Sarah Sundin's Blog, page 418

Today in World War II History

  Messina, Sicily (Army Center for Military History)70 Years Ago—Aug. 16, 1943: As US and British forces converge on Messina, Sicily, US fires first artillery at Italian mainland.

On Distant Shores Romantic Weekend Getaway Giveaway

  To celebrate the release of On Distant Shores , the second book in the Wings of the Nightingale series, I've teamed up with Litfuse Publicity for a Romantic Weekend Getaway giveaway. Plus, we're hosting a Facebook chat party and a blog tour!

One grand prize winner will receive:
• A $200 Visa Cash Card
• With Every Letter and On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin

Enter today by going to the On Distant Shores contest page. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 2, 2013 at 11:59 PDT. Winner will be announced September 3 at the On Distant Shores Author Chat Party on Facebook. The winner will also be notified by email - you do not have to attend the Facebook party to win. More details and the official contest rules can be found on the On Distant Shores contest page.
The Facebook party will be held on September 3, 2013 from 5-6 pm PDT (8-9 pm EDT). At the party, I'll be hosting a book chat, testing your trivia skills,  announcing the winner of the Weekend Getaway, and giving away a ton of books, gift certificates, and more. Oh, and I’ll also be giving partygoers an exclusive look at the next book in the series, In Perfect Time (August 2014).

So grab your copy of On Distant Shores and join me on the evening of September 3 for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book, don’t let that stop you from coming!)
Also, please visit the On Distant Shores Litfuse page to follow the blog tour and see what the reviewers are saying!

Today in World War II History

  Canadian soldier inspecting a captured Japanese machine gun,
Kiska, Aleutian Islands, US Territory of Alaska, 16 Aug 1943
(Source: US Library of Congress)70 Years Ago—Aug. 15, 1943: First island-hopping: US Army & Marines land on Vella Lavella in Solomons, bypassing Kolombangara. US and Canadian forces land on Kiska in the Aleutians and find the Japanese left 2 weeks before.

Today in World War II History

  Mackenzie King, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill,
and Allied military leaders, Quebec, Canada, 18 Aug 1943
(Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum)70 Years Ago—Aug. 14, 1943: Quadrant Conference opens in Québec: Roosevelt and Churchill commit to landings in Normandy. Gen. George Patton apologizes to soldiers he slapped, under Eisenhower’s orders. US Army Air Forces changes insignia, border of bars switched from red to dark blue.

Today in World War II History

  The "Bridge in the Sky," Sicily (Army Center for Military History)70 Years Ago—Aug. 13, 1943: US 10thEngineer Btn. builds “bridge in the sky” along steep seaside cliff at Cape Calava, Sicily. Movie premiere of Heaven Can Wait, starring Gene Tierney and Don Ameche.

Hospitalization in World War II - Chain of Evacuation

Medic Pfc. Harvey White administers blood plasma to
wounded Private Roy Humphrey, 9 August 1943,
Sant' Agata, Sicily, 1943 (US Army Medical Dept) Planes thundered overhead, artillery rumbled in the distance, and cries of wounded soldiers pierced Georgie's ears.

"Coming through." Two medics rushed past with a litter. A man writhed on top, a shock of red on his gray-green field jacket.

Another medic assisted a soldier who clutched his twisted, bloodstained arm to his chest.

Georgie took a deep breath. Compared to the ravages of battle, her concerns were nitpicky. (On Distant Shores, p. 118)

In my new novel On Distant Shores , the hero serves as a pharmacist in an evacuation hospital and the heroine serves as a flight nurse. To celebrate the book’s release, I’m running a series on hospitalization in World War II. Today I’ll discuss the chain of evacuation, next I’ll discuss mobile and fixed hospitals in more detail, and then I’ll cover evacuation of the wounded.

The Chain of Evacuation

Wartime medical treatment occurred on muddy battlefields under fire, in tent hospitals only miles from the front, and in sterile stateside hospitals.

A complex chain moved patients to where they could best be treated. At all points along this chain, decisions were made regarding when to treat, when to return to duty, and when to evacuate further to the rear.

  Forward aid station in Sant'Elia, Italy, 1943 Organic Medical Units

These units were attached to combat units and followed them into battle.

Battlefield:Medics performed first aid and moved the wounded to the aid station, often under fire.

Battalion aid station:About one mile from front. Physicians and medics adjusted splints and dressings, administered plasma and morphine. Soldiers also reported to the aid station for treatment of minor illnesses or mild combat fatigue.

Collecting station:About two miles from the front, near the regiment command post. Further adjustment of splints and dressings, administration of plasma, treatment of shock.

Clearing station:About four to ten miles from front. Here they treated shock and minor wounds, and grouped patients in ambulance loads for transport to field hospitals.

  Forward surgical unit, US 11th Field Hospital
near Nicosia, Sicily, 1943 Mobile Hospitals

These hospitals were assigned to a theater of operations and could be packed and moved quickly to follow the battle lines. They were complete hospitals with nursing care, surgical and medical wards, X-ray, laboratory, and pharmacy.

Field Hospitals:Within thirty miles of clearing station. Ideally, the wounded arrived within one hour of injury. Surgery was performed for the most severe cases.

Evacuation Hospitals:Treated illnesses and less urgent surgical cases. Patients could be reconditioned here to return to the front.

  500-bed ward of US 6th General Hospital
Casablanca, French Morocco, 1943. Fixed Hospitals

These hospitals were set up a safe distance from the front, either in the theater of operations or stateside, and they tended to remain in one location for longer periods of time.

Station Hospitals:Usually attached to a military base, designed to treat illnesses and injuries among personnel stationed at that base.

General Hospitals:Large facilities where patients received long-term treatment, sometimes grouped in large complexes. Some of the general hospitals were specialized for certain types of wounds or illnesses, such as for craniocerebral, spine, eye, chest, or neuropsychiatric care.

Convalescent Hospitals:Designed for rehabilitation of the severely wounded soldier who would receive a medical discharge. This type of hospital was a World War II innovation.

Resources

Cosmas, Graham A. & Cowdrey, Albert E. The Medical Department: Medical Service in the European Theater of Operations. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Medical History, 1992. http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-23/index.html

Wiltse, Charles M. The Medical Department: Medical Services in the Mediterranean and Minor Theaters. Washington, DC: Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army, 1965. http://history.amedd.army.mil/books.html

Condon-Rall, MaryEllen & Cowdrey, Albert E. The Medical Department: Medical Service in the War Against Japan. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Medical History, 1998. http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-24/index.html

Links, Mae Mills & Coleman, Hubert A. Medical Support of the Army Air Forces in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Office of the Surgeon General, USAF, 1955.

Today in World War II History

Movie premiere of This Is the Army70 Years Ago—Aug. 12, 1943: Movie premiere of Irving Berlin’s This Is the Army at Warner's Earle Theater, Washington DC.

Today in World War II History

Brolo Beach, Sicily70 Years Ago—Aug. 11, 1943: Germans and Italians begin the successful evacuation of 100,000 soldiers from Sicily to mainland Italy. US makes amphibious landings at Brolo on Sicily’s north shore, but fails to cut off retreat.

Today in World War II History

Lt. Gen. George Patton
70 Years Ago—Aug. 10, 1943: Gen. George Patton slaps a soldier suffering from combat fatigue at the US 93rdEvacuation Hospital, San Stefano, Sicily, the second such episode.

Today in World War II History

  US 25th Infantry Division, New Georgia, 12 August 1943
(US Army Center of Military History)70 Years Ago—Aug. 9, 1943: On New Georgia, northern and southern landing forces link (US).