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Formation


US Army Medical Department Activity, Wuerzburg
Originally, the Garrison Hospital Wuerzburg (Standortlazarett) was located on the Schottenanger, the site of an approximately 600-year-old former Scottish Monastery. With the buildup of the Germany Army (Wehrmacht) in 1935, it became necessary to build a larger, more modern hospital. An opportune site was the northeast side of the Galgenberg, which, at that time, was owned by the Mariannhill Institute. Once the property was in hand, architects and engineers from the German Army developed plans for the 300-bed hospital. The curved form of the building fit nicely into the layout of the grounds, with the main entrance on Mariannhill Street. Originally, a six-story building was planned, with 1200 rooms at an estimated cost of 5,500,000 Reichtmarks. The entire complex consisted of a main building with a service wing; a small, detached building for the motor pool and carpentry shop (previously the morgue); a fuel storage building and a generator house. A large beautiful park of nearly 53,000 square meters surrounded these buildings. The entire complex was fenced. There were living quarters for the hospital commander and two comptrollers, but these structures no longer belong to the hospital and are privately held.

US Hospital Wuerzburg 1965

The ground-breaking ceremony for this hospital occurred on 24 December 1935, with construction starting on unit 7 January 1936. After a two-year construction period, the hospital was completed on11 November 1937 and turned over to Dr. Reiter, an obstetrics/gynecology physician and Corps Physician for the 2nd Panzer (Tank) Division under General Guderian. Due to the occupation of Austria, Dr. Reiter subsequently had to deploy with the 2nd Panzer Division. He was later promoted to General. Dr. Reiter died several years ago in Wuerzburg.

The successor to Dr. Reiter was Dr. (COL) Willy Rau, ENT specialist, who until the beginning of World War II, was Chief and Commander of the Medical Squadron, Wuerzburg. The Medical Squadron, Wuerzburg originally was part of the Medical Department 15, which later was transferred to Frankfurt. The Medical Squadron, Wuerzburg was then assigned to the Medical Department 17 with headquarters in Nuernburg. In July 1938, they were assigned to Medical Department 40 of the 4th Panzer Division, which had offices in the "Roten Bau" (red building) in Wuerzburg. The Garrison Hospital Wuerzburg was responsible for providing medical care to the soldiers and civil servants of the German Army. An Obstetric station was available for wives of soldiers and civil servants. The hospital provided services in the following departments and clinics: Surgery, Orthopedics, Dermatology/SDT, ENT and Opthamalogy, and OB/GYN. Radiology, Lab, Physical Therapy, and Pharmacy were also available. It also included a school for medics. Nursing personnel were obtained from the Catholic Order of the "Barmherzigen Schwestern" (Sisters of Mercy) of Wuerzburg. During WWII, independent nurses and nurses’ aids were also recruited. The civilian sector supplied the buildings with electricity, gas and water. It also had an emergency battery-powered power system and an emergency generator. Four water tanks were available to provide steam for heat and hot water.

At the beginning of WWII, the Garrison Hospital Wuerzburg was under the control of the German Army (Wehrmacht) and converted to a main reserve hospital for Wuerzburg and the surrounding area. During the conversion, the number of beds increased from 300 to 700, and by the end of the war, reached approximately 2,000 (by placing patients in hallways and in the basement). Medical Department 40 of the 4th Panzer Division provided the last command of the Garrison Hospital Wuerzburg. This unit was responsible for medical care for soldiers and civil servants of the German Army stationed in Wuerzburg, Schweinfurt, Bamberg, Bad Kissingen and Hildburghausen. It also provided services for other troop elements of the 4th Panzer Division that were stationed in Munich, Boeblingen and Vaihingen. With the arrival of American troops to this area, the hospital was occupied by American Infantry troops and the German patients were transferred to other hospital in Wuerzburg and the surrounding area. On 8 April 1945, the Garrison Hospital Wuerzburg (under control of the German Army) was occupied and operated by the US Army’s 124th Field Hospital. Between 1945 and 1974, the hospital then was operated, in succession, by: The 57th US Field Hospital, The 10th US Field Hospital, The 10th Evacuation Hospital and The 33rd Field Hospital. The official designation as a United States Army Medical Department Activity (USAMEDDAC) occurred on 21 November 1975. At that time, the USAMEDDAC Wuerzburg was responsible for providing medical care for an area covering approximately 2,500 square miles and providing a mobile field hospital in case of an emergency.

With the drawdown of the U.S. Forces in Europe and the closure of the Augsburg and Nuernburg Hospitals, USAMEDDAC Wuerzburg assumed responsibility for all forces in Bavaria in 1994. Currently, the USAMEDDAC Wuerzburg consists of the facility in Wuerzburg and ten outlying health clinics supporting 62,000 soldiers and family members in Bavaria, Germany. The ten clinics are located in Bad Aibling, Bamberg, Giebelstadt, Grafenwoehr, Hohenfels, Illesheim, Katterbach, Kitzingen, Schweinfurt, and Vilseck.

The US Army Hospital in Wuerzburg, Germany, was closed October 22. 2007!

Barnabas

US Hospital Wuerzburg
The barracks in Giebelstadt and Kitzingen closed the gates for ever many years ago.


The most peoples here in Wuerzburg are very sad about this step from the U.S. Army. Many friendships are broken and the flair from the American life style are missing.
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former U.S. Army Hospital in Wuerzburg
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US Hospital Wuerzburg - Agape Coffee House
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US Hospital Wuerzburg - Agape Coffee House
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written by www.wuerzburg-photos.de


Posted Anonymously Latest page update: made by Anonymous , Jul 5 2010, 11:00 AM EDT (about this update About This Update Posted Anonymously Edited anonymously

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Anonymous Medical Records 4 Apr 29 2013, 12:43 PM EDT by Anonymous
 
Thread started: Jan 7 2009, 12:52 PM EST  Watch
Where are all the records going to be kept? My daughter was born in that hospital. I need a copy of her birth certificate
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clifheeney US Army Hospital - Wuerzburg (page: 1 2) 21 Feb 12 2013, 12:38 AM EST by Anonymous
Thread started: Jun 24 2007, 2:07 PM EDT  Watch
Barnabas, where will the medical care be provided for the US Army troops in Bavaria once the hospital closes? What will be the disposition of the hospital and its grounds?

Thanks for the history and its update!
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Anonymous Fond memories 0 Apr 12 2012, 7:36 PM EDT by Anonymous
 
Thread started: Apr 12 2012, 7:36 PM EDT  Watch
This is where my daughter was born in 1986...:-)
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