Casualties - US vs NVA/VC

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Note: NVA casualty data was provided by North Vietnam in a press release to Agence France Presse (AFP) on April 3, 1995, on the 20th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. The entire press release is reproduced below.

US casualty information was derived from the Combat Area Casualty File of 11/93, and The Adjutant General's Center (TAGCEN) file of 1981, available from the National Archives. Additional information was derived from the sources listed at the end of this document.

Entire War

Force	KIA	WIA	MIA	CIA
US Forces	47,378 1	304,704 2	2,338 3	766 4
ARVN	223,748	1,169,763	NA	NA
South Korea	4,407	17,060	NA	NA
Australia	469	2,940	6	NA
Thailand	351	1,358	NA	NA
New Zealand	55	212	NA	NA
NVA/VC	1,100,000	600,000	NA	26,000 5

Note 1: there were an additional 10,824 non-hostile deaths for a total of 58,202
Note 2: of the 304,704 WIA, 153,329 required hospitalization
Note 3: this number decreases as remains are recovered and identified
Note 4: 114 died in captivity
Note 5: Does not include 101,511 Hoi Chanh

Legend: KIA = Killed In Action WIA = Wounded In Action MIA = Missing In Action CIA = Captured In Action

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1968 Tet Offensive

Force	KIA	WIA	MIA	CIA
US Forces	1,536	7,764	11	unknown
ARVN	2,788	8,299	587	unknown
NVA/VC	45,000	unknown	unknown	6,991

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Casualties By Year

1961-1965

Force	KIA	WIA	MIA	CIA
US Forces	1,864	7,337	18	unknown
ARVN	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown
NVA/VC	unknown	unknown	unknown	unknown

1966

Force	KIA	WIA	MIA	CIA
US Forces	5,008 1	29,992	61	unknown
ARVN	11,953	71,584	unknown	unknown
NVA/VC	71,473	unknown	unknown	3,247

Note 1: there were an additional 1,045 non-hostile deaths for a total of 6,053

1967

Force	KIA	WIA	MIA	CIA
US Forces	9,378 1	56,013	113	unknown
ARVN	12,716	76,299	529	unknown
NVA/VC	133,484	unknown	unknown	6,065

Note 1: there were an additional 1,680 non-hostile deaths for a total of 11,058

1968

Force	KIA	WIA	MIA	CIA
US Forces	14,594 1	87,388	176	unknown
ARVN	28,800	172,512	587	unknown
NVA/VC	208,254	unknown	unknown	9,462

Note 1: there were an additional 1,919 non-hostile deaths for a total of 16,511

1969

Force	KIA	WIA	MIA	CIA
US Forces	9,414 1	55,390	112	unknown
ARVN	22,000	131,780	683	unknown
NVA/VC	132,051	unknown	unknown	5,905

Note 1: there were an additional 2,113 non-hostile deaths for a total of 11,527

1970

Force	KIA	WIA	MIA	CIA
US Forces	4,221 1	24,835	101	unknown
ARVN	23,000	137,770	727	unknown
NVA/VC	86,591	unknown	unknown	3,934

Note 1: there were an additional 1,844 non-hostile deaths for a total of 6,065

1971

Force	KIA	WIA	MIA	CIA
US Forces	1,380 1	18,109	16	unknown
ARVN	19,901	123,545	727	unknown
NVA/VC	19,320	unknown	unknown	2,304

Note 1: there were an additional 968 non-hostile deaths for a total of 2,348

1972

Force	KIA	WIA	MIA	CIA
US Forces	300 1	3,936	11	unknown
ARVN	25,787	139,731	727	unknown
NVA/VC	4,261	unknown	unknown	1,349

Legend: KIA = Killed In Action WIA = Wounded In Action MIA = Missing In Action CIA = Captured In Action

Note 1: there were an additional 261 non-hostile deaths for a total of 561

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Troop Levels

As of 1 January 1968

Force	Total Strength	Support	Combat Arms
US Forces	409,111	346,260	62,850
ARVN	Not Avail	Not Avail	Not Avail
NVA/VC	420,000	unknown	unknown

As of 1 January 1969

Force	Total Strength	Support	Combat Arms
US Forces	440,029	372,429	67,600
ARVN	Not Avail	Not Avail	Not Avail
NVA/VC	332,000	unknown	unknown

The figures for relative strengths assume the following: On January 1, 1969 there were 110 battalions in Vietnam (98 Infantry, 3 tank, and 9 artillery). An Infantry battalion had 656 infantrymen (4 companies per battalion with 164 men per company). An armor battalion had 204 tankers (3 companies per battalion with 68 tankers per company). An artillery battalion had approximayely 300 men. Therefore, the number of actual "trigger pullers" added up to 67,600. Note that this was "authorized strength". Most battalions were not even close to their TO&E strength during the war, with many infantry companies operating with 80 men. This was true despite the fact that the parent divisions reported being at, or slightly over, authorized strength. There were a large number of REMFs in Vietnam.

