IN SPITE of the many papers on combat fatigue which have appeared in the literature since the onset of World War II, there have been few, if any, controlled studies on the incidence of the disorder. My experience as division psychiatrist with a Marine division before, during and after the Okinawa campaign offered an unusual opportunity for the observation of combat fatigue in all stages and for the gathering of appropriate related data. The present paper will present the collected material regarding the incidence of combat fatigue with respect to (1) the individual, (2) the group and (3) the type of warfare.
THE INDIVIDUAL
The following data were obtained from 627 patients with combat fatigue and from a control group of 205 Marines. The patients were seen in the division field hospital, usually within a few hours after they broke down. The control group, taken from the same regiments, were