, “Estimating Democide: Methods and Procedures,” University of Hawaii, http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/METHOD.HTM. [back]
* R. J. Rummel, Democide: Nazi Genocide and Mass Murder (New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1992), 127-131. [back]
* This number is determined by Rummel’s estimate that of the 3,600,000 that died in this category, about 2,376,000 were the responsibility of the Soviet government. Rummel 1992, 131. [back]
* After Rummel breaks down the causes of death, he comes up with a mid-estimate of 5,300,000. This is very close to the official Polish Report of 5,400,000, which Rummel chooses to rely on for the final mid-estimate. Rummel 1992, 124-125. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 116-118. [back]
* Those killed through the euthanasia program included the “malformed, old, diseased, senile, or mentally backward in the judgment of the doctors in charge.” These were not people electing to die. Rummel 1992, 47. [back]
* This excludes those killed in the Independent State of Croatia. Rummel 1992, 132-133. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 119-120. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 114-116. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 112-113. [back]
* Rummel had estimates for Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Rummel took this sum and averaged it with a separate overall estimate for the Baltic States. In order to determine an estimate for a country, the country’s ratio of the first summed estimate was applied to the overall Baltic average. Lithuania’s portion of the new estimate would be about 176,182. Rummel 1992, 108-110. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 122-123. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 118-119 [back]
* Rummel 1992, 108. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 127. [back]
* Rummel had estimates for Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Rummel took this sum and averaged it with a separate overall estimate for the Baltic States. In order to determine an estimate for a country, the country’s ratio of the first summed estimate was applied to the overall Baltic average. Latvia’s portion of the new estimate would be about 69,545. Rummel 1992, 108-110. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 125-127. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 120-121. [back]
* Rummel rounds up to 51,000. Rummel 1992, 110. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 127. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 111-112. [back]
* Rummel had estimates for Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Rummel took this sum and averaged it with a separate overall estimate for the Baltic States. In order to determine an estimate for a country, the country’s ratio of the first summed estimate was applied to the overall Baltic average. Estonia’s portion of the new estimate would be about 9,272. Rummel 1992, 108-110. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 111. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 107. [back]
* Rummel rounds down to 2,000 in his final estimate. Rummel 1992, 121-122. [back]
* Rummel 1992,123- 124. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 114. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 121. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 108. [back]
* Rummel 1992, 114. [back]
* Economic Intelligence Service, Economic Intelligence Service, International Statistical Year-Book 1940/1941 (Geneva: Series of League of Nations Publications, 1941), 14, 16, 17. [back]
* League of Nations Economic Intelligence Service, International Statistical Year-Book 1937/1938 (Geneva: Series of League of Nations Publications, 1938), 20. [back]
* League of Nations Economic Intelligence Service 1938, 20. [back]
* This is the estimated population of USSR territory occupied by Nazi Germany. Leonid D. Grenkevich and Josef Washington Hall, The Soviet Partisan Movement 1941-1945: A Critical Historiographical Analysis (Portland: Frank Class, 1999), 98. [back]

References

Grenkevich, Leonid D. and Josef Washington Hall. The Soviet partisan movement 1941-1945: A Critical Historiographical Analysis. Portland: Frank Class, 1999.

League of Nations Economic Intelligence Service. International Statistical Year-Book 1937/1938. Geneva: Series of League of Nations Publications, 1941.

League of Nations Economic Intelligence Service. International Statistical Year-Book 1940/1941. Geneva: Series of League of Nations Publications, 1941.

Rummel, R. J. Democide: Nazi Genocide and Mass Murder. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1992.

Rummel, R. J. “Estimating Democide: Methods and Procedures.” University of Hawaii. http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/METHOD.HTM (accessed November 12, 2008).