FITTING KOREAN WAR DATA BY STATISTICAL METHODS

Korean war data obtained from the records of all services is related to U. N. divisions engaged with North Korean and Chinese Communist troops in central Korea in May 1951. All data was taken from U.N. force records, which contained estimates of enemy strengths, casualties, and weapons. The daily record for each division was considered the strengths and casualties of opposing forces, the amount of ground gained or lost, and fire support as measured in artillery rounds and air sorties. Various graphs display changes in individual variables and in combinations of variables, from day to day and with undulations in the battle line as forces concentrated to attack or withdrew. These plots suggested more sophisticated treatment, with the use of multiple regression to fit various proposed relationships. Lanchester equations of various types were examined by the incorporation of firepower into the strength and casualty relationships. Some empirical equations were also prepared.