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U.S. Army KIA by Unit

Source: National Archives and Records Administration

Unit	Nickname	KIA	Comment
1st Cavalry Division	First Team	5,464	-
25th Infantry Division	Tropic Lightning	4,561	-
101st Airborne Division	Screaming Eagles	4,022	-
1st Infantry Division	Big Red One	3,151	-
Various Individual Units	-	2,872	See Note 1 below
9th Infantry Division	Old Reliables	2,629	-
4th Infantry Division	Ivy Division	2,541	-
173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate)	Sky Soldier	1,758	-
1st Aviation Brigade	-	1,706	-
196th Light Infantry Brigade	-	1,188	-
11th Light Infantry Brigade	-	1,109	-
Military Assistance Command Vietnam	MACV	1,017	Advisors to ARVN
198th Light Infantry Brigade	-	987	-
United States Army Vietnam	USARV	847	Headquarters - includes advisors
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)	Green Berets	834	-
23rd Infantry Division	Americal	809	non-brigade units
199th Light Infantry Brigade	Redcatchers	757	-
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment	Blackhorse	729	-
1st Logistical Command	-	598	-
5th Infantry Division (Mechanized)	Red Diamond	530	1st Brigade only
I Field Force Vietnam	IFFV	353	-
82d Airborne Division	All American	228	3rd Brigade only
1st Signal Brigade	-	193	-
II Field Force Vietnam	IIFFV	80	-
Engineer Command	-	64	-
Unit unknown	-	6	-

Note 1: This group is comprised of the following individual units with no further breakdown

17th Field Hospital (An Khe)
22nd Surgical Hospital (Phu Bai)
71st Evacuation Hospital (Pleiku)
91st Evacuation Hospital (Tuy Hoa)
95th Field Hospital (Qui Nhon)
3rd Field Hospital (III Corps)
7th Surgical Hospital (III Corps)
45th Surgical Hospital (III Corps)
93rd Evacuation Hospital (III Corps)
80th Engineer Group
121st Assault Helicopter Company
18th Military Police Brigade
89th Military Police Brigade
8th Transportation Group
48th Transportation Group
11th Aviation Group
12th Aviation Group
23rd Artillery Group
108th Artillery Group
35th Engineer Group
45th Engineer Group
34th General Support Group
506th Field Depot

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Additional Casualty Statistics

Source: Combat Area Casualty File of 11/93, National Archives

All US Forces KIA in Vietnam = 58,169

US Army Soldiers KIA in Vietnam = 38,190

US Army Infantrymen (MOS 11B, 11C, etc.) KIA in Vietnam = 20,460

US Army Helicopter Crewmen KIA in Vietnam = 3,007

US Army Scouts KIA in Vietnam = 1,127

US Army Tankers KIA in Vietnam = 725 (equals 27% of all tankers ever assigned to Vietnam)

