Hospital at War: The 95th Evacuation Hospital in World War II (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) [Hardcover]

Zachary Friedenberg (Author)

Book Description

Series: Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series | Publication Date: November 9, 2004

The army's 95th Evac, one of 107 evacuation hospitals that fought tirelessly to save soldiers maimed from battle or ravaged by disease, arrived in Casablanca in April 1943 with seven thousand troops, thirty doctors, and forty nurses. It eventually became the first American hospital to penetrate Nazi-occupied Europe. Records show that the 95th Evac treated more than forty-two thousand Americans in nearly every critical battle of the European theater.

In Hospital at War, Zachary Friedenberg, a young surgeon fresh out of his internship at the time, provides an insider's account of how these men and women of the 95th worked day by day, under trying conditions, to salvage lives. In doing so, they adjusted to each other, to the foreign countries in which they had to work, and to climates ranging from the extreme heat of North Africa to the frigid winters of the Rhineland. Like the troops it cared for, the hospital often endured shelling and bombing. By the end of its two-year tour of duty, the 95th Evac was superbly efficient, and 99 percent of casualities who arrived at this hospital survived. For anyone who wants to know how so many of our boys made it home despite horrific injuries, this book provides part of the answer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Zachary Friedenberg earned his medical degree at Columbia University and joined the army in 1941. He served in Europe for more than two years and finished his residency at the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania after his return from the war. He became a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, where he still teaches.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: TAMU Press; 1 edition (November 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585443794
• ISBN-13: 978-1585443796
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,838,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hospital At War, May 17, 2007

By 

Wo Courter - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hospital at War: The 95th Evacuation Hospital in World War II (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Hardcover)

This is a very engaging-read. This author is writing from first hand experience, and he draws you right in to the landing beaches on the shores of Italy, in World War II. The 95th Evacuation Hospital has a rich history in performance under fire, and Dr. Friedenberg has captured both the human travails of that time, and the professional devotion to close - combat support, which brought the Hospital onto the front lines of the war.

This was a real page-turner for me, I couldn't put it down.I would recommend this book for anyone who had family or friends in the European Theater, in WWII. The Author recounts the three amphibious landings which the Hospital was assigned to,and the perilous challenges which brought this Unit several Commendations for Meritorious Service. This is both a history book, and a revealing look into the raw character of the generation which forged a new benchmark for emergency medical care.

Here-in, we see the elements which define our Greatest Generation, and the insights are poignant way-markers, which reveal the character of our parents and grandparents, of the WWII generation.

This is a timely, and rewarding review of our history -- at War..

W.O. Courter

Hospital at War: The 95th Evacuation Hospital in World War II (Texas a&M University Military History Series)