16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance | |
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Insignia | |
British Airborne Forces insignia |
The 16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance was a
The 16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance then returned to England to prepare for operations in North West Europe. Their next and final parachute landing was in September 1944, during the Battle of Arnhem. In the battle the 1st Parachute Brigade landed on the first day and the 16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance established at dressing station in a local hospital. Within days the location was overrun by the Germans and the majority of the field ambulance went into captivity as prisoners of war.
In 1945 it was reformed and took part in Operation Doomsday the occupation of Norway following the surrender of German forces there, but with the war over the unit was disbanded by the end of the year.
Background
Impressed by the success of German airborne operations, during the
The war establishment of a Parachute Field Ambulance, was 177 all ranks.[4] Consisting of thirteen doctors in two surgical teams and four sections.[4] The doctors could deal with 330 cases in a twenty-four-hour period. Each surgical team could handle 1.8 operations an hour.[5] But that was not sustainable, and if they were required to operate the following day, the team had to be relieved after twelve hours.[5] It was envisaged that during airborne operations, it would not be possible to evacuate casualties until the ground forces had linked up with them.[6] Therefore, the field ambulance had the ability to treat all types of wounds, and provide post-operative care for up to fourteen days.[nb 1] They also had the transport required to evacuate casualties from the Regimental Aid Post (RAP), to the Main Dressing Station (MDS).[7]
An airborne field ambulance was commanded by a
There were four sub-units of twenty men known as sections. Each section comprised an officer (doctor) and a staff sergeant (nursing orderly). Under their command were three nursing orderlies, a clerk, a dutyman and thirteen stretcher bearers. A section was normally attached to a parachute battalion to supplement their own medical officer and medics.[9][nb 2]
The last component of the Field Ambulance was the Royal Army Service Corps detachment, commanded by a captain, with a company sergeant major as second in command. They had fifty men under them, an electrician, a clerk, thirty-eight drivers, four motorcyclists and five vehicle mechanics.[12] It was normal to have at least two RASC drivers with two jeeps and a trailer attached to each section, the remaining men and vehicles stayed with the headquarters surgical teams.[13]
All members of the Field Ambulance had to undergo a twelve-day parachute training course carried out at
Airborne operations were in their infancy in the Second World War and the British Army medical services had to design and develop a range of special medical airborne equipment. These included the Don pack, the Sugar pack (containing dressing and surgical items respectively), the folding airborne stretcher, the folding trestle table, the folding suspension bar, the airborne operating table, the airborne inhaler and special containers for blood and plasma.[5]
History
Formation
Commanded by
North Africa
The invasion of North Africa Operation Torch was the first time an airborne field ambulance was employed. Before this operations Colossus and Freshman had no specialist medical support, while Biting included a section from the 181st (Airlanding) Field Ambulance in the evacuation boats.[19]
For Torch No.3 Section, 16 PFA was attached to the
On 17 November the 1st Parachute Battalion with No.1 Section and No.1 Surgical team 16 PFA, parachuted in to seize the airfield and an important crossroads at Béja. One man was killed in the drop and one other wounded who was treated on the drop zone (DZ), by the section. By 20:00 the battalion had occupied Béja, and the section took over a small twenty-bed hospital in the garrison school and a part of the larger 250-bed civil hospital.[22] The town was attacked by a squadron of German Stukas on 20 November, and Lieutenant Charles Rob in command on the surgical team carried out over 150 operations during which he suffered a fractured tibia and kneecap caused by a bomb exploding nearby. Continuing to operate he carried out another twenty-two operation the next day, even giving a pint of blood to save a wounded soldier.[23] Afterwards Lieutenant Rob was awarded a Military Cross.[24] The section had only expected to be deployed for five days, but remained for twenty-four days, treating 238 casualties before being relieved.[23]
On 29 November No.2 Section 16 PFA, and the
From now onwards the 1st Parachute Brigade fought as normal infantry and 16 PFA on Christmas Eve set up a Main Dressing Station (MDS) at
The Germans and Italians counterattacked on 20 February, their attack failed but again every man was used in carrying stretchers to the rear. On 26 February the 2nd Parachute battalion defeated an Italian attack and No.3 Section was kept busy with the Italian wounded. On 3 March the brigade were moved to
The commander of 1st Parachute Brigade Brigadier Gerald Lathbury, ordered that in the coming battle, the brigade would remain where they were and not withdraw. Lieutenant-Colonel MacEwan brought the two surgical teams forward together with enough medical supplies and stores to last out the battle. The attack started 8 March and over the following days the MDS was subjected to artillery and air attacks killing and wounding some 16 PFA men.[31] On 17 March the ADS was shelled and dive-bombed eight times, but continued to operate. By the end of the twelve-day battle, 16 PFA had treated and evacuated 554 wounded.[32]
On 12 May 16 PFA rejoined 1st Airborne Division that had arrived in theatre and Lieutenant-Colonel MacEwan leaving to join
Sicily and Italy
