Does anybody here knows anything about the 17 Dutch volunteers in the Winter War?
thanks in advance,
Mike
Dutch soldiers in Winter War?
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Deine-Zukunft
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Apparantly there was a 'Nederlandse Ambulance' (Dutch Ambulance), funded through collections, which was sent to Finland. Does anyone know anything about this medical mission? I guess it was organised by the Dutch red cross??
I really don't know much about this, since I only heard it from a Dutch weekly television journal from the Second World War. The programme was under German influence, and was urging the Dutch people to 'raise money for the Dutch Ambulance for the Dutch volunteers on the Eastern Front, as they had done in 1939 for the Dutch Ambulance for the Finnish'.
Any information about this medical mission to Finland in 1939 would be appreciated.
Mic
I really don't know much about this, since I only heard it from a Dutch weekly television journal from the Second World War. The programme was under German influence, and was urging the Dutch people to 'raise money for the Dutch Ambulance for the Dutch volunteers on the Eastern Front, as they had done in 1939 for the Dutch Ambulance for the Finnish'.
Any information about this medical mission to Finland in 1939 would be appreciated.
Mic
"Ambulance" at the time and in this context referred to what we'd call a field hospital, i.e. a full set of doctors, nurses, other staff (incl. drivers for the actual ambulances) and lots of equipment. Thus, the Dutch "ambulance" was in fact more of a surgical unit for 150 patients, with 7 doctors, 19 nurses and altogether a personnel of over 30. It had been organized by the Finnish-Dutch Society and the Dutch Red Cross.
However, it didn't arrive in Finland until in late March, i.e. after the armistice. The Dutch worked in a temporary military hospital in Vierumäki (Heinola) and later another in Helsinki. Some of the Dutch doctors and nurses also relieved medical staff at other hospitals, such as the FRC hospital. Their work ended officially on July 15, but several of its members stayed until autumn.
As for the Dutch volunteers in the Finnish army, they, were placed, like most foreign volunteers in a special unit, Osasto Sisu, which was still in training in Lapua when the war ended, and they were demobbed in patches during the summer.
(Further details would be harder to find, as there is no decent history of the foreign volunteers. Life in "Osasto Sisu" has been described in memoirs by a British and an Austrian volunteer, though.)
However, it didn't arrive in Finland until in late March, i.e. after the armistice. The Dutch worked in a temporary military hospital in Vierumäki (Heinola) and later another in Helsinki. Some of the Dutch doctors and nurses also relieved medical staff at other hospitals, such as the FRC hospital. Their work ended officially on July 15, but several of its members stayed until autumn.
As for the Dutch volunteers in the Finnish army, they, were placed, like most foreign volunteers in a special unit, Osasto Sisu, which was still in training in Lapua when the war ended, and they were demobbed in patches during the summer.
(Further details would be harder to find, as there is no decent history of the foreign volunteers. Life in "Osasto Sisu" has been described in memoirs by a British and an Austrian volunteer, though.)
@mike, het was deel van een onderwerp over de Nederlandse Ambulance voor het vrijwilligerslegioen 'Nederland' in een polygoonjournaal in de tweede wereldoorlog, geloof in 1942 (was part of a newsflash about the Dutch ambulance for the freiwilligenlegion Niederlande in a polygonjournal (weekly theatre journal))
