# How many of US and Soviet forces were killed during the Cold War? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 11, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-us-and-soviet-forces-were-killed-during-the-cold-war/433196 "2008-01-11T22:33:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-us-and-soviet-forces-were-killed-during-the-cold-war/433196/1 "2008-01-11T22:33:19Z")
I know there had to be casualties. I am not talking about spies but actually people in military uniforms. I know jets where shot down and i think i read about submarine attacks but is there a rough figure? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-us-and-soviet-forces-were-killed-during-the-cold-war/433196/2 "2008-01-11T22:43:06Z")
Well the Korean War and the Viet Nam War were wars directly related to the Cold War. Would you include them in your query? ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-us-and-soviet-forces-were-killed-during-the-cold-war/433196/3 "2008-01-11T22:44:16Z")
No. Do not count deaths by an indirect 3rd party or country. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-us-and-soviet-forces-were-killed-during-the-cold-war/433196/4 "2008-01-12T05:44:38Z")
I seem to remember in the mid-'90s a lot of USAF records were declassified from the Cold War re: various espionage-related flights (radiation sniffing, photoreconnaissance, border-testing), and at least several dozen Air Force personnel were acknowledged as having been killed or missing. Some, it’s thought, were captured and disappeared into the gulag after being interrogated. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-us-and-soviet-forces-were-killed-during-the-cold-war/433196/5 "2008-01-12T06:14:44Z")
There were Soviet pilots flying North Korean fighters during the Korean war, but only a few hundred, if memory serves. ---
**Author:** ![PuddingCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@PuddingCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PuddingCat)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-us-and-soviet-forces-were-killed-during-the-cold-war/433196/6 "2008-01-12T16:39:08Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] I seem to remember in the mid-'90s a lot of USAF records were declassified from the Cold War re: various espionage-related flights (radiation sniffing, photoreconnaissance, border-testing), and at least several dozen Air Force personnel were acknowledged as having been killed or missing. Some, it’s thought, were captured and disappeared into the gulag after being interrogated. [/QUOTE] I’ve often thought about this and figured that there must have been quite a number we’re not aware of. From reading a lot of the historical submarine books I get the feeling that the close shadowing didn’t always end well, but then I figure how do you cover up something like that. For example, everybody knows about Thresher and Scorpion. Could we really lose a sub without it becoming public? Do you have any links - I’m not doubting your veracity but would like to read more. tim ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-us-and-soviet-forces-were-killed-during-the-cold-war/433196/7 "2008-01-13T04:28:04Z")
Google didn’t turn up much. Take these what they’re worth: [http://pages.prodigy.net/lynnpowmia/010728.htm](http://pages.prodigy.net/lynnpowmia/010728.htm) [http://aupress.maxwell.af.mil/Books/Haas/Haas.pdf](http://aupress.maxwell.af.mil/Books/Haas/Haas.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2008, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-us-and-soviet-forces-were-killed-during-the-cold-war/433196/8 "2008-01-13T11:59:43Z")
[http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1881](http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1881) Indicates between 50 and 70 in the decade from 1950 and 1960 were shot down in recon planes. This site [http://www.bu.edu/globalbeat/syndicate/Burrows040501.html](http://www.bu.edu/globalbeat/syndicate/Burrows040501.html) indicates 130 persons were shot down over time. This figure includes incidents off China and N Korea. Warning: PDF in Elendils Heir post is around 7mb.