- 60% of casualties were in the first 1.5 years of war
- 1944 german and soviet casualty rates were comparable
  in 1945 Soviets were storming fortresses, cities and berlin - high casualty operations
- 3/4 of german casualties were on the eastern front
- Soviet 500 PoWs survived but never returned
- >12mil Soviet miltiary dead
  -- casualties are also PoW, they may not necessarily be dead or missing
     non-returnable to combat