Hi everyone. My grandfather who served in WW2 was trying to figure out an answer for this question. Already searched online for this, too many answers and they all vary.
Specifically, how many Americans died on the beaches and how many were wounded on DDay?
Thank you for your time and we both appreciate it.
Joseph Balkoski gives the following figures for American casualties on D-Day in his books Omaha Beach: D-Day June 6, 1944 and Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing and Airborne Operations on D-Day, believed to be some of the most accurate ever collected;
Omaha Beach:
| UNIT | KIA | WIA | MIA | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION | ||||
| 16th Infantry Regiment | 86 | 528 | 357 | 971 |
| 18th Infantry Regiment | 12 | 147 | 45 | 204 |
| 1st Engineer Combat Battalion | 4 | 27 | 6 | 37 |
| 1st Military Police Platoon | 1 | 22 | 0 | 23 |
| 7th Field Artillery Battalion | 4 | 14 | 3 | 21 |
| 1st Infantry Division HQ Company | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 32nd Field Artillery Battalion | -- | -- | -- | 28^a |
| 1st Medical Battalion | -- | -- | -- | c. 40^b |
| 26th Infantry Regiment | -- | -- | -- | c. 20^b |
| TOTAL 1ST INFANTRY DIVISION | -- | -- | -- | 1,346^b |
| 29TH INFANTRY DIVISION | KIA | WIA | MIA | TOTAL |
| 116th Infantry Regiment | 247 | 576 | 184 | 1,007 |
| 115th Infantry Regiment | 33 | 68 | 2 | 103 |
| 121st Engineer Combat Battalion | 18 | 31 | 31 | 80 |
| 111th Field Artillery Battalion | 17 | 26 | 4 | 47 |
| 104th Medical Battalion | 2 | 8 | 10 | 20 |
| 29th Infantry Division HQ Company | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 175th Infantry Regiment | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 29th Reconnaissance Troop (Mec'z.) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 29th Military Police Platoon | -- | -- | -- | c. 10^b |
| TOTAL 29TH INFANTRY DIVISION | -- | -- | -- | 1,272 |
| V CORPS/FIRST ARMY UNITS | KIA | WIA | MIA | TOTAL |
| 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions | 96 | 183 | 32 | 311^c |
| 146th Engineer Combat Battalion | 84 | 112 | 0 | 196 |
| 299th Engineer Combat Battalion | 71 | c. 75 | 0 | c. 146^d |
| 112th Engineer Combat Battalion | 8 | 30 | 0 | 38 |
| 20th Engineer Combat Battalion | 3 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| 37th Engineer Combat Battalion | -- | -- | -- | 82^a |
| 336th Engineer Combat Battalion | -- | -- | -- | 30^a |
| 348th Engineer Combat Battalion | -- | -- | -- | 21^a |
| 149th Engineer Combat Battalion | -- | -- | -- | c. 50^a |
| 147th Engineer Combat Battalion | -- | -- | -- | c. 45^a |
| 397th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion | 17 | 71 | 32 | 120 |
| 467th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion | 8 | 31 | 0 | 39 |
| 197th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion | 5 | 12 | 0 | 17 |
| 81st Chemical Mortar Battalion | 10 | 20 | 0 | 30 |
| 741st Tank Battalion | c. 45 | c. 60 | 0 | c. 105^b |
| 743rd Tank Battalion | -- | -- | -- | c. 70^b |
| 745th Tank Battalion | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 61st Signal Battalion | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4^e |
| 5th and 6th Engineer Special Brigades | -- | -- | -- | c. 250^f |
| TOTAL V CORPS/FIRST ARMY | -- | -- | -- | 1,568 |
| U.S. NAVY/COAST GUARD AND ROYAL NAVY | KIA | WIA | MIA | TOTAL |
| Naval Combat Demolition Units | 24 | 32 | 15 | 71 |
| 6th Naval Beach Battalion | 22 | 77 | 0 | 99 |
| 7th Naval Beach Battalion | 19 | 10 | 0 | 29 |
| USN/USCG Landing Craft Crews | -- | -- | -- | c. 280^b |
| RN Landing Craft Crews | -- | -- | -- | c. 30^b |
| Naval Shore Fire Control Parties | -- | -- | -- | c. 15^b |
| TOTAL NAVY/COAST GUARD | -- | -- | -- | 539 |
| EIGHTH AIR FORCE | KIA | WIA | MIA | TOTAL |
| 2nd Bombardment Division | 10 | -- | -- | 10 |
| TOTAL EIGHTH AIR FORCE | 10 | -- | -- | 10 |
| GRAND TOTAL OMAHA BEACH | -- | -- | -- | 4,720 |
a: Indicated figure is casualty total only. Unit records do not differentiate among killed, wounded, and missing.
