scrapironflotilla:Lieutenant Rupert Frederick Arding Downes MC addressing his platoon from B Compa
scrapironflotilla: Lieutenant Rupert Frederick Arding Downes MC addressing his platoon from B Company, 29th Battalion, near Warfusee, France, in August 1918. I came across an interesting statistic today. According to Monash in The Australian Victories if France in 1918, the losses of the five Australian divisions that made up the Australian Corps during the Hundred Days Offensive was 21,243. During this time the corps had undertaken constant offensive operations, pushed the 2nd German Army back a distance of 37 miles and liberated over 100 towns and villages. This success had a dreadful cost though. The Australian Corps was only in the line for 60 of the 100 days and their losses were consequently higher than in any other two month period of the War. Daily losses, or what the army refers to as wastage, averaged out to 70 men per division per day. Quite a high number given the low strength of the divisions at the time, but as Monash himself wrote. “Even during periods of sedentary trench warfare the losses averaged 40 per division per day.” -- source link