US Marines Killed In Action in Vietnam = 14,836

The highest loss-rate for any MOS was 11E (Armor Crewman) 27% KIA

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U.S. Army KIA by Province

Source: Combat Area Casualty File of 11/93, National Archives

Code	Province	KIA	Comment
99	Province unknown	6,276	Military Region unknown
02	Thua Thien	2,893	I Corps - Hue, etc.
23	Binh Duong	2,742	III Corps
22	Tay Ninh	2,648	III Corps
05	Quang Ngai	2,342	I Corps - Border w/II Corps
07	Binh Dinh	2,211	II Corps - Bong Son, An Loa Valley, etc.
04	Quang Tin	2,068	I Corps - Tam Ky, etc.
01	Quang Tri	1,683	I Corps - south of DMZ
06	Kontum	1,641	II Corps - Dak To, Ben Het, etc.
42	Hua Nghia	1,424	III Corps - Khiem Cuong, etc.
25	Bien Hoa	1,147	III Corps
24	Gia Dinh	1,064	Capital Special Zone - Saigon
08	Pleiku	1,015	II Corps - Hwy 14, Ia Drang, etc.
27	Long An	1,002	III Corps
03	Quang Nam	971	I Corps - Da Nang, etc.
21	Binh Long	909	III Corps
30	Dinh Tuong	794	IV Corps - My Tho, etc.
14	Phuoc Long	679	III Corps - Phuoc Binh, etc.
19	Long Khanh	558	III Corps - Xuan Loc, etc.
**	Unknown Code	467	NARA error
33	Kien Hoa	416	IV Corps - Truc Giang, etc.
17	Binh Thuan	300	II Corps - Phan Thiet, etc.
09	Phu Yen	282	II Corps - Tuy Hoa, etc.
11	Khanh Hoa	275	II Corps - Nha Trang, etc.
26	Phuoc Tuy	204	III Corps - Vung Tau, Phuoc Le, etc.
18	Binh Thuy	176	III Corps - Ham Tan, etc.
13	Quang Duc	171	II Corps - Gia Nghia, etc.
10	Darlac	163	II Corps - Ban Me Thout, etc.
35	Phong Dinh	146	IV Corps - Can Tho, etc.
15	Lam Dong	143	II Corps - Bao Loc, etc.
32	Vinh Long	142	IV Corps
28	Kien Tuong	140	IV Corps - Moc Hoa, etc.
16	Ninh Thuan	97	II Corps - Phan Rang, etc.
36	Kien Giang	77	IV Corps - Rach Gia, etc.
12	Tuyen Duc	76	II Corps - Da Lat, etc.
29	Kien Phong	65	IV Corps - Cao Lanh, etc.
47	Unknown code	60	Possibly Saigon Area
38	Ba Xuyen	56	IV Corps - Khanh Hung, etc.
34	Vinh Binh	49	IV Corps - Phu Vinh, etc.
43	Go Cong	40	IV Corps - Go Cong, etc.
93	Province unknown	34	Military region 3 - III Corps
39	An Xuyen	33	IV Corps - Quon Long, etc.
37	Chuong Thien	30	IV Corps - Vi Thanh, etc.
92	Province unknown	25	Military region 2 - II Corps
46	Sa Dec	25	IV Corps - Sa Dec, etc.
41	Phu Bon	24	II Corps - Hau Bon, Song Ba River, etc.
99	Province unknown	22	Military region 1 - I Corps
31	An Giang	17	IV Corps - Long Xuyen, etc.
81	Offshore	19	Military Region 1 - I Corps
89	Offshore unknown	19	Province & Military Region unknown
44	Bac Lieu	14	IV Corps - Bac Lieu, etc.
82	Offshore	11	Military Region 2 - II Corps
NZ	Unknown Code	10	NARA error
94	Province unknown	9	Military region 4 - IV Corps
83	Offshore	2	Military Region 3 -III Corps
84	Offshore	2	Military Region 4 - IV Corps
20	No code provided	1	NARA error, possibly Cam Ranh Bay
40	Con Son Island	1	IV Corps
45	Chua Doc	1	IV Corps - Shau Phu, etc.
48	Unknown code	1	NARA error
49	Phu Quoc Island	1	IV Corps
50	DMZ	0	Demilitarized Zone

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Sources

A Bright Shining Lie, Sheehan, Neil, New York: Random House, 1988

After Tet, Ronald H. Spector, New York: Random House, 1993

Code Name Bright Light, Veith, George J., New York: The Free Press, 1998

Inside The VC And The NVA, Lanning, Michael, New York: Random House, 1992

The Rise And Fall Of An American Army, Stanton, Shelby L., Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1985

The Vietnam War, Nalty, Bernard C., New York: Smithmark Publishers, 1996

Vietnam: A History, Karnow, Stanley, New York: Viking, 1983

Vietnam At War: The History 1946-1975, Davidson, Phillip, New York: Oxford Univ Press, 1988

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The Agence France Presse (French Press Agency) news release of 4 April 1995 concerning the Vietnamese Government's release of official figures of dead and wounded during the Vietnam War.

HANOI (AP) - April 4. Cinq millions de morts: 20 ans apregraves la fin de la guerre du Vietnam, le gouvernement de Hanoi a reacute veacute leacute, lundi, le bilan d'un conflit dent le nombre de victimes avait eacute teacute minore a l'eacutepoque pour ne pas affecter le moral de la population.

Selon Hanoi, il y a eu pres de deux millions de morts dans la population civile du Nord et deux autres millions dans celle du Sud. Quant aux combats proprement dits, les chiffres sent d'un million cent mille militaires tueacutes et de 600.000 blesseacutes en 21 ans de guerre.

Ce dernier bilan comprend a la fois les victimes de la guerilla vietcong et les soldats nord-vietamiens qui les eacute paulaient. Les preacute ceacute dentes estimations de source occidentale faisaient eacute tat d'un bilan de 666.000 morts parmi Ies combattants Vietnamiens.

Translation

The Hanoi government revealed on April 4 that the true civilian casualties of the Vietnam War were 2,000,000 in the north, and 2,000,000 in the south. Military casualties were 1.1 million killed and 600,000 wounded in 21 years of war. These figures were deliberately falsified during the war by the North Vietnamese Communists to avoid demoralizing the population.

End Translation

Note: Given a Vietnamese population of approximately 38 million during the period 1954-1975, Vietnamese casualties represent a good 12-13% of the entire population. To put this in perspective, consider that the population of the US was 220 million during the Vietnam War. Had The US sustained casualties of 13% of its population, there would have been 28 million US dead.

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