This is england, england before june 6th, 1944. From these shores, the United Nations soon would launch the greatest military expedition in history. The First Channel invasion of europe against the nazi power. As preparations were being made, huge quantities of materiel and supplies collected. Guns, bombs, ambulances. Yes, ambulances. Ing in midst of all this preparation and this training for destruction that went on. Preparation for the business of saving life. Preserving limb, of easing pain. Through the endless dangerous months of war games, medical coreman of the Ground Forces grew tough. They learned the prime importance of speed. As the day drew nearer and the grand strategy was mapped, the medical corps drafted its plans to fit. This position of hospital facilities in england would be as follows in the north scattered over a wide area, the General Hospitals, large institutions completely equipped for every type of medical service. A few miles inland from the south coast, spotted near railroads will be a o series of hospitals, which was handle all the casualties in england. They would be routed to the hospitals in the north and along the coast close to the beaches in each receiving area, there would have been holding hospitals, fully equipment equipped for emergency service. If they could get attention, these were the plansd this was the reality. The General Hospital, the transit hospital, the holding hospital. Better equipped than many permanent institutions back home. Tents stood empty, ready, waiting for the day. June 6th, dday, the great plan is put to the test. The ep any lies in wait. Theyre as determined to stop us as we are to land. American soldiers hit the beach. The medics have moved in with them and their work begins. Aid stations are established on the spot and an astounding record starts piling up. Its layered revealed thatle 0 to 90 of the wounded receive medical care within 10 minis of being hit. Immediately, the business of evacuation begins. Worst wubds get first priority. Back they go to the ships that landed them before. This is part of the plan. The smaller craft are used to get the sick to them. So the ships receive their damaged human kargos for the trip back. All along the beaches, they wait, as the fighting develops, every means is used to hasten. It proves itself again. And the ducks had its load of wounded. So long the speed remains the key note. In the normandy invasion had Emergency Hospital ships as soon as their fight crews have been deposited on the shore. Each lst could accommodate two or more patients and 90 of the wounded were evacuated on these ships. The smoke, the drink of water, trophies and rest. The dead rest of exhaustion. Elsewhere on the ship of life a being saved. An experienced Army Southern to augment the regular Naval Medical staff. Soon it will be england again and rest and care and safety. The routing of the ships have been carefully planned to avoid congestion on any landing point on the coast. As each ship disembarked their patients, the severest will be moved. Then they were transported inland to the hospital serving the area. All other cases and these were in the great majority were moved directly from the landing point of the transit hospital and from there were rounded by special train to the north. Every preparation for these moves had been made. Ambulance companies strung out over the coast. 5,000 vehicles stood by ready for immediate service. The ships start coming in. Some to ports, some to piers and outlying area. Others pulled up to the beaches. No time is lost in moving out the wounded, specially trained sanitary kpgs take over the jobs of unloading begins. Evacuation officers supervised. The position of each living case have been decided. And so man helps man. An American Team work proves itself once more and the job is shortly done. The emergency cases move out fir first. Often its only a matter of minutes before a dangerous wound has been xrayed. A decision made and a patient ready for surgery. As soon after the operation as its safe to travel, hes moved on, sent off to the transit hospital. In normandy the fight has ufd moved inland. In the last war they just had to watch and wait. Now the order is reversed. The aid man does the watching and waiting. At the cite of the casualty as soon as there becomes one. Unlike his counterpart in previous wars, hes qualified to administer fore teen and plasma and deliver other services to the wounded. All this has made a vast difference in the state of life. Some went back to the aid station on foot but evacuation by walking soon gives way by the quicker method of evacuating by jeep. An aid station operates just behind the lines. The train corpsmen demonstrates this value, taking over many jobs the physician would have to perform. This frees the doctors more time to tend to the more serious cases. Next, the wounded are brought to a collecting station a mile or so farther back. There are facilities here for further emergency treatment, if needed. But the primary job is the transporting of the wounded with all possible speed to the clearing station. This is located far enough to the rear to avoid exposure to direct enemy action. Here, medical offices, expert in judging the condition of casualties, saw the patients and determined this position. Urgent cases needing certain specialized types of surgery are turned over to the Field Hospital which is set up close by. The great majority is penetrating wounds and subing wounds of the chest like this one. Whole blood flowing from england consolidates the gains that have been made by life saving plasma at the front. On dday, the first Evacuation Hospital goes up in france. This is if largest and most elaborate type used in the combat zone. Nevertheless its ready to receive patients within 30 minutes and operating starts in two hours. Three of them going on at once. Count them. Skilled army nurses look after the patients. There are such comforts as cots and mattresses and hot food. Many of the less seriously wounded will make complete recoveries here and report to depos in a matter of days. But cases requiring prolonged periods of convalescens are sense back to england. Plane evacuation expected to begin about dday plus 7 ist done on dday plus three. In a fortnight were flying out more than a thousand a day. The air trip from france to england takes about an hour. Speed has won another triumph. It becomes a common occurrence for a soldier wounded in france in the mork to be resting in a General Hospital in england by evening. From a landing field, the patients are shuttled to the training hospital and before long theyre developing the hospital trapz that pull out daily from nearby railroad spurs for the trip north. And the last leg of the journey begins. The General Hospitals are telling some remarkable stories these days. Like 16,000 casualties handled by one grew up in only 15 days. What is making such records possible, of course, is the fine condition in which patients are arriving, due to the splendid work of units all along the line. In the first two months of the invasion, some 76,000 wounded were handled by the medical department. In world war i, 8 hrz of these men would not have survived. Today, less than 3 are being lost. Many of them would have been invaldez for life would be totally healed. The careful planning of months bears fruit and men who knew the battle field but few short hours back knew the pain, the suffering and the care, the comfort and hope that the best in modern medicine can bring. Television has changed since spann began 41 years ago. Already this year weve brought you primary election coverage, the president ial impeachment process and now the response to coronavirus. You can watch all the programming on twegs, on line or will be on our free radio app and be part of the National Conversation with through spanns daily watching program. Cspan promoted by private industry as a Public Service and brought to you today by your television provider. Every saturday night American History tv takes you to College Classrooms around the country for lectures in history. Why do you all know who Lizzie Bordon is and raise your hand if you ever heard of the jean harris murder trial before this class. The deepest cause where well find the true meaning of the revolution is the transformation that took place in the miebds of the american people. The tools, the mechanic phoenix. We talk about the tools and techniques of maurer that were practiced by enslaved people. Watch history pro fefrgs lead discussions with their students on topics ranging from the American Revolution to september 11. Every saturday at 8 00 eastern. Lectures in history is available as a podcast. 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