Military Field Ambulances

Evacuation of battlefield casualties relied on stretcher bearers and horse drawn wagons until the advent of trucks during World War I. The motorized ambulance, and the all-wheel drive tactical ambulance in particular, was the first step toward rapid and effective evacuation of the wounded to life-saving care. Ambulance trucks were the primary means of evacuation until the maturation of the MedEvac helicopter in Korea and Vietnam.

An injured soldier is transferred from a U.S. Army medical transport train to a waiting WC-18 1/2-ton ambulance destined for Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, 1945. Thanks to jd.cwband for correct ID. Click for high-resolution.

Military Field Ambulances

The Army Medical Department's traditional battlefield mission of medical evacuation of sick, injured, and wounded soldiers from frontline units to hospitals in the rear relied on specialized ambulance trucks since World War I.

USMC jeep evacuates wounded from aid station to 1st Marine receiving hospital in Seoul, Korea, 1 October 1950.

This list links to photos and descriptions of many models of Ambulances in the Olive-Drab.com Military Vehicles sections. Clink on the link to reach any topic on the list.

• 1/4 ton (jeeps)
  • MB/GPW Litter Carrier Ambulance
  • M-170 (M38A1 Ambulance Configuration)
  • M-718 (M151 Ambulance Configuration)
• Light Trucks & APCs
  • WC-9 WC-18 WC-27 Truck, 1/2 ton, 4x4 Ambulance Dodge
  • WC-54 Truck, 3/4 ton, 4x4 Ambulance Dodge
  • M3 Halftrack Ambulance
  • M-43 Dodge Ambulance
  • M-725 Truck, Ambulance, 1 1/4 ton, 4x4
  • M-113 Armored Ambulance
  • M-792 Truck, Ambulance, 1 1/4 ton, 6x6 (Gama Goat variant)
  • M-886 CUCV Ambulance
  • M-1010 CUCV Ambulance
  • HMMWV Ambulance Models
  • Stryker M1133 Medical Evacuation Vehicle (MEV)

Find More Information on the Internet

There are many fine websites that have additional information on this topic, too many to list here and too many to keep up with as they come and go. Use this Google web search form to get an up to date report of what's out there.

For good results, try entering this: ambulance army. Then click the Search button.

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