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PaperclipPerfector  6d ago (text post)   890 thread views

Transnational Thursday for December 12, 2024

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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Do you believe the war dead-to-wounded ratio is lower, or higher?

Higher.

What ratio and why?

Worse dead-to-wounded ratios historically depend more on the impacts of disease than fighting, with ratios getting better (more wounded to killed) the more access to defensive fortifications, stable rear areas, and mechanized evacuation that are available. This is especially true in artillery wars, where the predominance of shrapnel as a primary threat increases wounds relative to direct kills for forces that are better fortified.

Ukraine certainly has its challenges, but a lack of trenches, helmets, and rear areas to withdraw to are not among them.

Those are valid points. The claim of a ratio of 1:9 is still rather suspicious.

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