Which military rank suffers the most casualties?

[storealex]

Im curious, which military rank is the worst, dead and wounded wise? In current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as older wars such as WWII?

If anyone have some stats, please share.

 

[lovett]

Suicide Bomber?

Or does that not count?

 

[dwaxe]

I would think that it is the civilian leadership.

 

[C~G]

In terms of percentage I'm willing to bet it's sergeant.

Or in general noncoms.

 

[Nylan]

I would think PFCs, since there are a lot of them and they don't have a lot of experience.

 

[Alassius]

Easy, private, aka cannon fodder.

 

[storealex]

Easy, private, aka cannon fodder.

I mean percentage wise.

 

[Yui108]

It's sergeants easy. First off, the US army has never treated her privates as cannon fodder and never will. Second, sergeant is the highest NCO rank and the highest rank that is generally visible and open to shooting. My Grandfather has a war story from the Korean war in which the head officers were basically begging one of the men to step up and become a sergeant. No one took it.

 

[nonconformist]

Depends on the army involved.

If you look at the German army in WWI and II, their officers, especially high ranking ones, suffered proportionally a lot more causalties than their allied equivalents.

 

[Patroklos]

http://www.kineticdebris.com/index.php/iraq-war-casualties-by-rank/

Hardly the best source ever, but it appears private is the saffest rank, though a lot of that has to do with the fact that by the time you make it to an operational unit you don't have much time left as a PFC/Private, some MOSs have a year plus of training after boot camp.

If you look at the German army in WWI and II, their officers, especially high ranking ones, suffered proportionally a lot more causalties than their allied equivalents.

I always found this fact interesting, expecially the flag officer ranks.

 

[nonconformist]

It's because, I think, German officers tended to operate a lot closer to front lines in comparison to allied counterparts, as well as taking part in actual assaults and such.
I reckon there's also the fact that a number of officers shot themselves prior to surrendering.

 

[Patroklos]

I reckon there's also the fact that a number of officers shot themselves prior to surrendering.

I don't think that is counted in "casualties" in general, especially back them.

But yeah, I agree with you, in most of the WWI/WWII German memiors I have read officers of all grades spent an amazing amount of time in the front lines.

 

[GinandTonic]

http://www.kineticdebris.com/index.php/iraq-war-casualties-by-rank/

Wow, sucks to be a corporal in the us marines.

 

[nonconformist]

I don't think that is counted in "casualties" in general, especially back them.

I found this just now:

So a fair number did shoot themselves by the looks of it

 

[Patroklos]

Wow, sucks to be a corporal in the us marines.

It would be more helpful if there was an actual rank by rank table istead of these groupings.

 

[C~G]

What exactly is the role of corporal compared to sergeant in US Marines?

 

[Defiant47]

I found this just now:
So a fair number did shoot themselves by the looks of it

That seems like not that many deaths happened in WWII...

Is that hundreds of thousands or something?

 

[C~G]

That seems like not that many deaths happened in WWII...

Is that hundreds of thousands or something?

Are you serious?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

It's a good question. Only 223 died in battle; is that all officers, flag officers, what?

 

[Defiant47]

Are you serious?

I'm sorry! You're right, ~1000 people died in WWII...

I don't want any trouble...