The two official estimates are roughly consistent, in that the proportions among killed,
wounded, and missing are similar. They would indicate, however, a nmch lower casualty rate for
the later three than for the first two months of the campaign. Average daily casualties, from these
offical  German figures, would be roughly 5,750 to August 31, only 4,072 from August 31 to
December 1. While it is certainly true that with lengthened supply lines and weakened Russian
resistance, the numbers of German troops actually engaged has decreased, it must be remembered
that in the period August 31 to December 1 the following actions against heavy resistance have
taken place capture of Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, Rostov, the Crimean campaign, the closing of the
ring around Leningrad, the Dnieper crossing and two major drives on Moscow, the first of which
(Vyasma-Bryansk) was announced by Hitler as the'. "greatest military onslaught in history."
     Various arguments, nevertheless, have been advanced in favor of accepting the German
published figures as accurate. It is said (a) that since the war against Russian communism is
popular in Cormany the army has no particular inducement to understate losses; (b) that a gross
understatement would be too easily detected by the German people; (c) that in the case of earlier
statements by inc High Command which can be checked, the statements have proved to be
accurate; (d) that the German figures are not unreasonable from what is known of German tactical
methods, making due allowance for the character of the engagements and the size of the forces
involved.
    None of these arguments is conclusive. If losses are heavy there is always a strong inducement
to understatement; nor is detection of such understatement an easy matter. The accuracy of past
statements of losses may be explained by the fact that these losses were small. Though there is
every evidence that German tactical methods have been designed to minimize manpower losses,
this does not necessarily mean that losses in fact have been small.
    The only alternative, however, to an acceptance of the German figures appears to be a choice
among the estimates of a number of official and unofficial "observers". These range all the way
from