b: Indicated figure is casualty approximation based upon unit records that do not specify number of killed, wounded, and missing.
c: Indicated figure includes casualties suffered on June 7, and also includes casualties among Rudder's Ranger Force at Pointe Du Hoc.
d: Company B, 299th Engineers landed on Utah Beach. Indicated 299th casualty total may include Company B on Utah.
e: Indicated casualty figure is for twenty-four-man detachment under the command of Col. B.B. Talley, embarked in two DUKWs. Talley and his subordinates reported by radio their observations of events on the beach to General Gerow on his command ship Ancon.
f: Indicated casualty total is approximation for all 5th and 6th Engineer Special Brigades units landing at Omaha Beach except for engineer combat battalions, each of which is given a separate casualty total in the above list. Among the miscellaneous Engineer Special Brigade units included in this casualty total are: signal, military police, quartermaster, medical, amphibious truck, and ordnance units. U.S. Navy units attached to Engineer Special Brigades are not included in this total.
Utah Beach:
| Unit | KIA | WIA | MIA | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION | ||||
| 8th Infantry Regiment | 29 | 110 | 0 | 139 |
| 22nd Infantry Regiment | 13 | 34 | 4 | 51 |
| 12th Infantry Regiment | c. 10 | c. 30 | 0 | c. 40^a |
| 29th Field Artillery Battalion | 39 | 22 | 0 | 61 |
| Other 4th Division Units | -- | -- | -- | c. 20^a |
| TOTAL 4TH INFANTRY DIVISION | -- | -- | -- | 311 |
| 90TH INFANTRY DIVISION | KIA | WIA | MIA | TOTAL |
| 359th Infantry Regiment | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| TOTAL 90TH INFANTRY DIVISION | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| VII CORPS/FIRST ARMY UNITS | KIA | WIA | MIA | TOTAL |
| 4th Cavalry Group | 2 | 18 | 0 | 20 |
| 237th Engineer Combat Battalion | 6 | 33 | 0 | 39 |
| 299th Engineer Combat Battalion | 4 | 19 | 0 | 23 |
| 298th Engineer Combat Battalion | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1st Engineer Special Brigade | 21 | 96 | 0 | 117^b |
| 87th Chemical Mortar Battalion | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 70th Tank Battalion | 19 | 10 | 0 | 29 |
| 746th Tank Battalion | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| 65th Armored Field Artillery Battalion | 2 | 22 | 0 | 24 |
| Other VII Corps/First Army Units | -- | -- | -- | c. 10^a |
| TOTAL VII CORPS/FIRST ARMY | -- | -- | -- | 278 |
| U.S. NAVY/COAST GUARD AND ROYAL NAVY | KIA | WIA | MIA | Total |
| Naval Combat Demolition Units | 4 | 11 | 0 | 15 |
| USS Osprey | 6 | 29 | 0 | 35^c |
| USS Corry | 22 | 33 | 0 | 55 |
| USS PC-1261 | -- | -- | -- | c. 15^a |
| USN/USCG/RN Landing Craft Crews | -- | -- | -- | c. 100^d |
| Naval Shore Fire Control Parties | -- | -- | -- | c. 15^e |
| TOTAL NAVY/COAST GUARD | -- | -- | -- | 235 |
| AIRBORNE DIVISIONS | KIA | WIA | MIA | TOTAL |
| 82nd Airborne Division | -- | -- | -- | 1,259^f |
| 101st Airborne Division | -- | -- | -- | 1,240^g |
| TOTAL AIRBORNE DIVISIONS | -- | -- | -- | 2,499 |
| NINTH AIR FORCE | KIA | WIA | MIA | TOTAL |
| IX Bomber Command | 30 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| IX Troop Carrier Command | 27 | 128 | 0 | 155 |
| TOTAL NINTH AIR FORCE | 57 | 128 | 0 | 185 |
| GRAND TOTAL UTAH BEACH | -- | -- | -- | 3,510 |
a: Indicated figure is casualty total only. Unit records do not differentiate among killed, wounded, and missing.
b: Includes 531st Engineer Shore Regiment and U.S. Navy's 2nd Naval Beach Battalion.
c: Minesweeper, lost night of June 5.
d: Landing craft losses on D-Day included four LCT, two LCI, plus many more smaller LCMs, LCVPS, and LCAs.
e: Includes NSFCP with 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions.
f: see Harrison, Cross-Channel Attack, 300. ("D-Day losses of 1,259 including 156 known killed and 756 missing, presumed captured or killed.")
g: Ibid., 284. ("Total D-Day casualties calculated in August 1944 amounted to 1,240 including 182 known killed and 501 missing and presumed captured or killed.")