In June 1939, the Medical Department had little more than doctrine – only 4 Medical Regiments existed (two of which were stationed overseas) and 1 Medical Squadron, while total Hospital capacity was 4,136 General Hospital beds and 8,234 Station Hospital beds. The top chart illustrates the organization in July 1943, the middle chart shows the organization in February 1944, while the bottom charts depicts the organization in June 1945. Organization chart of The Surgeon General for Hospitalization and Evacuation, period 1943-45. The special ‘affiliation’ or link to Hospitals and Universities sponsoring the organization of Military Hospitals is duly covered in the following paragraphs as well. It is easy to recognize those units that were active in the ZI, for they were ‘named’ Hospitals, whereas the units that were shipped overseas were designated by a number, hence the ‘numbered’ Hospital units. It must be noted that almost all the Hospitals were activated in the US prior to their transfer overseas. This separate article covers the aspect of Military Hospitals active in the Zone of Interior, i.e. Hospital units were activated, trained, manned, and supplied, and – eventually transferred overseas … Finally it became necessary to develop new procedures based on the ‘national’ system for the future operation of an appropriate hospital system overseas! Green and young inexperienced Officers had to organize hospitals and establish the necessary procedures for their administration. New Hospitals were created in the ZI and staffs of existing ones augmented. To prepare for a future war, the expansion of medical installations such as overall Hospital facilities in the United States was mandatory, in order to provide the US Army with the necessary housing and number of beds to support a system of field hospitalization and evacuation. Many agencies of the War Department were involved in the actions required to provide the US Armed Forces with the necessary ‘ Hospitalization and Evacuation’, the War Department General Staff (G-4 Division), the Office of The Surgeon General, the Air Surgeon, the Ground Surgeon, the Surgeons of the different local Service Commands, as well as the Headquarters of the Army Ground Forces (AGF), the Army Service Forces (ASF), the Army Air Forces (AAF) were committed on a large scale.Īfter the outbreak of war in Europe, the US Army increased its authorized peacetime strength, and as Congress approved mobilization, the Armed Forces grew enormously – this affected the Medical Department which had to expand its operations accordingly. The Roman figures designate the 9 Service Commands. Location of General, Convalescent, and Regional Hospitals in the Zone of Interior during WW2.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |