More than 75 years after the final shot was fired, the human cost of World War II still defies human comprehension. Estimates range from 60 million to 80 million people killed, most of them civilians. The Soviet Union suffered the most, losing as many as 27 million people by some estimates. To place the carnage in context, these staggering losses occurred over just a six-year period, 1939 to 1945, nowhere close to the longest wars fought by mankind. These are the longest wars in history.
Many of the battles on the list are conflicts between the Soviet Union, one of the Allied powers, and Nazi Germany, the main Axis power. These battles were characterized by the size of military resources involved and the significant civilian population loss.
The fog of war always complicates exact casualty totals. The estimates are the result of historians patching together primary documents over many years.
24/7 Wall St. has compiled a list of the largest battles of World War II based on the number of casualties, which includes deaths and wounded. When available, we included civilian casualties. To create our list, we reviewed material from sources such as the Imperial War Museum in London, World War II battle database, and more.
Click here to see the biggest battles of World War II
Source: Keystone / Getty Images
18. Battle of Monte Cassino
> Estimated total casualties: 75,000
> Date: January 17 to May 18, 1944
> Combatants: Western Allies and Nazi Germany
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Source: Siegman / Getty Images
17. Battle of the Rhineland
> Estimated total casualties: 113,000
> Date: February 8, 1944 to January 25, 1945
> Combatants: Western Allies and Nazi Germany
Source: Fred Ramage / Getty Images
16. Battle of the Bulge
> Estimated total casualties: 195,000
> Date: December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945
> Combatants: Western Allies and Nazi Germany
Source: Keystone / Getty Images
15. Invasion of Poland
> Estimated total casualties: 250,000
> Date: September 1 to October 6, 1939
> Combatants: Nazi Germany and Poland
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Source: Pincornelly / Wikimedia Commons
14. Second Battle of Kharkov
> Estimated total casualties: 300,000
> Date: May 12 to May 28, 1942
> Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
13. The Zhejiang-Jiangxi campaign
> Estimated total casualties: 356,000
> Date: May 15 to September 4, 1942
> Combatants: China and Japanese Empire
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Source: U.S. Army / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
12. Battle of Luzon
> Estimated total casualties: 370,000
> Date: January 9 to March, 1945
> Combatants: United States and Japanese Empire
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
11. Battle of France
> Estimated total casualties: 517,000
> Date: May 10 to June 22, 1940
> Combatants: Western Allies and Nazi Germany
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
10. Battle of Narva
> Estimated total casualties: 550,000
> Date: February 2 to August 10, 1944
> Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
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Source: Keystone / Getty Images
9. Operation Overlord
> Estimated total casualties: 625,000
> Date: June 6 to August 30, 1944
> Combatants: Western Allies and Nazi Germany
Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
8. Battle of Smolensk
> Estimated total casualties: 700,000
> Date: August 7 to October 2, 1943
> Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
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Source: Public Domain/wikimedia commons
7. Battle of Berlin
> Estimated total casualties: 820,000
> Date: April 16 to May 8, 1945
> Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-B12190 / Kraagranger [Kraayvanger] / CC-BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
6. Battle of Kiev
> Estimated total casualties: 822,000
> Date: August 23 to September, 1941
> Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
5. Battle of Kursk
> Estimated total casualties: 1,000,000
> Date: July 5 to August 23, 1943
> Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
4. Operation Bagration
> Estimated total casualties: 1,080,000
> Date: June 23 to August 19, 1944
> Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
Source: Photo by Hulton Archive / Getty Images
3. Battle of Moscow
> Estimated total casualties: 1,300,000
> Date: October 2, 1941 to January 7, 1944
> Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
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Source: Red Army / Wikimedia Commons
2. Dnieper-Carpathian Campaign
> Estimated total casualties: 1,442,956
> Date: December 24, 1943 to April 14, 1944
> Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Grermany
Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
1. Battle of Stalingrad
> Estimated total casualties: 2,000,000
> Date: July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943
> Combatants: Soviet Union and Nazi Germany
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