MEDICAL TABARDS-WHO WORE THEM?

[BEAST]

Everyone is most likely familiar with the photo of the 94th Infantry Division medics wearing the medical tabards. What I would like to know is who in the 94th wore them and did other divisons?

 

Here is small bit of history on medical marking s from the Army's Office of Medical History

 

"In response to repeated claims by German prisoners that they often could not see the Red Cross arm brassard on the battlefield, the army medical service adopted more conspicuous Geneva Convention markings. Late in November the 12th Army Group, at the request of Colonel Shambora, the Ninth Army surgeon, formally authorized medical troops to paint large red crosses in white fields on their helmets, a practice already widespread among aidmen and litterbearers. The 7th Armored Division determined in tests that men so marked stood out from other soldiers at distances of up to 750 yards. Medics in some divisions either carried Red Cross flags with which to signal their identity when moving under fire or wore improvised Red Cross tabards and vests modeled on those of German aidmen."

 

 

Have these men ever been identified? I would think that they were with the 319th Medical Battalion and not with the line companies. However, I may be wrong and if we knew their names, it would help.

 

[ken88]

If I'm not mistaking the 3rd army used them from late 1944 - early 1945-onwards. So basically Patton's army was the first to use them. This could make sense since indeed, the 94th was part of that army.

 

The US army indeed copied them from German medical identification breast panels as seen in various photos of German medical personnel. As the war continued, I'm sure a lot of medics became concerned with safety and identification, especially since German snipers sometimes fired at medics, although the majority of them respected the Geneva convention and did not fire at well idenitified medical personnel.

 

I can't really answer your question about the 94th ID medics, but it's possible that medics in other divisions started wearing them around the same time.

 

Patton's Third Army included a lot of divisions so who else could have used them besides the 94th ID is beyond me, but I can imagine they were used a lot towards the war's end in Germany.

 

As a side note the Third US Army in ww2 included following divisions: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 26th, 28th, 29th, 35th, 42nd, 65th, 69th, 70th, 71st, 76th, 79th, 80th, 83rd, 86th, 87th, 89th, 90th, 94th, 97th and 99th infantry divisions

 

It also included the following armored divisions: 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 20th,

 

+ the 101st airborne division and the 17th airborne division. The 2nd French division was also part of that army.

 

It's entirely possible that one of these divisions had their medics wear the tabards. I'm sure they were popular with medics and can imagine use of these spreading from division to division at the very end of ww2.

 

I'm confident others are more informed on this subject and am hoping they will chime in. Would love to see more pictures of the tabards in use.

 

cheers

[BEAST]

Ken88,

 

Thanks for your response. I had a computer crash and am trying to find a scanned photo that I have of my father wearing his. I think these were fairly short lived with the US Army as the Germans were shooting the medics in the 94th. This is one of the reasons the 94th stopped taking prisoners.

 

I asked my dad about them at one time, and IIRC he thought they were only worn while they were in Brittany and that they were made locally.

[BEAST]

This is a photo of my father wearing his tabard. He was with the 319th Medial Battalion, 94th ID. I believe this was taken in Brittany during the fall of 1944. My photo and the one in the original post that has been published in several books are the only two photos of these being worn that I have found. If anyone else has examples, please post!