Military Losses: MIA Units and Notable Incidents

In the annals of military history, there are several instances where entire units or a significant number of soldiers went missing in action (MIA) at the same time. These tragic events have various causes and often occur under intense conflict conditions. This article explores some notable examples and the significance of such incidents.

Notable Military Incidents

1. The Battle of Ia Drang, Vietnam War (1965): During one of the first major engagements between U.S. forces and the North Vietnamese Army in November 1965, the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, experienced significant casualties. A substantial number of soldiers were either killed or became MIA during the harsh fight.

2. The 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Vietnam War (1970): In a mission in Cambodia, a large number of Rangers became MIA. The exact numbers and circumstances vary, but several soldiers were not accounted for after the operation.

3. The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Korean War (1950): The 31st Infantry Regiment faced heavy fighting and harsh winter conditions during this battle. Many soldiers went missing during the intense combat.

4. Various Operations in the Vietnam War (1965-1975): Throughout the Vietnam War, there were multiple instances where entire platoons or companies faced significant casualties, and many soldiers went missing, especially during ambushes and large-scale engagements.

5. Flight 19, 1945: A tragic flight training mission saw the disappearance of all five Navy Avengers. A flight leader got lost, leading the squadron on a navigation training flight out to sea until they ran out of fuel and vanished.

Historical Anomalies

6. Battle of Vitoria, Peninsular War (1813): All the Spaniards fighting on the side of Napoleon at the Battle of Vitoria vanished without a trace. No count of them, no memorial, and none of them appear to have survived.

7. Japanese Island Fortresses, World War II (1943-1945): The capture of Japanese island fortresses by the U.S. military led to a similar phenomenon. As far as the Japanese were concerned, all the U.S. personnel were dead.

8. Fort Mims Massacre, 1813: Creek Indians and Native tribes attacked Fort Mims, manned by 200 militia and hundreds of civilians seeking refuge, causing an almost-perfect massacre, with just one person escaping.

9. The Dade Massacre, Florida, 1835: A lieutenant and his 28-man detachment were killed by the Seminoles and escaped slaves. This was a near-perfect massacre with only one survivor.

10. Gratton Massacre, 1854: A lieutenant attempting to reclaim a stolen cow from a camp of 4000 Lakota Indians was killed, along with his entire party, in what is known as the Gratton Massacre.

11. USS Houston, 1942: The heavy cruiser USS Houston was sunk by the Japanese during World War II, but the allied forces lost track of it due to their own losses. Two years later, a POW identified himself as a survivor from the Houston and provided information about the ship's fate.

The Mysterious Disappearance of the 9th Legion Hispana

12. The 9th Hispana Legion: Contrary to popular belief, the 9th Hispana Legion did not disappear without a trace. The records mention the legion until a certain date, but they are silent after that. There is no reference to a massacre, disappearance, or anything else in historical records, aside from modern fiction.

These examples illustrate that while it is relatively rare for entire units to go missing at once, significant incidents involving MIA units have occurred, particularly during intense conflicts where units faced overwhelming enemy forces or difficult conditions.