War Surgery and Medicine
2 NZ Division
2 NZ Division
Killed and Wounded by Campaigns1
Campaign | Killed in Action | Died of Wounds | Wounded | PW Died of Wounds | Wounded | Total |
Greece | 180 | 50 | 371 | 25 | 225 | 851 |
Crete | 507 | 136 | 1039 | 31 | 496 | 2209 |
Libya, 1941 | 671 | 208 | 1699 | 5 | 201 | 2784 |
Battle for Egypt | 587 | 313 | 2414 | 36 | 247 | 3597 |
Alamein-Tripoli | 335 | 123 | 1527 | 1 | 5 | 1991 |
Tunisia | 316 | 71 | 1297 | 2 | 9 | 1695 |
Sangro | 298 | 101 | 1116 | 4 | 16 | 1535 |
Cassino | 340 | 114 | 1823 | 2 | 7 | 2286 |
Florence | 227 | 71 | 896 | 4 | 1198 | |
Rimini | 180 | 44 | 878 | 8 | 1110 | |
Faenza | 141 | 52 | 847 | 1 | 1041 | |
Senio-Trieste | 183 | 59 | 1145 | 1387 | ||
—— | —— | —— | —— | —— | —— | |
3965 | 1342 | 15,052 | 107 | 1218 | 21,684 |
Ratios (approximate) | |||
Killed and Died of Wounds to Wounded (incl PW) | Died of Wounds to Wounded (not incl PW) | ||
Greece | 2:5 | 1:8 | |
Crete | 2:5 | 1:8 | |
Libya, 1941 | 1:2 | 1:8 | |
Battle for Egypt | 1:3 | 1:8 | |
Alamein-Tripoli | 1:3 | 1:12 | |
Tunisia | 1:3 | 1:12 | |
Sangro | 1:3 | 1:12 | |
Cassino | 1:4 | 1:12 | |
Florence | 1:3 | 1:12 | |
Rimini | 1:4 | 1:20 | |
Faenza | 1:4 | 1:20 | |
Senio-Trieste | 1:5 | 1:20 |
The second column (died of wounds to wounded) indicates an improved recovery rate for wounded as war medical science progressed and as lines of evacuation became more favourable. (If prisoners of war are included the only changes are that Crete and Libya become 1:9 instead of 1:8.)
Analysis of the first column must take account of other complications, but severity of injury resulting in death (immediate or postponed) seems to have decreased as balance of power in armour, air force, and artillery swung from the enemy to us.
page 89Survey of Causes of Wounds and Types of Wounds in Casualties of 2 NZ Division, 20 June to 31 July 1942
(Deaths not included)
GSW | 450 |
SW | 477 |
Air bomb | 277 |
Mortar | 4 |
Crushing | 3 |
Bomb and shell blast | 37 |
Mines, etc. | 64 |
—— | |
1312 |
head— | |
Concussion | 39 |
Contusions and simple wounds, scalp | 37 |
Fractur cranium | 4 |
Penetrating cranium | 9 |
Penetrating eyeball | 8 |
Contusion, eyeball | 2 |
Enucleation, eye | 3 |
Ear | 5 |
Ear, with rupture tympanic membrane | 12 |
face— | |
Simple flesh contusions and wounds | 26 |
Fracture mandible | 2 |
Fracture maxilla | 1 |
neck— | |
Simple flesh contusions and wounds | 15 |
chest— | |
Simple flesh contusions and wounds | 53 |
Penetrating chest | 37 |
Haemothorax | 2 |
Pneumothorax | 3 |
abdomen— | |
Simple flesh contusions and wounds | 7 |
Penetrating and perforating abdomen | 8 |
back and spine | 69 |
genital organs | 13 |
upper extremities— | |
Simple flesh contusions and wounds | 280 |
Joint involvement | 28 |
Compound fractures | 50 |
Compound fractures, hand | 33 |
Nerve injury | 9 |
lower extremities— | |
Simple flesh contusions and wounds | 440 |
Joint involvement— | |
Hip | 4 |
Knee | 27 |
Foot | 8 |
Compound fractures— | |
Pelvis | 1 |
Femur | 29 |
Patella | 2 |
Tibia and fibula | 35 |
Os calcis, tarsus | 13 |
Phalanges | 8 |
Nerve injury | 7 |
—— | |
1329 |
burns— | |
First degree | 5 |
First and second | 5 |
Second | 11 |
Second and third | 1 |
effects bomb blast (no traumatic injury) | 15 |
Percentage of Total Wounds | |||
head— | |||
Fracture cranium | 30 | 303 | 5.93 |
Penetrating cranium | 43 | ||
Concussion and contusions | 165 | ||
Eye | 65 | ||
ear— | |||
Rupture membrana tympani | 152 | 205 | 4.01 |
Other | 53 | ||
face— | |||
Fractures | 39 | 210 | 4.11 |
Flesh wounds | 171 | ||
neck— | |||
Flesh wounds | 93 | 93 | 1.82 |
chest— | |||
Perforating | 186 | 344 | 6.73 |
Non-perforating | 158 | ||
a bdomen— | |||
Penetrating and perforating | 531 | 106 | 2.07 |
Fracture pelvis and lesions abdomen | 18 | ||
Flesh wounds | 35 | ||
back and spine— | |||
Fractures with lesions cord | 5 | 250 | 4.89 |
Fractures without lesions cord | 7 | ||
Ilium | 13 | ||
Flesh wounds | 225 | ||
upper extremities— | |||
Simple fractures | 26 | 1477 | 28.90 |
Compound fractures | 418 | ||
Nerve injuries | 75 | ||
Flesh wounds | 958 | ||
lower extremities— | |||
Simple fractures | 58 | 2084 | 40.78 |
Compound fractures | 483 | ||
Nerve injuries | 35 | ||
Flesh wounds | 1508 | ||
burns | 39 | 39 | 0.76 |
—— | —— | —— | |
5111 | 5111 | 100.00 |
Killed in action and deaths in medical units NOT included.
Note: A survey of 4991 wounds in 2 AIF in Middle East in 1941 produced similar figures regarding the parts of the body wounded: head, 5.09 per cent; face, 4.69 per cent; neck, 0.90 per cent; chest, 5.27 per cent; abdomen, 1.84 per cent; back and spine, 4.09 per cent; upper extremities, 26.43 per cent; lower extremities, 40.93 per cent; old wounds, 9.50 per cent; others, 1.26 per cent.
page 911 Compiled from Statement of Strengths and Losses in the Armed Services and Mercantile Marine in the 1939–45 War, Parliamentary paper H-19B, 1948.