THE BLOOD TEST

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 98, 16 August 1945, Page 5

THE BLOOD TEST

THE PRICE OF GLORY BITTER FUTILITY OF WAR The most tragic feature of World War 11. lies in the unknown tens •of thousands of slaughtered, non-combatants of whom no actual records were taken or were possible. One English authority is of the opinion that the innocent non-combatants who perished directly or indirectly through war equalled and possibly exceeded the military casualties sustained in /the field. This is a staggering assertion but ones mind has but to hark back to destruction in Poland in Russia in France, Belgium Holland Greece Jugoslavia North Africa Italy and Germany herself not to mention the Pacific war where Chin* ese civilians have perished already in the nine years war with Japan. Military figures are as yet unreliable but from the Russian Front where the Teuton and Muscovite armies see-sawed back and forth for three bitter winters Russian figures are given at the astounding total of 7,000,000 casualties of which 3,000 000 were killed. Germany who fought.with augmented army corps drawn from Austria Hungary and the Balkans is estimated to have sustained 6 500,000 on this front of whom no less than 3,500,000 perished in the white snows of Russia. The following table is an estimate based on figures to hand of the fighting forces and the relative casualties sustained:— Mobilised Casualties Killed Germany 15,000 000 7,000,000 4 500,000 Italy 8,000000 !iV>Oo'oOO l'oso'oOO Japan 10 000 000 s'sOo'oOO 3*350*000 > < ■» ■> i » Totals 33 000 000 11000 000 8 900 000 Denmark 100,000 15 000 3 000 Belgium 600,000 35,000 7(300 China 10,00o'o00 3 OOo'dOO France 7,'500,'f100 1,750,000 *900'000 Greece /,500,000 ' 850,000 340*000 British Empire 1200o'o00 005,000 4So'oOO Holland '250,000 <)5',000 12 000 Norway 134,000 35*000 l"/000 Poland 5,000,000 1,050*000 850 000 Russia 15*1)00,000 7*OOo'<)00 3,000.000 United States s'ooo'ooo ' 850 000 IS2 000 Yugoslavia l,Bos*i'OO 800,000 35o'ttOO Totals 01 880 000 IS 285 000 10 <]<?! 000