World War II caused a significant problem of missing persons. It is estimated that it resulted in between 8 and 10 million missing in Europe alone. This article examines three categories of missing – civilians, children, and Jews – and assesses the phenomenon’s short-term effects. Facing the need to deal with the problem, the Allied armies and the humanitarian organizations came to the realization that it must be dealt with as an issue with political implications. It is suggested that missing persons should be included as a third category in the results of the war, in addition to the living and the dead.

中文翻译：

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失踪人员与二战：个人与国家损失之间

第二次世界大战造成了重大的人员失踪问题。据估计，仅在欧洲，就有 8 到 1000 万人失踪。本文研究了三类失踪人员——平民、儿童和犹太人——并评估了这种现象的短期影响。面对处理这个问题的需要，盟军和人道主义组织开始意识到它必须作为一个具有政治影响的问题来处理。建议将失踪人员列为战争结果中除生者死者之外的第三类。