Medical support in the Korean War

After the outbreak of Korean War on 25 June 1950, 6 countries (arrival order): Sweden, India, Denmark, Norway, Italy and West Germany provided medical support for South Korea and UN Forces.

InstructionEdit

Source of statistics in this article is the official book about Korean War statistics published by South Korean Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History in June 2014.^[1]^[2]

Statistics in this article may differ from the statistics of each countries.

SwedenEdit

Memorial of Sweden Medical Support in Busan

Hospital / Unit: Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital^{[lower-alpha 1]} (Svenska Roda Korsets faltsjukhus)
Arrival: 14 September 1950 (advance party) / 23 September 1950 (main party)
Departure: End of March or Beginning of April 1957
Hospital / Unit operations: 25 September 1950 – 20 March 1957
Based in: Busan
Personnel: 170 (quota) / 1,124 (total)^[3]
Director or commander: Carl-Erick Groth and so on
Award and commendations:
- Republic of Korea Presidential Citation:^[4] (20 March 1957^[5])

↑ After war, they changed their name to 'Swedish Hospital in Pusan'

IndiaEdit

Hospital / Unit: Indian Army 60th Parachute Field Ambulance
Arrival: 20 November 1950
Departure: 23 February 1954
Hospital / Unit operations: 4 December 1950 – August 1953 (In September, joined Indian Custodian Force for POW)
Based in: Pyongyang, Munsan, Gapyeong, Daegu - Main unit was attached to British 27th Infantry Brigade and 1st Commonwealth Division, the detachment was served in the hospital at Daegu.^[6]
Personnel: 333~346 (quota) / 627 (total)
Killed: 3, Wounded: 23
Director or commander: A. G. Rangaraj
Award and commendations:
- United States Meritorious Unit Commendation: (date unknown)

DenmarkEdit

Memorial of MS Jutlandia in Copenhagen

Hospital / Unit: Danish Red Cross Hospital Ship - MS Jutlandia
Arrival: 7 March 1951
Departure: 16 August 1953
Hospital / Unit operations: 10 March 1951 – August 1953
Based in: Port of Busan, Port of Incheon (since 20 November 1952)
Personnel: 100 (quota) / 630 (total)
Director or commander: Kai Hammerich (Commander), Mogens Winge (Director of Hospital), Christen Kondrup (Captain) and so on
Award and commendations:
- Republic of Korea Presidential Citation:^[7]^[8]^[9] twice (27 March 1952,^[10] 27 August 1954)

NorwayEdit

Memorial of NORMASH in Oslo

Hospital / Unit: Norwegian Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (NORMASH)
Arrival: 22 June 1951
Departure: 4 November 1954^[11]
Hospital / Unit operations: 19 July 1951 – November 1954
Based in: Uijeongbu, Dongducheon
Personnel: 109 (quota) / 623 (total)
Killed: 3
Director or commander: Herman Ramstad (Commander)
Award and commendations:
- Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: twice (6 October 1952, 23 November 1953)
- United States Meritorious Unit Commendation: twice (date unknown)

ItalyEdit

Hospital / Unit: Italian Red Cross Hospital 68 (L’OSPEDALE Croce Rossa Italiana N°68)^[12]
Arrival: 16 November 1951
Departure: 2 January 1955
Hospital / Unit operations: 6 December 1951 – 30 December 1954
Based in: Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul^[13]^[14]
Personnel: 72 (quota) / 189 (total)^[15]
Award and commendations:
- Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: twice (6 October 1952, 22 December 1954)

GermanyEdit

Hospital / Unit: West German Red Cross Hospital
Arrival: 28 January 1954 (advance party) / February 1954 (main party)
Departure: April 1959
Hospital / Unit operations: 17 May 1954 – 14 March 1959
Based in: Busan^[16]
Personnel: 80 (quota)^[17] / 200 (total)
Director or commander: Günther Huwer (Director of Hospital)
Award and commendations:
- United States Medal of Freedom: 'Günther Huwer' - Director of Hospital (28 September 1956)^[18]
- Republic of Korea Presidential Citation: 'Karl Hauser' - Engineer of hospital and only survivor (5 July 2017)^[19]^[20]

Originally, West Germany was not members of medical support. Because West Germany provided medical support after Korean War Armistice Agreement. But West Germany decided to provide medical support in May 1953.

Therefore, South Korean Government included Germany in June 2018^[21]

MemorialsEdit

On 20 September 1976, Memorial for Sweden, India, Denmark, Norway, Italy was unveiled in Yeongdo District, Busan.^[22]

DocumentariesEdit

ReferencesEdit

External linksEdit

United Nations Peace Memorial Hall

Template:Korean War

[3] After war, they changed their name to 'Swedish Hospital in Pusan'

[1] The Statistics of the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2014 (E-BOOK) (in Korean)

[2] The Statistics of the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2014 (PDF) (in Korean)

[4] 한국전쟁과 부산 스웨덴 적십자야전병원의 의료구호활동

[5] Not to be confused with Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation

[6] warded in closing ceremony of hospital on 20 March 1957)

[7] 6·25 부상병 20만 명 치료한 인도軍 군의관

[8] Not to be confused with Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation:

[9] Photo of award ceremony in 28 March 1952 - National Archives of Korea

[10] 유號(호)(丁抹病院船(정말병원선))떠나다 齒科課長(치과과장)에最高文化勳章(최고문화훈장)

[11] Award ceremony was held in 28 March 1952.

[12] 「오스로」市長(시장)에 幸運(행운)의열쇠傳達(전달)

[13] GLI ITALIANI NELLA GUERRA DI COREA – L’OSPEDALE CRI N°68

[14] Italy supported war-torn Korea with medical aid

[15] The Activity of the 68th Red Cross Hospital

[16] 「참전기념 시설물 소개」 ⑳ 이탈리아 의무부대 6.25전쟁 참전기념비

[17] The Germans who healed Koreans

[18] 派韓西獨醫療隊(파한서독의요대) 四八名(사팔명)이또向韓(향한)

[19] 西獨病院長(서독병원장)을 表彰(표창)

[20] President Moon meets with German medical personnel

[21] 文대통령, 한국 파견 獨 의료지원단에“영원히 감사”

[22] 독일, 마침내 한국전쟁 의료지원국으로 포함되었습니다.

[23] 의료지원단 참전기념비

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