Train
of Life
In the late stages of World War II,
as the battle fronts were constantly shifting, the army faced a dire situation with a high number of
casualties and limited resources. Using a European railway system became a crucial element in the
evacuation and treatment of wounded soldiers.
One particularly dramatic episode occurred in Europe during
the winter of 1942.
Army personnel were operating a special hospital train that
became known as the "Train of Life." This train was tasked with
treating and transporting wounded soldiers from the front lines. The winter was
harsh, and snow covered tracks hampered progress. Staff aboard the "Train
of Life" worked tirelessly to stabilize the wounded and treat severely
injured soldiers in sometimes slow-moving jostling railroad carriages. Then matters
became worse. During one particularly critical evacuation, the train was strafed
by a pair of Messerschmitt Bf109s, but the heroic medical personnel continued
to care for the injured on board
sometimes protecting them with their own
bodies or helping them find “cover”
during the raid. The brave train crews too faced grave danger as the
fighters dove toward the locomotive guns blazing, but crewmen remained at the
controls and kept the train on the tracks . ( 109s had an awesome 55 seconds of
7.92 mm machine-gun fire per gun plus a 20 mm MG FF cannon in the wing. Each
plane had two guns and one canon)
Despite the attack, the train managed
to stay on the tracks and continue its journey, bringing the wounded to a
hospital for additional care.
This story exemplifies the essential
role that hospital trains played during World War II and the incredible efforts
of medical and railway personnel under extremely difficult circumstances. The
"Train of Life" successfully transported many soldiers to safety, increasing
their chances of recovery. The bravery, resilience and resourcefulness of those
involved in the operation highlighted the crucial role hospital trains played
in wartime medical logistics.
And yes, like other hospital trains, the
“Train of Life” was marked with
prominent Red Cross symbols on the roof of the cars and on the sides to signify
the train’s non-combatant status and to help protect it from enemy fire but
obviously that was no guaranty of absolute safety.
Many military forces respected the
Red Cross emblem and adhered to the principles outlined in the Geneva
Conventions, often due to strict military discipline, adherence to
international norms, and the belief in the importance of humanitarian
considerations. Despite these protections, however, there were other instances
like this during World War II when the Red Cross emblem was not respected. In
some cases, hospital trains, as well as other medical facilities and personnel
(like Medics) were deliberately targeted
for different reasons, including mistaken identity, (hard to believe) disregard for the rules of war, or the belief
that medical facilities might be used for military purposes. The effectiveness
of the Red Cross emblem in protecting medical trains could also be compromised too
by operational challenges, such as the difficulty in distinguishing these
trains in certain conditions or the presence of enemy forces in areas where
they might not fully recognize or respect the symbol.
The U.S. and its allies used hospital trains extensively in Europe
and the Pacific theaters. These trains were part of a broader system of medical
evacuation and transport, and the German
Wehrmacht deployed them as well. After World War II, the use of hospital trains
declined with the advent of more advanced medical transport, such as air
ambulances. They remain, however, an important part of the historical record of
an army’s wartime medical logistics. Just don’t look for the Train of Life in
U.S. Amy records, you won’t find it.
It was Soviet Army personnel who operated the
“Train of Life.” ("Поезд жизни")
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