Why counting admirals lost in the world wars needs research

How many admirals were lost across the First and Second World Wars?

The panel cannot give a defensible total live; the number may run to several dozen, but it requires a carefully defined navy-by-navy count.

The live estimate begins below a dozen, then expands toward several dozen as the speakers recall Royal Navy, US Navy, Italian, and German flag-officer losses. They decline to turn that rough recollection into a firm answer. A useful count would need to define whether it includes only combat deaths or also accidents, illness, and service-related stress, then check each navy systematically. The exchange shows why an apparently simple personnel question can become a substantial historical-research task.