The next action for 16 PFA was during the Allied invasion of Sicily. The 1st Parachute Brigade was to capture Primosole Bridge crossing the River Simeto, south of Catania. The brigade now consisted of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Parachute Battalions. The 1st Airborne Anti-Tank Battery Royal Artillery, the 1st Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers and 16 PFA.[18] During the mission the parachute battalions would have a section from 16 PFA attached.[34] For the landing each section parachute stick included six containers of medical stores, which contained a wheeled stretcher and a hand trolley. The two surgical teams had five containers of stores.[35] The need to carry the containers reduced each section to seventeen men. Spare men were distributed among the brigade, one officer and nineteen men with the 1st Battalion. One officer and sixteen men with the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, while Lieutenant-Colonel Wheatly and two men went with brigade headquarters.[36]
On 12 July 1943 the brigade took off between 19:00 and 20:30, intended to parachute into Sicily between 22:20 and 23:15 the same night.[36] The Dakota carrying No.4 Section was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into the sea killing four of the sections men.[37] No.3 Section landed on both sides of the river 5 miles (8.0 km) west of the bridge. Half the section falling in with a small group from the 3rd Battalion, were forced by enemy activity to hide out until they could rejoin the brigade late on 15 July. The Dakota carrying No.1 Surgical Team, was hit by anti-aircraft fire knocking out one of its engines. Five men including one of the surgeons Captain Lipmann-Kessel unable to jump were taken back to North Africa.[38] The rest of 16 PFA although scattered landed without incident. The MDS was established in farm buildings south of the river.[39] In the first thirteen hours the MDS carried out twenty-one operations and were looking after sixty-one British and twenty-nine Italian patients by 22:00 the following night. However, in that time the brigade had been forced off the bridge and the MDS was now in no-man's land. Those men that could be spared were sent back with the brigade.[40] An Italian officer arrived and informed them that they had been captured, but later that day, 2nd Parachute Battalion advancing with the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division liberated the MDS. During their time in captivity the MDS had carried out a further fourteen operation. By the end of the mission 109 wounded had been treated and thirty-one operations, had been carried out, with only two post operative fatalities. On 17 July the brigade sailed for North Africa, arriving the next day.[41]
For the
Arnhem
The next mission for 16 PFA was the airborne assault in the Netherlands. The 1st Airborne Division would land outside of Arnhem over three days. The 1st Parachute Brigade was in the first days landings and had to capture the crossings over the
At 11:00 on 17 September 1944 16 PFA boarded their aircraft in
Norway
After Arnhem 1st Airborne Division and 16 PFA were reformed, now commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel N.J.P Hewlings. The war ended before they could go into action again, however they were sent to Norway to help disarm the 400,000-strong German garrison. The 16 PFA landed at Oslo on 10 May 1945, their role was the medical screening of the large numbers of Russian prisoners of war and assist in the evacuation of the German Army. By the end of June 1945 the 1st Airborne Division was withdrawn back to England and in October, 16 PFA was disbanded.[54]
Notes
- Footnotes
- ^ Fourteen days was a medical, not tactical requirement; casualties with abdominal wounds which had a thirty to forty per cent mortality rate, could not be moved before this.[5][6]
- ^ All the units in the brigades and division had a RAMC doctor and up to eighteen RAMC other ranks on their strength.[10][11]
- ^ Barrage balloons were used to speed up training jumps and meet the target of 5,000 trained parachutists.[15]
- Citations
- ^ Otway, p.21
- ^ Ferguson, p.6
- ^ a b c Cole, p.4
- ^ a b Cole, p.9
- ^ a b c d Cole, p.8
- ^ a b Cole, p.6
- ^ Cole, p.7
- ^ a b c d Cole, p.222
- ^ Cole, pp.222–223
- ^ Cole, p.109
- ^ Cole, p.11
- ^ Cole, p.223
- ^ Cole, p.86
- ^ a b Guard, p.224
- ^ Reynolds, p.16
- ^ Guard, p.226
- ^ Cole, p.5
- ^ a b Ferguson, p.12
- ^ Cole, pp.12–14
- ^ a b Cole, p.15
- ^ Cole, p.16
- ^ Cole, pp.16–17
- ^ a b "Obituary:Professor Charles Rob". The Daily Telegraph. UK. 16 August 2001. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "No. 35898". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 February 1943. p. 744.
- ^ Saunders, p.95
- ^ Cole, pp.22–23
- ^ Cole, p.22
- ^ Cole, p.23
- ^ Cole, pp.24–25
- ^ Cole, p.25
- ^ Cole, p.26
- ^ Cole, p.28
- ^ Cole, p.31
- ^ Cole, pp.34–35
- ^ Cole, p.43
- ^ a b Cole, p.45
- ^ Cole, pp.45–46
- ^ Cole, p.46
- ^ Cole, p.47
- ^ Cole, pp.48–49
- ^ Cole, pp.49–50
- ^ Ferguson, p.13
- ^ Cole, pp.56–57
- ^ Ferguson, p.21
- ^ Cole, pp.119–110
- ^ Cole, p.111
- ^ Cole, p.114
- ^ Cole, p.115
- ^ Cole, p.116
- ^ Cole, p.117
- ^ Cole, p.119
- ^ Cole, p.137
- ^ Cole, p.138
- ^ Cole, pp.180–181
References
- Cole, Howard N (1963). On Wings of Healing: The Story of the Airborne Medical Services 1940–1960. Edinburgh, United Kingdom: William Blackwood. OCLC 29847628.
- Ferguson, Gregor (1984). The Paras 1940–84. Volume 1 of Elite series. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-573-1.
- Guard, Julie (2007). Airborne: World War II Paratroopers in Combat. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84603-196-6.
- Otway, Lieutenant-Colonel T.B.H. (1990). The Second World War 1939–1945 Army – Airborne Forces. London, United Kingdom: Imperial War Museum. ISBN 0-901627-57-7.
- Reynolds, David (1998). Paras: An Illustrated History of Britain's Airborne Forces. Stroud, United Kingdom: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-2059-9.
- Saunders, Hilary St. George (1972). The Red Beret – The Story of The Parachute Regiment 1940–1945. London, United Kingdom: White Lion Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0-85617-823-3.