German Medics

Discussions on High Command, strategy and the Armed Forces (Wehrmacht) in general.
mottii
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German Wounded

#1

Post by mottii » 20 Nov 2002, 20:20

German wounded could opt to not have an amputation if their mind was
clear. I don't think U.S. soldiers were given this chance. German medics
carried a pistol to put rhe grievous wounded out of their pain. I believe
GI medics used morphine to that same purpose.

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Andy H
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#2

Post by Andy H » 20 Nov 2002, 20:23

I'm surprised that German soldiers were given a choice especially in Field Hospitals were I'm sure the Doctors etc didn't have time to wait for their patients to make there mind up-Where di you get this info from?

:D Andy from the Shire


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Christoph Awender
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information

#3

Post by Christoph Awender » 20 Nov 2002, 20:59

Hmmm.. I also wonder on which informations you base this statement. I am sorry to say that this statement is totally unrealistic and not based on medical knowledge or experience.

Christoph

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David Lehmann
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#4

Post by David Lehmann » 21 Nov 2002, 16:04

About medics, I'm not entirely sure but I think that Germans had no antibiotics (such as penicilline) like the US, UK etc. soldiers had. Is that right ?

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Juha Hujanen
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#5

Post by Juha Hujanen » 21 Nov 2002, 16:24

I think that German medics carried pistol for self-defence,atleast on Estern front.Don't think it would have been too good for morale if medics goes around to shoot seriously wounted :roll:

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HaEn
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mercy killing

#6

Post by HaEn » 21 Nov 2002, 17:05

Hi everybody; Where did this nonsense come from ? German medics were in no way allowed to shoot any wounded soldier, friend or foe even at his own request. There may have been a rogue one, who took the law in his own hands, but if found out, he would have faced a firing squad.
Regards. HN
Last edited by HaEn on 23 Nov 2002, 06:28, edited 1 time in total.

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Annelie
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#7

Post by Annelie » 21 Nov 2002, 17:17

If one has the video Mein Krieg they would see how
the wounded were treated and helped and how many of the
doctors with their ingenuity did their best.

Annelie

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Christoph Awender
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antibiotika

#8

Post by Christoph Awender » 21 Nov 2002, 17:54

Panzermeyer you are right... they didn´t have penecillin but some by far not as effective comparable medicaments.

Christoph
Last edited by Christoph Awender on 22 Nov 2002, 01:16, edited 1 time in total.

Caldric
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#9

Post by Caldric » 21 Nov 2002, 19:17

In the book Guy Sajer he talks about the wounded and "mercy killing". Mercy killing according to him (assuming for the moment the book is true) was strictly against German Military law and carried a very stiff penalty.

I doubt the Germans were any worse then any of the other Western Allies in field medical care and more advanced in some areas. Of course we all know Germany had some of the finest doctors on the planet, still do actually. There is no time for consultation when a soldiers leg is destroyed from toe to hip, I would assume like any field medical facility the doctor would make an instant and on the spot decisions and go forward. What’s the point in asking the soldier when he will be dead within a week if the leg is not removed. Germany would not receive penicillin until after the war. Even with the new medicines amputations were still very common all the way through the Vietnam War, reduced a great deal of course.

I have read some harrowing tells of Soviet Field Medical facilities but I have no real information on their capabilities.

Mark V
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#10

Post by Mark V » 21 Nov 2002, 23:33

Hi.

Germans didn't have penicillin during WW2. It was discovered years before WW2, but it was taken in to use and mass-produced during WW2 only by western allies (namely USA).

Instead Germans (like other participants of war) used sulfa powder to disinfect wounds - this was moderately effective, but not as good as penicillin.

Often forgotten and extremely important effect of penicillin was that it was first really effective medicine against veneral diseases. Hundreds of thousands of men caught some STD during WW2 and treating them was highly important matter on regards of lost manpower.

mottii
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German Medics

#11

Post by mottii » 22 Nov 2002, 14:45

Google search engine-------------Type German medics ww2

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Christoph Awender
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whats the thing..

#12

Post by Christoph Awender » 22 Nov 2002, 17:11

mottii...

And what is the purpose of this post?

Christoph

mottii
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german medics ww2

#13

Post by mottii » 22 Nov 2002, 20:37

This is where i got the info regarding medics shooting badly wounded.

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Gott
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#14

Post by Gott » 22 Nov 2002, 21:42

For all this time, I thought it was the Germans who invented penicillin, but I guess not...

Who invented it anyway?

Mark V
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#15

Post by Mark V » 22 Nov 2002, 21:59

Penicillin was invented in 1928 by Alexander Fleming working at St. Mary's hospital in London.
Last edited by Mark V on 22 Nov 2002, 22:06, edited 4 times in total.

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