War Surgery and Medicine
2 NZEF MEF and CMF
2 NZEF MEF and CMF
Battle Casualties, July 1941—May 1945
Percentage of Total Wounds | |||
head— | |||
Fracture cranium | 192 | 1628 | 8.13 |
Penetrating cranium | 513 | ||
Concussion and contusions | 923 | ||
eye— | |||
Enucleation | 83 | 361 | 1.80 |
Other | 278 | ||
ear— | |||
Rupture membrana tympani | 386 | 664 | 3.32 |
Other | 278 | ||
face— | |||
Fractures | 149 | 913 | 4.56 |
Flesh wounds | 764 | ||
neck— | |||
Flesh wounds | 407 | 407 | 2.03 |
chest— | |||
Perforating | 839 | 1523 | 7.60 |
Non-perforating | 694 | ||
abdomen— | |||
Penetrating and perforating (of these, 313 had intra-abdominal lesions) | 355 | 529 | 2.64 |
Flesh wounds | 174 | ||
back and spine— | |||
Fractures with lesions cord | 19 | 769 | 3.84 |
Fractures without lesions cord | 34 | ||
Ilium | 108 | ||
Flesh wounds | 608 | ||
upper extremities— | |||
Simple fractures | 95 | 5811 | 28.09 |
Compound fractures | 1172 | ||
Nerve injuries | 421 | ||
Joint involvement | 637 | ||
Flesh wounds | 3486 | ||
lower extremities— | |||
Simple fractures | 125 | 6843 | 34.13 |
Compound fractures | 1248 | ||
Nerve injuries | 250 | ||
Joint involvement | 876 | ||
Flesh wounds | 4344 | ||
burns | 150 | 150 | 0.75 |
other | 442 | 442 | 2.21 |
—— | —— | —— | |
19,750 | 19,750 | 100.00 |
Note: The number of wounds exceeds the number of wounded, as a casualty with more than one wound has been classified more than once.
page 92Regional Classification of Wounds causing Deaths in Action
Survey made of New Zealand casualties in Tunisia 21 March–15 May 1943 (Tebaga Gap-Enfidaville). Detailed reports received of 693 casualties (nearly half of total casualties for period), including 82 killed in action.
Classification of wounds of these 82 was:
Head | 26 |
Chest | 32 |
Abdomen | 12 |
Blown to pieces | 4 |
Multiple, including head | 1 |
Multiple, including trunk | 2 |
Femur | 2 |
Amputation both legs | 1 |
Back | 1 |
Blast | 1 |
—— | |
82 |
Shell | 40 |
Mortar | 11 |
Machine-gun | 13 |
Gunshot | 11 |
Bomb | 3 |
Mine | 2 |
Miscellaneous | 2 |
—— | |
82 |