Hospital trains of the USSR on the eve and during the Great Patriotic war

In the course of researching this topic, we found that in Soviet and modern Russian historiography, information about the operation of hospital trains (HT) on the eve and during the Great Patriotic War is rather limited and contradictory. The scientific novelty of the work consists of the analysis of some specific features of the HT operation during the Great Patriotic War and the introduction into scientific circulation of archival sources previously inaccessible to researchers, changing our understanding of the number of hospital trains used during the war. The aim of the study is to provide comprehensive coverage of the work of military medical trains during the war. The key objectives of the research work are to study the number of HTs at different stages of the Great Patriotic War, the functions of each category of hospital trains, train layouts, and the number of service personnel based on archival materials declassified in 2012-2020. To achieve this goal, the author used statistical, comparative-historical, retrospective and problem-chronological methods. We found that in the pre-war period, that work was actively carried out to update the fleet of wagons intended for sanitary transportation, and the normative documents for the operation of USSR hospital trains were improved. HTs were subdivided into two types -permanent («rear») and temporary («front»). Temporary HTs carried out the evacuation of wounded and sick soldiers and officers from the front-line stations to army hospital bases. The «rear» trains were intended to transport wounded and sick servicemen from the hospital bases of the Red Army to hospital bases in the front and interior regions. Already in 1938 - 1940 the USSR actively used dozens of HTs during conflicts in the Far East and on the country's western borders. During the Great Patriotic War, a total of 472 HTs (308 «rear» and 164 «frontline») were formed, as well as 350 sanitary squads. Taking into account the formed 15 auxiliary HTs, their number reached 487 military ambulance trains. Over 7000 railwaymen provided the work of the HT. Permanent HTs transported about 500 soldiers, temporary ones - up to 867 patients each train. Thus, the total number of HTs operating during the war years was actually 45 - 69% higher than indicated in the works of Russian researchers. Also, despite a number of problems in administration, remuneration, provision of benefits, provision of uniforms for HT employees, in order to fulfill the assigned tasks, the train personnel developed rationalization proposals to reduce the downtime of trains in repair and minimize the shortage of necessary equipment. Due to the shortage of personnel, HT employees everywhere were forced to combine professions. As a result, thanks to the selfless work of Soviet medical workers, as well as the personnel of the HT, about 75% of the wounded and sick soldiers returned to the ranks of the Red Army. The USSR significantly surpassed Germany in this key indicator.

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