# Urban warfare **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 19, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-warfare/162571 "2003-03-19T15:59:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-warfare/162571/1 "2003-03-19T15:59:26Z")
From what I hear on the news reports, Baghdad has a population of about 5 million. What was the largest city in World War II to have street-by-street, house-to-house combat? Any figures on civilian and military casualties from the battle? Have there been any instances of urban warfare since WW2? ---
**Author:** ![Concensus\_gentium\_fallacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Concensus\_gentium\_fallacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Concensus_gentium_fallacy)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-warfare/162571/2 "2003-03-19T16:13:56Z")
All cities in Viet Nam saw street to street combat, including both capitals. ---
**Author:** ![patchbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dc4da7/32.png) [@patchbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/patchbunny)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-warfare/162571/3 "2003-03-19T17:15:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kunilou \* > **From what I hear on the news reports, Baghdad has a population of about 5 million. What was the largest city in World War II to have street-by-street, house-to-house combat? Any figures on civilian and military casualties from the battle?** I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but in terms of casualties my guess would be Stalingrad tops the list, followed by Berlin. I think Berlin was the bigger city, though. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kunilou \* > \*\*Have there been any instances of urban warfare since WW2? \*\* Seoul, South Korea comes to mind during the Korean war. Hue saw heavy combat during the Tet offensive in Vietnam. And let’s not forget the fun Russian forces had in Grozny back in 1994 and 1998. Small urban fighting in Khafji during the first Gulf war, and there were lots of other smaller battles across the world during the last few decades. –Patch ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-warfare/162571/4 "2003-03-19T17:50:38Z")
The US invasion of Panama was primarily urban warfare Also the fighting in Somalia. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/urban-warfare/162571/5 "2003-03-19T18:20:49Z")
The [investment of Manila](http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2002/dec/08/metro/20021208met1.html) in the Philippines is generally regarded as one of the most destructive city seiges of WWII. The Japanese actively worked to prevent civilians from escaping the city, and some 300,000 of them died in the fighting. Population in 1941: about 600,000. Warsaw actually had two [uprisings](http://www.humboldt.edu/~rescuers/book/damski/dlinks/warsupris.html), one in 1943 and one in 1944. The city was physically fought over at least four times in the war, and was extensively damaged. Population in 1939: 1.3 million. I have no idea how many died there, but there were over 100,000 casualties among the Jewish and Polish rebels. [This site](http://www.2747.com/2747/world/city/berlin.htm) says Berlin’s population in 1939 was 4.4 million. By 1945 it was down to 2.8 million. Much of that was due to relocation of one sort or another. [Stalingrad](http://www.cftech.com/BrainBank/TRIVIABITS/Stalingrad.html)’s pre-battle population appears to have been around 600,000. I don’t think civilian casualties were ever enumerated.