Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 3:38:05-3:39:32

Bomber Command's death rate versus total loss rate

A casualty-rate correction separates the roughly 46 percent of Bomber Command aircrew killed from the roughly 60 percent killed, wounded, or captured.

RAF Bomber CommandRoyal Air ForceStrategic BombingWorld War II
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Question

Did RAF Bomber Command lose 52 percent of its aircrew killed?

Short answer

No; the figure given here is about 46 percent killed, while killed, wounded, and prisoners together reached roughly 60 percent.

Notes

The figures do not support a 52 percent death-rate claim. Of about 125,000 Bomber Command aircrew, 57,205 were killed, which is roughly 46 percent. Another 8,403 were wounded and 9,838 became prisoners of war. Combining those categories produces a total loss rate near 60 percent, but that is not the same as the proportion killed. The distinction prevents a casualty-and-capture total from being repeated as a death rate.