The recent threads about WWII reminded me of a question I’ve been wondering about: in every casualty count I’ve seen, wounded soldiers were included. What degree of injury incurred would make a soldier a “casualty”? Would it be any injury bigger than a few scratches and bruises, or any injury that’s enough to take a soldier out of combat for some time?
It depends on several factors, including the unit/formation you are talking about/ the military in question. At its bare minimum a casualty is a person who is unavailable or unable to take further part in operations. How this is calculated would depend. A soldier who got slight shrapnel wound in the leg in yesterdays patrol and is asked to stay off his feet for a couple of days is a casulaty for his platoon/comp since he is unavialbe to take part in the fighting, but as far as national HQ is concerned he will be available again so is not a casualty (although as said before at the end of the war they might count him).
The soviets had a far better system IMO, they defined as casualty as an “irrecoverable” meaning the poor guy was either dead or no longer capable of active service.
Just out of interest, did that number include POWs/MIAs?
AFAIK, yes.