a. The European theater has been selected for the study of the effect of air evacuation on the evacuation policy and hospital requirements in the theater. The average strength of the ETO during the period January 1945 to June 1945 ( incl ) approximated 2,946,725.
[Historical Review, WWII, Apend P, p. 58]
The daily admission rate in the ETO averaged 1.9 per 1000 per day for non-battle casualties and 0.47 per day per 1000 for battle casualties.
[FM 101-10, Chap 5, par 513 c and d, pp. 55-56.]
Based on the above criteria it could be assumed that the average number of casualties for a one month period would approximate 162,000 non-battle casualties and 41,548 battle casualties. The disposition of the battle casualties based upon experience factors of WW II would be as follows:
4% (1,662) die after reaching the hospital.
15% (6,232) recover
in 15 days,
19% (7,894) recover in 30 days.
17% (7,063) recover
in 60 days.
11% (4,570) recover in 60 to 90 days.
20% (8,300)
recover in 90 days.
14% (5,820) invalided home.
[FM 101-10, Chap 5, par 513 d, pp. 56.]
To obtain some idea of the evacuation requirements, assume the distance casualties were evacuated from the ETO to debarkation hospitals in the ZI to be an average of 3000 miles. The following table shows the requirements for the various means evacuation for each of the various policies.
|
Means Required for Evac to ZI |
|||||
|
Evac Pol |
Bat Cas |
Hosp Ship Required |
Troop Ship Required |
C-54 Acft. Required |
C-74 Acft. Required |
|
120 |
5,820 |
15.1 |
14.5 |
10.7 |
3.5 |
|
90 |
14,020 |
36.4 |
34.9 |
25.9 |
8.5 |
|
60 |
18,590 |
48.2 |
47.5 |
34.4 |
11.3 |
|
30 |
25,635 |
66.5 |
64.0 |
47.4 |
15.6 |
|
Note: 1. Hosp ship @ 500 per trip round trip every 39 days or average of 385 patients per month. 2. Troop ship @ 540 patients per trip, round trip every 39 days for average of 400 patients per month. 3. C-54 Airplane @ 36 patients per trip, round trip every 2 days for average of 540 patients per month. 4. C-74 Airplane @ 109 patients per trip, round trip every 2 days for average of 1635 patients per month. |
|||||
1. Performance of the various means of evacuation may be compared by the following methods:
a. Time element of evacuation as established in Draft FM 101-10, Chap 5, par 516, p. 61.
“Ambulance, motor, during combat, in division area: 5 miles and return in one hour.”
Aircraft:
Liaison airplane (L-5) -- 50 miles one way in one hour.
Cargo airplane (C-47) --100 miles one way in one hour.
b. In a pamphlet, "Patient Air Evacuation," published by the Office of the Surgeon, Air Transport Command, the claim is made that 1½ C-54 airplanes per day will evacuate 6 times the number of patients that a hospital ship can with a savings of 34% in medical personnel and at the same time will carry more than 450 tons of high priority supplies back to the combat area on return trips.
c. The average performance capabilities of the various means of evacuation represented in units of litter patients/miles per hour with each "Unit" represented as 1000 patient/miles.
|
Type |
Capacity |
MPH |
Units |
|
L-5 Airplane |
1 |
90 |
0.09 |
|
R-4 Helicopter |
|
80 |
0.16 |
|
C-47 Airplane |
24 |
145 |
3.48 |
|
C-46 Airplane |
24 |
165 |
3.96 |
|
C-82 Airplane |
34 |
165 |
5.61 |
|
C-54 Airplane |
36 |
200 |
7.20 |
|
C-97 Airplane |
83 |
217 |
18.01 |
|
C-74 Airplane |
109 |
211 |
22.99 |
|
Hosp Ship |
500 |
20 |
5.00 |
|
Hosp Train |
300 |
10 |
3.00 |
|
Ambulance: 3/4 ton |
4 |
15 |
0.06 |
2. Comparison of the efficiency with which an L-5 airplane, R-4 helicopter and a 3/4 ton ambulance can perform an evacuation mission of moving 20 litter patients a distance of 20 miles.
|
Type |
No. Patients * |
No. Trips |
Total Miles |
MPH* |
Total Time |
Gal Fuel |
Units |
|
L-5 |
1 |
20 |
800 |
50 |
20:00 |
200 |
0.002 |
|
R-4 |
2 |
10 |
400 |
50 |
10:00 |
150 |
0.004 |
|
3/4 ton Amb |
4 |
5 |
200 |
10 |
20:00 |
44 |
0.002 |
|
* Draft FM 101-10, par 515 ** Draft FM 101-10, 516 |
|||||||
3. Comparison of the efficiency with which transport type aircraft and a hospital train perform an evacuation mission of moving 300 patients a distance of 100 miles.
|
Type |
No. Patients |
No. Trips |
Total Miles |
MPH |
Total |
Gal. Fuel (*) |
Units |
|
C-47 |
24 |
12.5 |
2,500 |
145 |
23:30 |
2,140 |
1.28 |
|
C-46 |
24 |
12.5 |
2,500 |
165 |
22:25 |
3,800 |
1.34 |
|
C-82 |
34 |
8.8 |
1,764 |
165 |
15:05 |
2,675 |
1.92 |
|
Hosp Train |
300 |
1.0 |
200 |
10 |
22:00 |
2,100 |
1.36 |
|
* Pamphlet, "Cargo Aircraft" Chart on page 26. NOTE: 15 minutes have been added to each trip for loading, unloading and refueling. 2 hours added to train time for loading and unloading. |
|||||||
4. Comparison of the efficiency with which transport type aircraft and a hospital ship can perform an evacuation mission of moving 500 patients a distance of 1000 miles.
|
Type |
No. Patients |
No. Trips |
Total Miles |
MPH |
Total Time |
Fuel in Gallons |
Unit |
|
C-82 |
34 |
14.7 |
29,400 |
165 |
207:35 |
44,500 |
2.41 |
|
C-54 |
36 |
14.0 |
26,000 |
200 |
168:00 |
51,905 |
2.98 |
|
C-97 |
83 |
6.0 |
12,000 |
217 |
67:20 |
26,500 |
7.43 |
|
C-74 |
109 |
4.6 |
9,200 |
211 |
52:50 |
23,600 |
9.45 |
|
Hosp Ship |
500 |
1.0 |
2,000 |
20 |
110:00 |
40,000 |
4.54 |
|
* Draft FM 101-10, par 515 NOTE: Two hours added to time for each plane trip for loading unloading and refueling. Ten hours added to total time for hospital ship's trip to allow for loading and unloading patients. |
|||||||
5. Fuel consumption per hour for the various means of transportation referred to above.
|
Type |
Gal-per-hour |
|
L-5 |
10 |
|
R-4 |
15 |
|
C-47 |
125 |
|
C-46 |
250 |
|
C-82 |
250 |
|
C-54 |
375 |
|
C-97 |
480 |
|
C-74 |
540 |
|
Hosp Train |
120 (est) |
|
Hosp Ship |
200 (est) |
|
Ambulance |
2.2 (est) |