Tewes, Ludger Rotkreuzschwestern

Ihr Einsatz im mobilen Sanitätsdienst der Wehrmacht 1939-1945

This volume in the series War in History is the first comprehensive examination of the work of Red Cross nurses in the medical units of the Wehrmacht, in air rescue services, in hospital trains and on medical ships. The volume analyses their experiences, the dangers they faced and their captivity on all battlefields on the basis of case files and their written statements. It was men, the doctors of the Wehrmacht, who employed these women. In terms of gender roles, the sisters' work with doctors and medics was a challenge for everyone involved. Many sisters emancipated themselves in the face of severe staff shortages and the assumption of responsible tasks. The ideals of the International Red Cross in Geneva and the ideals of the women under the German Red Cross and the swastika did not always coincide. The humanitarian work of the nurses in the war of extermination was only for German soldiers and must also be seen as an effective means of prolonging the fighting until 1945.