Airborne Ambulances

[Narvik]

Does anyone know what these airplanes were called? Were they found to be effective?

[TonyG]

I don't see any pics

[Erich]

What country ? Germany would be a Ju 52 if I understand your question correctly

E

[Narvik]

Yeah, I meant the German ones. Did other countries have them as well? Were they found to be effective?

[Erich]

Can't say for a fact if the other countries had a specific a/c but it would be most likely a transport-type such as Germany's Ju 52, which of course had a myriad of roles. Towards the final retreat from Ost Preussia and estern part of the Reich, anything was used that could house 5 or more people. have interviewed German pilots flying their Ju 88G-6 night fighters toward the inner Reich with their 4 man crews plus another 5/6 or whomever they could stuff into the cockpit or into the fuselage........ tight fit !

E

[Logan Hartke]

Yeah, I meant the German ones. Did other countries have them as well? Were they found to be effective?

Certainly. I think that the US had the most, using mainly C-47s, but also using C-46s and C-54s at the end of the war. A few B-17s and B-24s were also converted for that purpose.

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/modern_flight/c47hsp.htm

Logan Hartke

[Gwynn Compton]

If I recall correctly several Ju-52s were converted into Air Ambulances and saw service on the Ostfront. They were nicknamed St Ju's, and were crucial in getting wounded soldiers from the blitzkrieg advances to field hospitals that lagged behind the lead formations.

I'll try to find you the exact reference out of Antony Beevor's Stalingrad, but unfortunately there's no reference in the index to them, so it may take a little while.

[Mistel1]

Polish and Barbarossa campaigns are OK, but are there any ambulance Ju-52's in the African front too? If so, which geschwadern and/or gruppen used these?

I'v always thought a model of Ju-52 ambulance in green spots over dark sand would be cool.

[Erik E]

Germany also used the Heinkel-59 seaplane in their "Seenotdienst"
They were white with red cross markings.

EE

[Erich]

Yes, they used Ju's in Afrika and they were flown by transport personell which was independent of any bomber or fighter geschwaderen. See Barry Rosch's Luftwaffe codes book.......I do not own it but you will find every German Luftwaffe code present to your liking. I'll check further.

E

[Antonio Pena]

In the german side there is another plane used specifically as airborne ambulance, the Fieseler Fi-156 D-1, many times the other variants of the Fi-156 were used as ambulances but in the book Fi-156 in Zweiten Weltkrieg of Piekalkiewicz we can see many photos of the Fi-156 D-1 used as ambulance.
And sure the Ju-52 and He-59 are the task of "sanitär flugzeuge" with the Red Cross emblem on his sides.

[Mistel1]

Erich,

Thanks for the confirmation info. But the independent transport personnel
concept raised another question in my head: Didn't these ambulance Ju-52's have particular TG or KG zbV markings? If not, did they have four-letter (LL + LL) codes? Do you have any info on that?

Thanks in advance...

[Ovidius]

In the german side there is another plane used specifically as airborne ambulance, the Fieseler Fi-156 D-1, many times the other variants of the Fi-156 were used as ambulances but in the book Fi-156 in Zweiten Weltkrieg of Piekalkiewicz we can see many photos of the Fi-156 D-1 used as ambulance.
And sure the Ju-52 and He-59 are the task of "sanitär flugzeuge" with the Red Cross emblem on his sides.

The Royal Romanian Army had also used as flying ambulances the Fieseler Fi-156, but mostly the Polish RWD-13.

The Romanian Government had established on June 26, 1940 the Medical Squadron("White Squadron"), with exclusively female flying personnel, equipped with 4 planes type RWD-13 and 3 planes type RWD-13S, later receiving more 2 RWD-13, 2 "Monospar" and 1 Potez 65.

More to come later.

~Ovidius

[Robert Hurst]

Hi Narvik

Just thought you'd be interested in the following pics taken from 'The Warplanes of the Third Reich', by William Green.

Regards

Bob

[Marcus]

Robert,

Thanks for sharing those interesting images.

/Marcus