Air Transport Saves Lives Of Wounded

Northern Advocate, 30 June 1943, Page 2

Air Transport Saves Lives Of Wounded

(8.0. W.) RUGBY, June 28. Eighteen thousand sick and wounded members of the British, American and French forces were evacuated in the African war theatre by air, Brigadier- : General David Grant, air surgeon of | the United States army, revealed tonight. . j General Grant said the use of aerial ambulances would be greatly increased in the future. This was mobile | warfare and to keep wounded in, imlmobile hospitals would render them liable to capture. j Cargo planes had been converted into ambulances. Pilots flew cargoes into combat zones and returned with wounded, each plane having a flight surgeon or army nurse, also a noncommissioned officer of the medical staff. Evacuation of wounded in New Guinea had been reduced from three vveeks to one hour, and critically wounded troops on the Indo-China front had been evacuated to the United States in six days, against three months by sea and land. In addition, whole hospital units had been flown to where required at the front. General Grant added that 600 were sometimes daily, which; would have required., three hospital trains.

Air transport had reduced casualties to such an extent that United States dead in the army arid navy totalled 15,000, while total casualties were about 91,000.