Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military
From: rab%ginger.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Robert A. Bruce)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: High-ranking Officers killed in Action
Message-ID: <1990Sep24.001843.24262@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 24 Sep 90 00:18:43 GMT
References: <1990Sep20.022223.15200@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military-request@att.att.com
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 33
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: rab%ginger.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Robert A. Bruce)

In article <1990Sep20.022223.15200@cbnews.att.com> klb@pegasus.att.com (Kevin Blatter) writes:
>I do know that during the Civil War that it was not at all uncommon for
>Generals to be killed by sharpshooters and thus a greater percentage of
>officers list their lives than did enlisted men.  Is this still the case?
>If not, during what conflict was the trend reversed?

Officers still die at a greater percentage rate than enlisted.  In a
modern infantry unit the most dangerous jobs are:

1. Platoon commander (officer)
2. Radio operator (enlisted)
3. Machinegunner (enlisted)

The platoon commanders are most likely to be killed because they tend
to expose themselves and move around a lot to control their platoons.
It is usually pretty easy for a sniper to figure out who the platoon
commander is.  Radio operators get hit because the enemy sees their
antennaes, and fires at them to take out the cp.  Machineguns are
relatively easy to target at night because the muzzle flashes and the
tracers give away their positions.

During training exercises with MILES gear, it is not uncommon for an
infantry company to lose nearly all of their officers before they have
taken 20% casualties.

Mortality of aircraft pilots was high during several modern wars, such
as the Yom Kipper War, and the Falklands War.  Aircraft crews are made
up primarily of officers, so that tilts the odds even further against
them.