“100% or more casualties.”
Didn’t know there was more than 100%.
Just means that the roster turned over more than once. Most of the units that fought in Northern Europe only saw action for less that 1 year. Think about being a British Tommy or a Russian Ivan — and what your chances of survival would be having fought from ‘39 and ‘41 respectively. The Poor Bloody Infantry.
There was a constant flow of newly trained troops throughout the Second World War. They would come into the combat theaters as replacements for the dead and wounded. In the European Theater (ETO), they would start at the 'repple depple' (Replacement Depot) where, as the dreary numbers would require, the new soldier learn where he would be 'slotted' in to replace a previous combat casualty.
A division is 10,000 to 15,000 men.
The 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red 1) sustained over 100% casualties based on unit strength.
Total battle casualties: 20,659
Killed in action: 3,616[
Wounded in action: 15,208
Missing in action: 499
Prisoner of war: 1,336
The 8th Air Force (considered a division of 10,000 to 15,000)
Half of the U.S. Army Air Force’s casualties in World War II were suffered by Eighth Air Force (more than 47,000 casualties, with more than 26,000 dead).
Some units suffered 500% casualties.