western front

[Guest Peter Cresswell]

I have been trying to find out the total casualties for the Battle of Arras 1917 (9th April-17th May), and their breakdown. ie:- killed ,missisng,wounded. I have been unable to get the book I require from the library and not of my own books lists the breakdown or the total. Surfing the net has proved useless too. I would appreciate it if someone out there could spare the time to enlighten me, thank you.

Kind regards, Peter

[Guest lesley]

Peter - if you post details of the book you were hoping to get from the library on the forum there is a good chance a PAL will have a copy and can look up the information for you

regards

Lesley

[Malcolm]

Arras

From 9th April up to the fall of Bullecourt on 17th May the BEF/AIF/CEF lost 159,000 casualties in 39 days. The highest daily casualty rate for any major BEF/AIF/CEF offensive in WW1. This will include the 11,000 Canadian casualties at Vimy and the 2,285 of the 3000 men of 4th Australian Brigade at Bullecourt on 10th April.

[Chris_Baker]

The British Official History gives the following, which is compiled from Divisional war diaries:

APRIL 1917

Third Army, a total of 58,761, which is broken down as

Officers killed 643

Officers wounded 1779

Officers missing 214

OR killed 8148

OR wounded 35437

OR missing 10534

First Army, a total of 24,618, which is broken down as

Officers killed 309

Officers wounded 738

Officers missing 80

OR killed 4166

OR wounded 13221

OR missing 4204

The Division with the highest total loss was 15th (Scottish) Division, with 6,313.

MAY 1917, excluding Bullecourt

Third Army, a total of 23,227, which is broken down as

Officers killed 181

Officers wounded 588

Officers missing 180

OR killed 2523

OR wounded 12226

OR missing 4116

First Army, a total of 13,919, which is broken down as

Officers killed 106

Officers wounded 393

Officers missing 68

OR killed 2031

OR wounded 7290

OR missing 2451

The Division with the highest total loss was 4th, with 3,304.

MAY 1917 Bullecourt

British 7th, 58th and 62nd Divisions

Officers killed 75

Officers wounded 274

Officers missing 51

OR killed 1108

OR wounded 5295

OR missing 2080

The Division with the highest total loss was 62nd, with 3,459.

Australian Divisions (1,2,4,5th)

The casualties are not broken into killed, wounded and missing

Officers 397

OR 10052

The Australian Division with the highest total loss was 2nd, with 3,898.

Thus total for all actions noted above is 139,867.

[Guest Peter Cresswell]

Thank you Lesley, Malcolm and Chris.

Lesley, it was the Off.His. that I was unable to et fromthe library, they had the other volumes for 1917 but not that one. It was out on loan already.

Thank you for the figures and the map Malcolm, very handy.

And lastly thank you very much Chris! You have given me exactly what I needed.

Kind regards to all

Peter Cresswell