Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-25
No Wonder
Germany Quit
BY MAJOR FRANK @. MAHIN
OF the Army Recruiting Station

1t has often surprised me to find
of just what the late war has meant
in the number of casualties. AS
reports were published from time to
time during the fighting, it was con-
fusing. 1 thought that 1, however,
giving these things the careful at
tention that professional interest in
duced, had a fairly accurate appre-
citation of them. Having given some
time to the study of latest official re-
ports, I find that my ideas were not
quite right. Figures show that this
war was the bloodiest ever fought,
except for the Crimean war, whi ch
perhaps had an equally heavy cas-
ualty rate. In the Crimean losses
ranged from % men out of every
hundred in the British service, to AZ
per hundred in Russian service
More than four-tifths of these losses
however, were from disease; while
in the present war, in which about
25 men out of every hundred were
killed, disease deaths were inconSld-
cradle compared with those of bat
tie. The total death of the recent
conflict was greater than the sum
total of all wars during the past one
hundred years. OF course the num-
Der of men engaged was greater
The total battle deaths are estimated
at around seven and one half mil
lions. In addition to this number,
were many thousands due to prl-
vation and disease. Among the
nations. due to different periods OF
participation in actual hostilitica
and number of men engaged, losses
range from nearly two million for
Russia to two thousand for Portu-
gal. American losses are third from
the bottom of the list. German
losses are 80 times as large as those
of the United States; French were
% times; British were 1S times. The
fact that ours were no greater is due
to the fact that our armies were
only in heavy fighting 200 days. Be-
cause we had so many men in train
ing, who never reached the front.
we lost only 2 men per hundred of
all forces. OF these less than half
were by disease. This is the first
war in which our Nation has en-
gagged, which showed a lower death
rate from disease than from battle.
in the Mexican War disease caused
110 deaths per 1000 men; in the
Civil War, 65 per thousand; in the
Spanish War 26; in the A. E. +. the
figures show but 10 per thousand.
Had it rot been for the influenza
epidemic, which claimed, with pneu-
monia, forty thousand victims, our
disease loss would have been r"-
markable. Up to September, 1919,
it was only per 1000. The great
improvement over former times is
unquestionably due to vaccinations;
prophylaxis against the typhoid; ;
and strict sanitation to avoid the
sources of intestinal diseases. An
other remarkable fact is that for
every man killed in battle, seven
were wounded; and OF every six
men wounded, five were success
fully treated and returned to duty.
Hospitals were of such number and
capacity that there was available one
bed to every men in the army. At
all times during the war, hospital
facilities in the A. E. F. were in ex-
cess of needs. Among our forces,
the deaths per thousand in the diff.
ferent branches of service, is of III
terest in showing which branch is
the most dangerous. In most
branches, the casualty rate for Off
GERS is greater than for enlisted
men. Contrary to general impress
sions, the life of the aviator is not
the most hazardous. Nearly twice
as dangerous as the air service-it's s
nearest competitor, is the infantry
AS old Fritz could tell at length