The 10 bloodiest battles ever fought by American troops (In order)

America has fought in many wars over its relatively short history, and has also played an incredibly important role in all the wars we’ve fought in. It’s hard to say what the world would look like right now if not for the efforts of all the great soldiers from the past. Let’s take a look at some of the fiercest battles fought by American troops throughout history.

1. Battle of Iwo Jima(World War 2)

Starting off this list with the least bloody of the top 10, we have the iconic battle of Iwo Jima coming in with 6,821 American soldiers lost in the fighting. This battle is well known for the heroic raising of the flag pictured above.

2. Battle of Gettysburg (American Civil War)

The battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the American civil war, with 7,508 Americans losing their lives. It’s worth noting that of the Americans lost, only 3,155 of them were Union and 3,903 of them were Confederates.

3. Battle of Guadalcanal (World War 2)

The battle of Guadalcanal was the first major offensive campaign on the pacific theater by the Americans. The battle lasted about six months and the American loss of life totals in at 7,100 people killed.

4. Battle of Luzon (World War 2)

The Battle of Luzon has the first significant jump in deaths compared to the previous three entries on this list. 10,640 soldiers were killed during this battle, compared to the previous battle of Guadalcanal, that’s an increase of over 3000 soldiers killed!

5. Second Battle of the Marne (World War 1)

The first battle from the Great War to make an appearance on this list, we have the Second Battle of the Marne. 12,000 American soldiers fought and died during this battle, aiding France in defending against Germany. This battle was the beginning of the end for Germany and was a pivotal point in World War 1.

6. Battle of Hürtgen Forest (World War 2)

The death toll for this battle is a little rough with conflicting sources, but all sources can agree that at least 12,000 American soldiers were killed during the fighting.

7. Battle of the Bulge (World War 2)

The biggest increase in deaths so far comes from the Battle of the Bulge. We leap up to 19,276 Soldiers killed in this historic battle. 7,276 more soldiers were killed in this battle than in theBattle of Hürtgen Forest, that’s an increase greater than the number of soldiers that died in total during the Battle of Iwo Jima!

8. Battle of Okinawa (World War 2)

The Battle of Okinawa led to a staggering loss of life, 20,195 American troops died during this battle. This battle has the nickname “typhoon of steel” because of how fierce the fighting here was. The Americans brought a lot of their navy to this battle, which in turn led to a lot of Japanese kamikaze attacks. This is a significant part of the reason the battle earned its reputation for being so vicious.

9.Battle of the Argonne Forest (World War 1)

At 26,277 Americans killed, this is the bloodiest battle of World War 1 by far. More than double the number of soldiers were killed during this battle than the second bloodiest battle of World War 1. This battle was one of the last of World War 1, and lasted until the Germans agreed to an armistice. The Germans were so completely devastated by this point of the war, that the armistice was an unofficial surrender.

10.Battle of Normandy (World War 2)

At the end of the list, we have the absolute bloodiest battle in all American history, which hopefully will remain the bloodiest battle of American history. The legendary Battle of Normandy resulted in an overwhelming 29,204 soldiers killed about 40% of our landed troops perished. The battle began on D-Day June 6, 1944 and continued into August of 1944. The Allies landed around 156,000 troops in Normandy, the Americans landed 73,000 (23,250 on Utah Beach, 34,250 on Omaha Beach and 15,500 airborne troops).