The war against Japan: Medical Service of the Red Army in the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation (9 August – 2 September 1945)

Abstract

Executing the decision of the Crimea Conference (Yalta, February 1945), in August 9 – September 2, 1945 Russia conducted Manchurian military operation to crush the Kwantung Army and liberated Manchuria, North Korea, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands from the Japanese occupation in order to speed up the surrender of Japan. The total number of Soviet Far East group, including the Pacific Fleet and Amur Flotilla, at the beginning of the Manchurian Operation amounted to more than 1 million 669,5 thousand military men. During the fighting, the overall health loss amounted to 36,124 military personnel, including battle injuries – 23,839, patients – 12,285. Cumulative sanitary losses in troops were just 19.5 % of predicted ones (battle injuries 16.3 %, patients 51.5 %). The total number of defeats in battle within the whole group of forces of the Transbaikal Front amunted to 16.9 % (0.59 % of the total staff), the 1st Far Eastern Front – 64.1 and 2.46 % and the 2nd Far Eastern Front – 19 and 0.69 %. Of 423 hospitals with 164.5 thousand regular beds allocated to three fronts involved in the Manchurian operation, 219 institutions with 95 thousand of beds (57.8 %) were at the front hospital bases and 204 medical institutions with 69.5 thousand regular beds (42.2 %) – at army hospital bases. Field mobile hospitals and hospitals for slightly wounded amounted to 60.5 % of the total capacity of army hospital bases that should be deemed insufficient. Among the wounded being treated, 50 % were returned to the ranks from Health battalions of divisions, 15 % from army hospitals and 14 % from the front hospitals.