Feldgrau.net

Hello Micky ; of course always escorted by at least one German Soldier. Cheers. Raúl M .

In addition to any trained "regular" (in modern English one would say "dedicated") Krankenträger (stretcher bearers) in a unit, the table of organization (Kriegstärkenachweisung) of all units of the German Army had a footnote indicating that "x" number of men of that unit were to be appointed as Hilfskrankenträger (auxiliary stretcher bearers). These were regular soldiers (and later also HiWi) who had an additional task. Note that bandsmen were used as Hilfskrankenträger.

The difference between Krankenträger and Hilfskrankenträger is that the former belonged to the Sanitätsdienst, (Medical Service) and were specifically trained for their mission, which also included training as medical orderlies, and as such did duty in medical installations. The regular soldiers appointed as Hilfskrankenträger had only rudimentary first aid training, and remained with their units.

Suggest you take another look at the role the HiWis played in the German Armed Forces during WWII. I think you will find that HiWis were pretty well integrated into the units the belonged to. I have found no references that units HiWis were mistrusted. These Soviet people (and they were by no means all POWs) had nothing to gain and everything to lose if they betrayed the Germans. If the system hadn't worked, it would have been abandoned very quickly. On the contrary, by the end of the war there were an estimated 250,000 of these unfortunates on the roles of the Wehrmacht.

Leo

Thanks Leo for shedding light on it . Cheers. Raúl M .

A lot of those Russians were happy enough to join the German Army to get rid of Stalin. Those people were called Hiwi's, or Hilfswillige. Battallions of Russian helpers were formed, like the Kaminky Brigade, the Wlassow Armee, etc. Get your hands on An Deutsche Seite written by Neulen, for example.

Servus,
I doubt that the Russian POWs were allowed to transport wounded without supervision. Unless you are speaking about Hiwis who , I guess, strictly speaking were no longer POWs. Just my opinion.

Regards,

Helmut

I seriously doubt any POWs were allowed to do anything without German guards.

However, HiWis were a different proposition, and were no longer counted as POWs. As I said, these people were not just former POWs, but also volunteer civilians and defectors. They were integrated into the German Armed Forces, in combat units doing the menial duties, such horse care, wagon driving, tailoring, shoe repair, kitchen assistance; in other units they were the skilled laborers and craftsmen. They freed German soldiers to fight. German troops considered these men as helpers, not enemies to be mistrusted and guarded. Once a Hiwi, chances of getting killed by the Soviet forces when recaptured was high.

POWs formed into units, on the other hand, that is, so called Osttruppen, were a different matter, were not always reliable, and were known to have mutinied. The Russkaya osvoboditel'naya armiya (POA) also consisted of former POWs, but were not considered as HiWis.

Leo

hi leo niehorster
thanks for clearing up the difference between hiwi's and pow's totally agree hiwi's were trusted by the germans as you say what did they have to lose at that period of the war, they were getting fed, clothed, etc. not like the pow's, in most cases.
best wishes micky

Hello to all ; something more................

Transport of wounded.

In Russia the transport of wounded represented the most difficult problem due to the fast advance until 1942 and the difficulties of the ground in that area. For a haul distance of 50 km it was lasted normally from 5 to 8 hours and the ambulances sometimes remained all night bogged down in the mud.

Besides during the transport with vehicles non-equipped like ambulances, it appeared additional problems that complicated the wounded health, especially just operated, by air strikes, artillery or mines; accidents like crash car or vehicles slipped outside the routes or bridges. The heat, the cold, the dust, the continuous vibrations and movements were sources of additional damages.

For tactical reasons, the wounded could not remain frequently in the hospital. Generally, one treated that the severely woundeds were evacuated of the medical facilities. When this was not possible, there was a medical staff which remained to take care of the wounded.

Sources: Der Weltkrieg in seiner räuhen wirklichkeit 1939 -1945. The World War in its rough reality 1939 -1945. HUGE GERMAN ARMY WARTIME PHOTO BOOK OF WWII , Scarce! - eBay (item 360146099745 end time Apr-20-09 071204 PDT)
Die Kriegschirurgie von 1939-1945 aus der Sicht der Beratenden Chirurgen des deutschen Heeres im Zweiten Weltkrieg Inaugural-Dissertation zur Erlangung des Medizinischen Doktorgrades der Medizinischen Fakultät der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; the second part of it................

Transport of wounded.

The best assets for transport of wounded soldiers before terrible road conditions was not the terrestrial way but the airplane. In the east and North Africa it was often used the small liaison airplane denominated Fieseler Storch (Fi-156) which had the VSTOL capacity hence it could land in the environs of the wounded personnel and with some adjustments it could transport one or two soldiers severely wounded. Thus the wounded of bullet in the head, abdomen either lungs could be transported quickly to the aid station of the division or to a field hospital. The effective support that offers the medical aircraft generally was for injuries in the eyes, the jaw and in the brain, the shots in the lung; serious fractures in the extremities and fractures due shots. Thus it was reported that the wounded with shots in the lung and thorax evacuated out of Africa towards Athens tolerated the transport if it took place flying at low level.

For the aerial transport from the aid stations of the division or from the field hospitals towards the homeland, they were available the Ju-52 prepared like ambulance planes. The flights were programmed early in the morning or to the dusk.

