KASSERINE PASS BATTLES Readings - US Army Center Of Military ...

1PP_: '.DI :: "D" TO R~,PORT v : OPMATIOIIS, Ifc.ADQUARTZRS II C0 .-Z5 .
medical Activities During Period 1 January to 17 .larch, Inclusive .
1 . DurinC the period 1 January to 21 January, corps medical units were
concentrated in the Constantine area . These units were the 9th Evacuation
Hospital, 77th Evacuation Hospital, 118th Surgical Hospital, 51st Medical
Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 16th i.iedical Regiment, and the lst Advance Section,
2nd = :edical Supply Depot . iluring this period, only Brit13h'hospital facilities
were available and all hospitalization was in British hospitals .
2 . Upon arrival in the Tebessa area, the 9th Evacuation Hospital was
established 12 rules south of Tebessa . The 118th Surgical Hospital establishod
one hospitalization section at Feriana, the other section moving to vicinity
of Thala . The 77th Evacuation Hospital was held in r:~serve until 111 February,
rraen it established lightly 12 wiles south of Tebessa . The 1st Advance Section,
2nd '-edical Supply Depot,, was established 10 miles south of Tebessa .
3 .. During; the period 16 February to 20 February, all medical installations
were ti:ithdrwtin to vicinity of Ainc Boida . DurinL this withdrawal it liras neces-
sary to move approxinately 700 patients with the hospitals because of lack of
evacuation facilities to the rear .
11 . Supply . The initial medical supplies vrere adequate and there was no
difficultyy n int~ainin an adequate supply of class one supplies, that is,
t' % so supplies contained in :.icdical maintenance units . It became necessary
.:=ray in the op .:ration to :Later the naintenancc unit in order that a pore
nearly balaaced stock would be available in the depot . The greatest difficulty
in s-pDly was encountered in replacing itcns of organizational equipment for
hospitals and field units . It rras necessary to augment the T/B.l equipment of
hospitals materially, in order that they night . function c:ificiuntly at ne?r
full capacity .
. ospitalization . The t'.---o 750-bed evacuation hospitals and the h00-
b :d surgicl Lospi a rrc:rc adequate for the troops initially involved . The
two 750-bed evacuation hospitals were placed on a 15-day policy in order that
as :many patients as possible might b,: r,,turncu to duty in th:: forward ar_e :1 .
This policy was abandoned towards t : :e end of the period rrhcn troops in the
arcs were incr,;asc:d . The 118th Surgical Hospital rec-ived the ciljority of
casualties and r ::n&red tli.: initial operating trcntm~nt . This unit. was on no
fixed policy . Clearing platoons of Corps 1~~edical Batt^lions linen: utilized
extensively in the forward ar .:as rrith surgical tcons ati.aclwd . These units
performed exc ::11,:ntly and filled the gap bctwecn division units and t.hc more
fixed :iospit-nls in the rLar .
6. Evacuation . Evacuation fro:: : f-orward units was acconplishec b,; the:
51st .edicalBattalion and the 2a6i Battalion ., 16th I edical RC incnt . T` :is
latter unit was placed _ntir .~ly L: sup,rort of the lst U .S . Armored Division,
w:_ilc th_ 51st :.:edical Battalion covered L:vacuation from cl, :rin .; platoons to
hospitals . Evacuation to the CovLFa -iication Zen ._ 'Was ,:ntir_.ly b:. - -,ir until 16
' :;bruary, when ::ir evacuation conpletcly f:iil~:d due: to unfavorable flying; con-
ditions . The Brltisa =First :Xnr t :L,:n furnish-,d . . f,:ctlon of t : :, 6th i_otor
!1~~ulancc Corps for evacuation by road to th :. 61st Station : :ospit -il -L ;. Cl C.itcrrah
. T"is unit ri,_-rained rrith the Corps during the r,.:m ::indcr of this period,
and covered all r,.an:ard .:vacu-.tigp ~oad~
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