I guess the author never heard of the Battle of Antietam. Casualties were a lot more (and in a single day). Plus, that was before the advent of automatic weapons.
“I guess the author never heard of the Battle of Antietam.”
The bloodiest day in American history.
Our civil war was a brutal bloodbath
On the night of 20 Jan, 1944, 2 regiments of the 36th (Texas) Infantry Division launched an assault to secure a crossing over the Rapido River south of Monte Cassino, Italy in an attempt to breach the German Winter Line and to divert pressure on other Allied units attacking the key heights of Monte Cassino in the Liri Valley.
The attack was hastily and poorly planned, and the men received almost no training in the use of the rickety assault boats that were provided. Units approaching the Line of departure became disorganized as the lanes of approach that the combat engineers had marked out with white tape for the night move had often been dislodged. Even though 2 rifle companies of the 143rd Inf. regiment succeeded in establishing a foothold across the river, they were quickly cut off and the reinforcing elements of the 141st Inf. regiment were shot to pieces by withering pre-registered artillery, mortar and MG fire from entrenched Germans of the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division on the far bank after finding themselves stuck in minefields.
The result was pure hell on earth for the men of the 36th Texas National Guard Division in one of the worst defeats of the US Army in WW II. The final result was almost every single man that crossed the river was killed or captured. 1,330 men were killed or wounded, 770 captured, and the 36th rendered combat ineffective for months. the Germans lost 64 killed and 179 wounded.
I have read many accounts of this battle. The men who fought it were embittered against the man who ordered it, 5th Army commander Gen Mark Clark for the rest of their lives. A Congressional inquiry was launched into the battle after the war which ultimately exonerated Clark.
At the time, I bet those Texans thought that the US would lose the war. Sure, the Russians are inept and corrupt. But if you are willing to throw enough men at an objective, while learning and applying some lessons learned in defeat, you just might prevail in the end.
Having said that, I hope that the Ukrainians can defend themselves against this unjustified onslaught, but the US should stay out of it.