Nevertheless most of the medical evacuations by air were realised by common cargo planes. However additional damages were not reported for that reason. The variation in the air pressure can generate a breakage of the brain crust due to a cerebral inflammation; in the case of shots in the belly an increase in the corporal gasification and the abdominal distención can happen among others things. Nevertheless these disturbances usually happen to altitudes of 3 to 4,000 meters, flight altitudes that were not normal for the cargo planes.

With respect to the aerial transport it often occurred that many cases of cerebral injuries and shots in the spine without prospectus were evacuated by air, whereas fractures of femur by shots and serious injuries of knee were transported by terrestrial way in harmful conditions that affected their quick and completes recovery.

Sources: Der Weltkrieg in seiner räuhen wirklichkeit 1939 -1945. The World War in its rough reality 1939 -1945. HUGE GERMAN ARMY WARTIME PHOTO BOOK OF WWII , Scarce! - eBay (item 360146099745 end time Apr-20-09 071204 PDT)
Die Kriegschirurgie von 1939-1945 aus der Sicht der Beratenden Chirurgen des deutschen Heeres im Zweiten Weltkrieg Inaugural-Dissertation zur Erlangung des Medizinischen Doktorgrades der Medizinischen Fakultät der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg im Breisgau.

It's all folks. Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; some pictures................

Transport of wounded. Aerial Casevac with a Fi-156.

Source: Tank Magazine Nº10 1984. Operation Zitadelle, Battle of Kursk. With pictures from the Bundesarchiv.

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; something more.....................

Medical units of the 268 ID.

A Medical company was organized as follows in 1939:

Squad Staff.

Medical officer (Chief of Company), pharmacist, Sergeant major paramedic, sergeant of the vehicles’ squad, writers, 2 couriers, 1 driver and 1 horseholder.
Total: 1 officer, 1 official, 2 sergeants, 5 men, 3 horses, 1 car, 1 side-car, 1 motorcycle.

Communications group:

Telephone squad with a sergeant and three operators.
Total: 1 sergeant and three soldiers.

1. Section (Ambulance - Krankenträgerzug).

Medical officer as a platoon leader, three stretcher-bearers group leaders, 41 stretcher-bearers and 5 coachmen.
Total: 1 officer, 3 NCOs and 46 men, 10 cart horses, 1 horse, 5 horse drawn Vehicles.

2. Section (Main Aid Station - Hauptverbandplatzzug).

Medical officer as a platoon leader, 1 assistant surgeon as surgeon, 2 auxiliary doctors, 6 sergeants paramedics (1 orthopedic surgery, 1 instrumentalist, 2 aids of operations, 1 facilities, 1 of disinfection), 8 soldiers paramedic, 20 stretcher-bearers.
Total: 4 officers, 6 NCOs, 40 men, 4 cart horses (heavy), 12 cart horses (light), 4 horses (ride), 7 horse drawn vehicles.

3. Section (complement).

Sergeant major as platoon leader; 3 groups of Stretcher-bearers; 3 group leaders, 24 stretcher-bearers; group aid station; a paramedic as group commander, 4 soldiers paramedic, 10 stretcher-bearers, 2 coachmen.
Total: 5 NCOs, 40 men, 2 cart horses (heavy), 2 cart horses (light), 2 horse drawn vehicles.

Logistic train.

Personnel of quartermaster corps, sergeant of transport, sergeant of supplyings, 3 coachmen, 2 cookers.
Total 1 official, 2 sergeants, 7 soldiers, 2 cart horses (heavy), 4 cart horses (light), 3 horse drawn vehicles, 1 motorcycle.

Source: http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... ankp-R.htm

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; something more.....................

Medical units of the 268 ID.

1. / Sanitäts-Kompanie 268
2. / Sanitäts-Kompanie 268
1. / Krankenkraftwagenzug 268
2. / Krankenkraftwagenzug 268
Feldlazarett 268

Sources: Militär Fotoalbum @ Westwall Frankreichfeldzug 1940 bei eBay_de 1918-1945 (endet 25_02_08 101347 MEZ).
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... 68ID-R.htm

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; something more.....................

Medical units of the 268 ID.

Sources: Militär Fotoalbum @ Westwall Frankreichfeldzug 1940 bei eBay_de 1918-1945 (endet 25_02_08 101347 MEZ).
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... 68ID-R.htm

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; something more.....................

Medical units of the 268 ID.

Sources: Militär Fotoalbum @ Westwall Frankreichfeldzug 1940 bei eBay_de 1918-1945 (endet 25_02_08 101347 MEZ).
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... 68ID-R.htm

Cheers. Raúl M .

Hello to all ; something more.....................

Medical units of the 268 ID.

Fall Rot.



On Jun 06 1940, the AR 268 took firing positions around Farschweiler.


Stabsarzt Maierhofer 1. San Komp 268.

Since Jun 14 1940 the AR 268 opened fire from Fraschweiler in the direction of Cappel in order to furnish support to the infantry attack against the Maginot Line. The march was resumed next day following the enemy’s withdrawal.


French refugees marching next to vehicles of the Kr Kwz 2.

Sources: Militär Fotoalbum @ Westwall Frankreichfeldzug 1940 bei eBay_de 1918-1945 (endet 25_02_08 101347 MEZ).
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... 68ID-R.htm

Cheers. Raúl M .