Medical Railroading During the Korean War 1950-1953
Medical Railroading During the Korean War By Dr. Eric A. Sibul PhD Baltic Defence College, Tartu, Estonia 1950-1953 hile the role of rail transportation during the of the conflict were carefully studied in Prussia and other American Civil War, World War I, and World German states.3 In the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), WWar II has largely been acknowledged by historians, the the Prussians improved on American evacuation concepts, importance of railroads in the Korean War 1950-1953, devising an elaborate medical evacuation system based on like the conflict itself, has mostly been forgotten. Both railway transport. The relatively small number of deaths sides, the United Nations Command and the Communist from wounds of German forces attested to the success of forces, relied heavily on railroad transportation during this system. Casualties were evacuated from the front lines the hostilities. to the interior of Germany by special trains that were staffed Though described as a limited war, the Korean Conflict by surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, and cooks. The most was not a small war: Large quantities of men and materiel heavily wounded were removed from the train into hospitals moved up and down the Korean peninsula. Due to the situated in towns nearest the frontier, and their places were inherent efficiency of railways in large-scale movements filled with men whose wounds were healing; the process and the inadequacy of roads and air transport, railways held continued into the interior of Germany. Observers of the a paramount role in UNC-theater military transportation. German medical evacuation system noted the favorable Approximately 95 percent of all supplies that were cleared effect on the morale of soldiers.
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