Americans from all walks of life made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II. Despite being over 80 years since the last shots were fired, the effects of the war continue to reverberate. No other event in the 20th century can even come close to its importance. The fact is, our world would look completely different if Allied forces had not been victorious.

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The death toll from World War II was absolutely staggering in numbers, with over 416,000 American military lives claimed. Other countries lost even more, with Japan, China, Germany and the Soviet Union losing millions.

Every state in the union sent troops to the war, and every state had casualties. The website 24/7 Tempo compiled data from every state to determine which ones ones lost the most lives:

24/7 Tempo calculated the totals and ranked the states according to which saw the most servicemen fall from combat. The total number of service members from each state is a rough estimate from Quora using historical enlistment records in the National Archives.

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HOW MANY NEW YORKERS DIED IN WORLD WAR II?

New York ranked #1 in World War II military deaths. Here's how the data breaks down:

  • #1 - NEW YORK
    Died from combat: 25,935
    Army (including Army Air Forces) killed in action, or from wounds or injuries: 20776 — 1st most
    Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard combat deaths: 5,159 — 2nd most
    MIA: 5777 — 1st most
    Total served in World War II: 896,586 — 1st most

Pennsylvania lost the second most, with 22,507 deaths in combat, and California was third, with 16,447. Alaska lost the least, with 40.

(You can read the complete state-by-state breakdown here.)

Even as the distance between World War II and modern times grows, we should never forget the monumental efforts made by American military personnel. To all those who served, living or dead, we salute you.

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FOUND! Wreckage from World War 2 Cargo Plane in the Adirondacks

The remains of an American cargo plane that went down back in 1944 was located by some adventurers in 2021. It took almost a year for the wreckage to be found after the plane crashed and wasn't officially memorialized until 1997.

The location of the crash is on a remote part of Blue Ridge Mountain, near the town of Speculator in Hamilton County.

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Polly helps transform what was once an old train station in Hamilton during World War II into a place of health and beauty.

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