The Cost

[Barrett]

I'm reviewing another book for this site and note some interesting statistics, to wit:
The Allies spent $126B to kill 3.6 million Central Power troops in the Great War. The Entente in turn spent $60B to kill 5.4M Allies. This equates to $35,000 per head for the Allies and only $11,300 per kill by Germany and Co.
In other words, the Central Powers were three times more efficient than the Allies but still lost the war.
The cost of checking them out certainly increased, even allowing for inflation. I no longer have the figures, but in The Vietnam Thing each "confirmed" kill (ahem) cost the US Govt roughly $100,000. As my marine friend said, "At that rate why don't we just buy each VC a Palm Beach condo and declare victory?"
War really *is* a stupid, wasteful enterprise. And endlessly fascinating.

"The depth of human folly is unplumbed."

Sign at the entrance to Interarms

[Kirby]

Barrett

Didn't someone once say words to the effect that it's a good thing war is so horrible else we would grow too fond of it?

How true.

VBR
Kirby

[Kirby]

A P. S. to the above statement: "Lord, what fools these mortals be."

Puck to Oberon in "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Kirby

[Billy_Bishop]

I hate to be a nitpicker, but since I specialized in it in high school, here goes.

"The Entente in turn spent $60B to kill 5.4M Allies."

The Entente? You mean that France, Britain and Russia paid to kill their own troops? Well, I guess that's no big surprise.

VBR,

Al Lowe

"Didn't someone once say words to the effect that it's a good thing war is so horrible else we would grow too fond of it?" - Kirby

Don't have the exact quote, but it was Robert E. Lee.

Rich

Barrett,
Even more costly was the fact that WW1 cost Germany, France and the British Empire a whole generation of their youth! You can't even place a monetary figure on that. That is the saddest part of it, that some of the best and brightest minds were snuffed out on the fields of battle and in the air.
VBR,
Jim

Shakespeare, General Grant, don't forget Capt. E. Blackadder: "It would have been a damn site easier if we'd all just stayed at home and shot 5,000 of our own men each week."

[Barrett]

Al:

Oops. That's what I get for quoting a book verbatim--and not proofreading.

$35,000 per "kill" in WWI to $100,000 each in Vietnam is a paltry 2% cost increase each year. Don't have the numbers, but I'd guess that's lower than inflation over the same period.

Good to know mankind is efficient at something!?!

:-(

Graham

[Shooter]

Barrett:

Ahhhhhhhhh, but what price glory?