[Tribute to the hospital staff for their courage during the Liberation of Paris (19-27 August 1944)].
The lecture given by P. Brocq on "The Hotel-Dieu from August 19th to 27th 1944" and P. Canlorbe's doctoral dissertaion on "The Medical Services in the French Resistance" have not received the attention they deserve. I was present at the Hotel-Dieu during that period and I wish to pay a just tribute to the personnel of the Paris hospitals. Historical events such as the beginning of the insurrection in the Police Headquarters on Saturday August 19th and the reaction of the German troups still in Paris are presented in this paper, along with some medical data, the rapid organization of a complete surgical unit similar to those deployed in wartime, including fearless volunteers who picked up casualties and dispatched them to the appropriate treatment centres composed of eight surgical teams. A message of hope was dropped over the Police Headquarters at around 6 p.m. on Thursday August 24th, more than five hours before Captain Dronne's detachment reached the Hotel-de-Ville and Place Notre-Dame. On Friday August 25th, the tactical group led by Colonel P. Billotte was triumphally acclaimed when it reached the wide space in front of the church. The number of casualties indicates how fierce was the confrontation: 822 wounded (398 Frenchs and 424 Germans) were admitted to the Hotel-Dieu, of which 283 died (78 French and 205 Germans). In the other Paris hospitals of the Assistance Publique, 3,083 patients were admitted for wounds and 567 died. The personnel of those hospitals was extremely performing during this period and also paid a heavy tribute. Three members of the Hotel-Dieu died and 10 were killed at the Bichat Hospital during the Lufwaffe air raid during the night of August 26-27th 1994. Time has come, more than fifty-three years later, to commemorate the courage of the personnel of those hospitals who effectively and generously fulfilled their mission during Paris Liberation.
Hazard
J
J
D005602:France; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006761:Hospitals; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D014857:Warfare
Hommage au personnel hospitalier lors des combats de la Liberation de Paris du 19 au 27 aout 1944.