Casualties

Casualties-Australian, Casualties-Overall
Supplied to me buy Keith White

Supplied to me by Keith White

To those servicemen, servicewomen and civilian personnel who served in Vietnam and who may or may not have questioned the politics and the morality of the decision made by the Government of that time. To them we dedicate this page.

59,520 Australian Military and Civilian Personnel served in Vietnam between 1962 and 1973. Casualties were 508 dead (including 7 civilians), 3131 wounded, 6 missing in action.

For those who gave their lives, we do not forget.

For those who served and have been suffering since, we hold a great respect.

Lest We Forget

Seven civilians died in Vietnam. They were;
Catherine Warnes, - shot by an American soldier whilst entertaining troops at Da Nang on July 20, 1969.
Journalists - John Cantwell, Bruce Piggot, Michael Birch and Ronald Laramy - all killed in an ambush by Viet Cong in a suburb of Siagon on May 5, 1968.
Welfare Workers - Margaret Moses and Lee Mack - both killed in air crash on the outskirts of Siagon on April 4, 1975, during Operation "Baby Lift".

Six Australians went Missing in Action(MIA).
Michael Herbert and Robert Carver - RAAF - their aircraft went missing without trace on a night bombing mission over Vietnam on 3 Nov 70, in unexplained circumstances. Despite an extensive search the aircraft and crew were never located.
Richard Parker and Peter Gilson - 1 RAR - both listed as KIA during the Battle of the Hump in Bien Hoa Province on November 8, 1965. Attempts were made to recover their bodies but due to intense enemy resistance and further loss of life in the attempts, their bodies were never recovered from the battle field. 1 RAR requested a special operation to attempt a recovery but this was denied by the US Commander.
David Fisher - SAS - fell from a rope during a "hot extraction" on September 29, 1969. His body was never recovered.
John F Gillespie - 8 Field Ambulance - On 17 April 1971 Lcpl Gillespie was on board a dustoff helicopter that was shot down and burst into flames. His remains were never found.

There is no evidence to indicate that any of the MIA's were captured. At least 3 of the MIA's were known to be dead.

The Australian Roll of Honour
Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial

Some Facts

Cost of the Australian Commitment
Human Terms

Action	ARA	NS	CMF	ARMY	RAN	RAAF	TOTAL
Killed In Action	173	143	1	315	6	4	325
Killed Accidentally	15	10	-	25	-	-	25
Died of Wounds	40	31	-	71	-	-	71
Missing	-	-	-	4	-	2	6
Non-Battle Deaths	49	15	-	64	2	8	74
Totals Deaths Civialian Deaths 7	278	200	1	479	8	14 Total	501 508
Wounded In Action	1140	880	6	2026	13	30	2069
Injured/Ill in Action	171	150	1	322	9	-	331
NBC injured/ill	426	249	2	677	28	26	731
Total Non Fatal	1737	1279	9	3025	50	56	3131

NBC = Non Battle Casualty. ARA = Australian Regular Army. NS = National Service. RAAF = Royal Australian Air Force. RAN = Royal Australian Navy. CMF = Citzens Military Forces(Part Time).

Casualties - Overall
1. Estimated overall at 5,773,190 2. Estimated dead 2,122,244 3. Americans killed - 58,169 at an average age of 23.11 years - 304,000 wounded 4. 11,465 killed were less than 20 years 5. 1 in 10 Americans who served in Vietnam were casualties 6. 75,000 Veterans were severely disabled 7. Amputation and crippling wounds were 300% higher than WW2 8. 51% of deaths and 16% of wounds were caused by small arms fire.(World War II 32% - Korea 33%). The higher rate in Vietnam was contributed to the high velocity rapid fire weapons such as the AK47 and captured M16s. 9. 36% of deaths and 65% of wounds were caused by fragments from artillery 10. 11% of deaths and 15% of wounds were caused by booby traps and mines 11. 2% of wounds were caused by punji stakes 12. 2% of deaths and 2% of wounds were caused by other means 13. There were 18 military hospitals scattered throughout Vietnam 14. Medivac helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions 15. 900,000 patients were airlifted(almost half being American) 16. Average time lapse from being wounded to hospitalisation was one hour 17. Percentage of those seriously wounded who were saved 82 % 18. Percentage of wounded who died after arriving at hospital 2.6 19. There were almost twice as many casualties in South East Asia(primarily Cambodia)in the first two years after the fall of Siagon in 1975 than there were during the ten years the US was involved. 20. 1973 - US POWs in SE Asia 591, missing in action 1,380, unaccounted for 1,929. 21. US War Casualties 22. Casualties - US versus NVA/VC 23. North Vietnamese military personnel and Vietcong reported to have died in combat 444,000 . 24. Estimated number of Vietnamese civilians killed in the war 587,000. 25. Estimated number of Vietnamese civilians wounded in the war 935,000 . 26. Number of South Vietnamese military personnel killed during the war 220,357 27. Number of South Vietnamese military personnel wounded during the war 499,000 28. Number of South Vietnamese military personnel who deserted between 1965 and 1972 840,000. 29. Number of US NCOs and US Officers killed by their own troops 86. 30. Number of US NCOs and US Officers wounded by their own troops 714 . 31. Number of probable explosive-device assaults (fraggings) against officers by US servicemen 788 .

Casualties - Overall

1. Estimated overall at 5,773,190
2. Estimated dead 2,122,244
3. Americans killed - 58,169 at an average age of 23.11 years - 304,000 wounded
4. 11,465 killed were less than 20 years
5. 1 in 10 Americans who served in Vietnam were casualties
6. 75,000 Veterans were severely disabled
7. Amputation and crippling wounds were 300% higher than WW2
8. 51% of deaths and 16% of wounds were caused by small arms fire.(World War II 32% - Korea 33%). The higher rate in Vietnam was contributed to the high velocity rapid fire weapons such as the AK47 and captured M16s.
9. 36% of deaths and 65% of wounds were caused by fragments from artillery
10. 11% of deaths and 15% of wounds were caused by booby traps and mines
11. 2% of wounds were caused by punji stakes
12. 2% of deaths and 2% of wounds were caused by other means
13. There were 18 military hospitals scattered throughout Vietnam
14. Medivac helicopters flew nearly 500,000 missions
15. 900,000 patients were airlifted(almost half being American)
16. Average time lapse from being wounded to hospitalisation was one hour
17. Percentage of those seriously wounded who were saved 82 %
18. Percentage of wounded who died after arriving at hospital 2.6
19. There were almost twice as many casualties in South East Asia(primarily Cambodia)in the first two years after the fall of Siagon in 1975 than there were during the ten years the US was involved.
20. 1973 - US POWs in SE Asia 591, missing in action 1,380, unaccounted for 1,929.
21. US War Casualties
22. Casualties - US versus NVA/VC
23. North Vietnamese military personnel and Vietcong reported to have died in combat 444,000 .
24. Estimated number of Vietnamese civilians killed in the war 587,000.
25. Estimated number of Vietnamese civilians wounded in the war 935,000 .
26. Number of South Vietnamese military personnel killed during the war 220,357
27. Number of South Vietnamese military personnel wounded during the war 499,000
28. Number of South Vietnamese military personnel who deserted between 1965 and 1972 840,000.
29. Number of US NCOs and US Officers killed by their own troops 86.
30. Number of US NCOs and US Officers wounded by their own troops 714 .
31. Number of probable explosive-device assaults (fraggings) against officers by US servicemen 788 .

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Casualties-Australian, Casualties-OverallSupplied to me buy Keith White

Casualties-Australian, Casualties-Overall
Supplied to me buy Keith White