World War II Front Line Nurse

by Mildred A. MacGregor

In late 1942, along with so many others who signed up to support the war effort, thirty-year-old Mildred Radawiec left a comfortable position as a nurse at the University of Michigan Hospital and postponed her marriage to a soon-to-be doctor to volunteer as a surgical nurse in the major battle theaters of the war. Radawiec was one of thirty volunteers from the hospital surgical staff that comprised the University of Michigan Unit, the 298th General Hospital, as the University of Michigan Hospital was called. Radawiec's first-person history recounts her wartime experience with sharp detail and grace and sets the stage for a you-are-there experience---from the thrill of signing up and shipping out; to the harrowing ocean crossing and the arduous trip through the Sahara; to dangerous air raids and moving at a moment's notice, often at night with the lights off to avoid attacks. Radawiec was near Omaha Beach in France soon after D-Day, June 6, 1944, and details stories of marathon stints assisting the injured on the front lines as they poured in by the hundreds. Radawiec also traveled to Belgium and Germany and set up in the area near Aachen in the fall of 1944. In Germany she experienced Buzz Bombs---pilotless flying bombs---and even witnessed the death of a fellow nurse in a bombing attack in which medics brought in wounded soldiers by the truckload. Radawiec also leavens her story with uplifting tales of heroism and courage and intersperses the narrative with poignant letters from her family and fiancé. This stirring personal account of war will mesmerize anyone interested in World War II history and women's too-often-overlooked role in it. Mildred A. MacGregor is ex. Lieutenant Mildred A. Radawiec, Army Nurse Corp. She was part of the Third Auxiliary Surgical Group in World War II and was stationed in England, North Africa, France, and Germany. She is 95 and lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is her first book.

Genres: History

456 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2006

Reviews

[Jeannette Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking first-hand account of World War II by a lifelong Ann Arbor resident who just died in February at age 100. She wrote the book in 2008, at age 95. Born in Detroit in 1912, Lieutenant Mildred A. Radawiec volunteered "for the duration plus 6 months" in 1942 at age 30. She was already a practicing nurse at the U of M Hospital and engaged to her doctor sweetheart.

I cherished the time I spent with "Rad," as she landed in Normandy shortly after D-Day, compassionately tended horribly wounded soldiers (including Germans), was caught up in the Battle of the Bulge, smuggled puppies onto troop ships and transport trains, witnessed firsthand the horrors of Buchenwald, and enjoyed an epic romance with a gallant flyer in the African desert. Her account illuminates the unique experience, and importance, of women in the war effort. She unflinchingly recounts the horrors of war: the bodies stacked like cordwood at Buchenwald, the behavior of Russian troops towards the defeated Germans, the terrible injuries inflicted by the "Bouncing Betty" land mines, and the scorched-earth destruction of lovely Dresden and its population swelled by an influx of refugees. But she also notices the flashes of humanity amidst these evils: the captured German "schwesters" (nurses) that the Allies returned to the Germans, knowing they'd be needed, the selfless concern of the often mortally wounded boys for their buddies, and the silver lame dress that Rad carried with her in her bedroll from England to Africa, to England again, then France and Germany, and was able to pull out and wear on two memorable occasions. I only wish I could have met this remarkable woman, who lived so close to me until a short time ago! They do not call this "The Greatest Generation" for nothing.�

The book is available through the Ann Arbor District Library, but I'll be ordering my own copy from Amazon. It was that good, and even better for being true.

[University of Michigan Press]

The riveting personal account of a Michigan nurse's experiences in France, Germany, and Africa during the Second World War.
In late 1942, along with so many others who signed up to support the war effort, thirty-year-old Mildred Radawiec left a comfortable position as a nurse at the University of Michigan Hospital and postponed her marriage to a soon-to-be doctor to volunteer as a surgical nurse in the major battle theaters of the war. Radawiec was one of thirty volunteers from the hospital surgical staff that comprised the University of Michigan Unit, the 298th General Hospital, as the University of Michigan Hospital was called.

Radawiec's first-person history recounts her wartime experience with sharp detail and grace and sets the stage for a you-are-there experience—from the thrill of signing up and shipping out; to the harrowing ocean crossing and the arduous trip through the Sahara; to dangerous air raids and moving at a moment's notice, often at night with the lights off to avoid attacks. Radawiec was near Omaha Beach in France soon after D-Day, June 6, 1944, and details stories of marathon stints assisting the injured on the front lines as they poured in by the hundreds. Radawiec also traveled to Belgium and Germany and set up in the area near Aachen in the fall of 1944. In Germany she experienced Buzz Bombs—pilotless flying bombs—and even witnessed the death of a fellow nurse in a bombing attack in which medics brought in wounded soldiers by the truckload. Radawiec also leavens her story with uplifting tales of heroism and courage and intersperses the narrative with poignant letters from her family and fiancé.

This stirring personal account of war will mesmerize anyone interested in World War II history and women's too-often-overlooked role in it.

[Ashley Mayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mildred A. MacGregor is a WWII veteran who served in North Africa, Sicily, France, Belgium, and Germany. She was part of an "experimental" hospital unit who followed the allied front lines. She was on Omaha Beach 16 days after D-Day, and continued to follow the front line across France and eventually into Germany. She recordered her experiences in a diary so she has extremely detailed accounts of her war experience. Mrs. MacGregor was an extremely outgoing person, who made lots of friends, and was invited to experience exciting events. While on R&R in the French Riviera, while waiting for Russia to invade Berlin, she was invited to attend a party thrown by the Princess of Monaco. Mrs. MacGregor was a part of the war every step of the American way and her account is invaluable to understanding the conditions of nurses. If you love a great WWII history book don't pass this one up! It's written for the general audience so pretty much anyone can understand this book!