Re-enactment Interpretations of WWII Medics

From L to R: note the different helmet markings, No.1 has a large circle with red cross emblem only on helmet front + rear, while nos. 2, 3 & 4 have smaller circles with smaller red cross and wear these markings on all four sides of the helmet; all men wear litter carrying straps attached to front rings of suspender, no. 2 & no.3 carry the axe + carrier on the left hip, all wear a single Geneva Convention brassard on the left sleeve, while the 2 canteens can be clearly seen on no.1, furthermore no.3 has one of the litter securing straps wrapped around his pistol belt; no.4 holds a woolen OD blanket tucked under his right arm; clothing consists of standard herringbone twill fatigues, covered by the M41 field jacket; all men wear canvas leggings with service shoes and/or reverse uppers, the rest of the equipment is standard, i.e. pistol belt, individual first-aid packet and canteen; haversacks and additional individual gear have been left in the vehicles, there is one straight litter resting against the wall (behind no.1), while another one can be seen on the ground (behind no.3)

From L to R: the medic is a Tec 5 (Technician 5th Grade) belonging to above unit; his helmet is adorned with 3 white rectangular-shaped fields with the red cross symbol, he wears a full medical kit i.e. 1 suspender + 2 canvas pouches + 2 cantle ring straps, and is also equipped with the axe + carrier which he carries on the left hip, he not only wears the single Geneva Convention brassard on the left sleeve (note chevron protruding) but has added a red cross tabard (manufactured at unit level, or by civilian subcontractor) for enhanced visibility; his clothing consists of a set of herringbone twill fatigues, while he further wears canvas leggings with reverse uppers – he is leaning against the pioneer tools rack of a Dodge ¾ Ton WC54 Ambulance, behind him are also visible, the shipping stencils of the vehicle, the slanted gascan bracket + 5-gallon gascan (Stock no. 42-D-1280), also note the large white star on the door (Allied symbol), and the Ambulance Flag & Marker (Stock no. 5-F-2150), the driver has added a second mirror on the right side of the cabin, some Small Wall FR Tents (Stock no. 24-T-323) are visible in the background

Technician Chevrons = War Department Circular No. 5 dated January 8, 1942, added three "Technician" grades in order to replace the 6 classes of specialists provided for the Privates and Privates First Class – this allowed the Technicians to achieve NCO status, though they were forbidden to exercise any tactical control ! Also the Staff Sergeant rank received an additional Technician 3rd Grade category (corresponding to S/Sergeant), Specialists 1st, and 2nd Class Privates & Privates First Class, and Specialist 3rd Class Privates First Class became assimilated to Technician 4th Grade (corresponding to Sergeant), Specialist 3rd Class Privates, and Specialist 4th Class Privates & Privates First Class were assimilated to Technician 5th Grade, (corresponding to Corporal), while Specialist 5th and 6th Class remained Privates and Privates First Class – this was important for monthly pay too ! The letter "T" was added by Change 1 to AR 600-35 dated September 4, 1942 – it is also important to note that the First Sergeant was moved from the second grade to the first grade as per Change 3 to AR 600-35 dated September 22, 1942

Description: the medic is a ‘buck’ Sergeant belonging to above unit; his helmet is adorned with 3 white rectangular-shaped fields with red cross symbol, he wears the medical suspender with a full kit (barely visible), and the Geneva Convention brassard on the left sleeve of his M41 Field Jacket; other insignia on his jacket are the 3d Army shoulder patch (left) and a pair of Sergeant chevrons on both sleeves – his basic clothing consists of a set of herringbone twill fatigues – his Dog Tags are protruding out of his jacket – this medic is either busy taking down additional data concerning a wounded or injured man, or cross-checking ‘diagnosis’ or ‘treatment given’ headings on the tag pertaining to the EMT book (Form 52b), behind the medic can be seen a row of casualties on litters waiting …

From L to R: somewhere in England, prior to embarkation, no.1, the paymaster (T/Sgt) is busy distributing "Supplemental French Franc Currency", or just plain invasion currency, to a line of waiting personnel – boxes filled with the necessary notes are on the table, including lists of personnel, a writing tablet, pencils, and a despatch case – the Technical Sergeant wears a M41 Field Jacket over std. HBT fatigues, while his helmet although covered with camouflage net is adorned with the specific D-Day markings for the 6th Engineer Special Brigade (unit insignia + white arc) – no. 2, i.e. the man receiving the invasion notes is an NCO, as can be told from the white horizontal bar (1" x 4") on his helmet (his chevrons are covered with the brassard) and subject item is further decorated with a red cross bordered white (typical for the unit), he wears the unit SSI and a Geneva Convention brassard on the left shoulder/arm of his M41 Field Jacket; no. 3 is a private standing behind him, no. 1, 2 & 3 are equipped with jump boots (also typical for some members of this unit), and still further in line, no. 4 a regular infantryman waits for his turn, the latter wears herringbone twill fatigues, under an M41 jacket, and has a gas detetector sleeve on his left shoulder, he further wears leggings with reverse uppers – note the wear of ‘less conspicuous’ Geneva Convention helmet markings is obvious during D-Day landing operations, because of lack of knowledge of enemy response to highly visible markings, therefore, the Engineer Special Brigade helmet marking is indeed very remarkable - interesting for the re-enactor to know that boxes, labels, invasion currency, helmet markings, gas detector sleeves were all self-made items, used for a series of re-enactment pictures, all taken in Normandy, near Omaha Beach by the author !

From L to R: Battle of the Bulge, hilly terrain, covered with snow; medics belonging to above unit administer first aid to a casualty from an enemy ambush – no.1 left, not only wears a full kit (including suspender + 2 canvas pouches) but has a packboard (2nd pattern) with watercan on his back, an individual roll & woolen blanket have been added to his pack – his clothing consists of a British-made white smock (due to lack of proper US winter camouflage), no.2, is an infantryman wearing normal kit, partially covered with a white bedsheet (temporary solution), and no. 3, the other medic wears the heavy woolen overcoat with roll collar, over his layer of woolen clothing, note the particular way of wearing the Geneva Convention brassard, i.e. folded and just pinned to the sleeve ! also note the variety in red cross helmet markings, the wounded man also wears a white bedsheet for winter camouflage

Please email me with any comments mailto:steinert@worldnet.att.net David Steinert © Copyright 2001