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The Human Machinery of War: Disability on the Front Lines and the Factory Floor, 1941-1945
The Theaters of War
Photograph: Soldiers Take Cover on a Snowy Road in Belgium
Photograph: Wounded Soldiers on Stretchers Receiving Medical Treatment in New Guinea
"Troops of the United States 7th Armored Division advance along a road towards St. Vith in Belgium, retaken in the final liquidation of the Battle of the Belgian Bulge," 1945.
U.S. Army Signal Corps, between 1942 and 1945,
"Wounded American soldiers given medical attention in New Guinea."
   
Excerpt from Frank A. Reister, ed., Medical Department, United States Army, Medical Statistics in World War II (Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1976), 17, 27, 44, 57.

Theater of operations.--One of eight broad geographical areas outside of the continental United States. The eight World War II theaters were, as follows:

1. European theater, including British Isles and Northern Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Luxembourg, and Norway.

2. Mediterranean theater, including Austria, Balkan States, Corsica, Italy, North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria), Sardinia, and Sicily.

3. Africa-Middle East, including Central Africa, West Africa (Gold Coast, Nigeria, Liberia, Senegal), East Africa (Egypt, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Libya), Iran, and Persian Gulf.

4. China-Burma-India, including Burma, Ceylon, China, India, French Indochina, and Malaya.

5. Southwest Pacific, including Admiralty Islands, Australia, Borneo, Celebes, New Britain, New Guinea, and Philippine Islands.

6. Pacific Ocean Areas, including Bora-Bora, Fiji, Gilbert and Hawaiian Islands, Iwo Jima, Japan, the Marianas and Marshall Islands, Ryukyus, New Hebrides, New Zealand, Palau Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tongatabu.

7. North American theater, including Alaska, Azores, Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and Newfoundland.

8. Latin American theater, including Greater and Lesser Antilles, Ascension Island, Central and South America, including the Caribbean.

 
Casualties and Diseases in the Theaters of War
Percentage distribution of battle injury or wound admission (1), by nature of traumatism and oversea theater, or area, U.S. Army, 1942-45(2)
Nature of traumatism
 Europe
Mediterranean
Southwest Pacific (3)
Pacific Ocean Area
Wounded in action (4)
Died of wounds
Wounded in action (4)
Died of wounds
Wounded in action (4)
Died of wounds
Wounded in action (4)
Died of wounds
Total wounded-------
Amputation, traumatic.-------------
Wounds, all types.---
Foreign body, retained.----------------
Fractures--------------- Burn----------------------
Concussion-------------
Crushing---------------
All other-----------------

100.00

1.88
59.06

0.41
22.58
0.81
1.03
0.03
14.20

100.00

4.62
61.53

0.22
18.92
0.85
0.63
0.33
12.90

 
100.00

1.94
63.40

0.52
20.39
0.88
2.81
0.05
10.01
100.00

4.21
71.84

0.05
17.87
1.37
0.99
1.02
2.65
100.00

1.38
64.02

0.42
19.91
1.79
1.15
0.05
11.28
100.00

2.42
72.11

0
13.39
2.21
0.78
0.54
8.55
100.00

1.63
66.44

0.73
20.35
1.70
1.72
0.05
7.38
100.00

3.84
68.27

0
14.40
1.89
0.56
0.63
10.41

(1) Excludes cases cared for record only.
(2) Includes December 1941.
(3) Excludes data for first Philippine campaign
(4) Includes died of wounds. . . .

 
Annual nonbattle admission(1) rates, by type and theater of admission, U.S. Army,
1942-45(2)

[Rates stated as number of admissions per 1,000 average strength per year]
Area of admission
All nonbattle causes
Disease
Nonbattle injury
Total Army----------------
Continental United States--
All oversea areas----------
European theater----------
Mediterranean theater----
Africa-Middle East--------
China-Burma-India-------
Southwest Pacific (2)-----
Pacific Ocean Areas------
North America-----------
Latin America------------
669
664
676
549
828
1,030
857
916
613
610
712
592
598
583
464
722
917
773
807
523
492
622
77
66
92
85
106
113
84
110
90
118
90

(1) Includes cases carded for record only.
(2) Includes December 1941; excludes data for first Philippine campaign. . . .

 

Annual admission rates (1) for neuropsychiatric disorders, by diagnosis and oversea theater, U. S. Army, 1942-45 (2)

[Rates stated as number of admissions per 1,000 average strength per year]

Oversea theater All mental class V Psychoses Psycho-neurosis Character and behavior Disorders of Intelligence Psychiatric, other
All oversea theaters 33.95 2.90 24.46 3.51 0.43 2.65
Europe 33.41 1.99 26.48 3.17 0.44 1.33
Mediterranean 40.84 2.80 31.79 3.94 0.37 1.94
Africa-Middle East 31.29 2.42 17.69 6.31 0.62 4.25
China-Burma-India 24.29 2.68 14.80 3.85 0.42 2.54
Southwest Pacific 43.94 5.61 26.23 4.03 0.39 7.68
Pacific Ocean Areas 34.04 3.40 24.51 3.35 0.61 2.17
North America 19.80 2.40 12.09 3.08 0.45 1.78
Latin America 27.10 3.15 14.21 5.80 0.33 3.61

(1) Includes cases carded for record only.
(2) Includes December 1941. . . .

Photograph: Wounded Soldiers on Stretchers Receiving Medical Treatment in New Guinea Photograph: Soldiers Take Cover on a Snowy Road in Belgium
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