CASUALTY RECORD // May 13, 1940
Battle of Sedan
Estimated casualties — killed, wounded, captured, and missing — by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Casualties by side
2 sides catalogued · combined 10,067 estimated
France
5,000
Medium-confidence figure
Germany
5,067
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War on 1–2 September 1870. The engagement resulted in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and more than one hundred thousand French troops, a catastrophic loss that effectively decided the war in favor of Prussia and its allies. Although fighting continued after the battle under a new French government, the fall of Napoleon III removed the imperial leadership and stripped France of its principal field force. No comparable blow to French strategic capacity occurred elsewhere in the war, making Sedan the decisive action of the conflict.
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