Page 28 - JSOM Fall 2023

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throw German search dogs off the trail. Relay stations served sewage. Figure 3 shows a computer-generated bunker config-
as waypoints between hospitals that were far apart and would uration based on the prototypical dimensions of Phorje hospi-
treat the lightly wounded. These relay stations had a 10–15 tals, featuring three rows of two-level bunks and underneath
bed capacity and were often located in limestone hollows for storage for personal effects. Medical care in bunkers was lim-
concealment. Additionally, the units were highly mobile and ited to wound dressings and medication administration whilst
independent of the main force. Light infantry personnel with surgery was only performed when absolutely necessary due to
hospital orderly training would provide basic treatment and extreme space limitations. Disadvantages of bunkers described
casualty transport. by Dr Rogers included low standards of hygiene and health,
low morale, and higher patient mortality. 1
Many regional hospital systems had specialized wards includ-
ing infectious disease, lightly injured, critical care, femur frac- FIGURE 3 Possible partisan hospital bunker dimensions inspired by
tures, and even a maternity ward. The less seriously wounded Phorje hospitals.
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were often billeted in villager’s homes, three to four per house
1
with a hidden underground shelter in the event of an attack.
Hospital decentralization forced specialized healthcare pro-
viders to travel for hours at a time between each smaller hos-
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pital. The Slavonia hospital system initially used loyal families
who hid wounded in stables, barns, or bunkers. Over time,
the wounded were moved to secret purpose-built forest hos-
pitals. Hospitals would be located out in the open or use tents
in the summer. Partisans constructed dugouts and cabins in
the autumn and colder months. The Slavonia hospital system
contained 25 hospitals accommodating 1,000 wounded, in op-
eration by 1943. The greater Croatian area used one main
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hospital and several satellite hospitals per regional territory.
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Figure 2 shows an example of a larger hospital complex con- Mt. Rog Hospital
cealed in a deep ravine. 12
The hospital at Mt. Rog was established in a repurposed hunt-
ing lodge deep in the woods and utilized a separate casualty
clearing station 1 hour away by foot in a nearby villa. Triaged
patients were packaged here for transport to the hidden hospi-
tal by stretcher bearer if needed. It was common in Yugoslavia
to have patient clearing, immediate surgery, and treatment of
non-transportable casualties near communications lines with
long-term treatment in more remote and hidden hospitals.
1
A Partisan company stationed nearby guarded the hospital.
Numerous nearby underground bunkers hid food, equipment,
FIGURE 2 Partisan and medical stores and also operated as air raid shelters. A
hospital complex Franja
concealed in a ravine single clearing station concentrated the incoming wounded.
near Cerkno, Slovenia. Specialized soldiers then covertly dispersed the wounded to
hidden hospitals. Transport times from the casualty clearing
station to the hospital could take several hours, especially
when care was needed to cover tracks.

At one point, enemy forces attacked and destroyed the casu-
alty clearing station but did not locate the hospital. Non-am-
bulatory patients were hastily evacuated to a nearby glade
when news reached the hospital of the attack. Partisans rebuilt
the original casualty clearing station in the same location as a
decoy, hiding the true clearing station in a camouflaged cabin
Underground bunkers were vital for concealing patients and nearby. Later, a second enemy offensive found the hospital,
supplies from the enemy. The Trnava hospital hid 1,000 casu- but the Partisans were able to evacuate to the nearby glade
alties during the 6th offensive in mostly underground bunkers before the hospital was destroyed. Germans conducted an in-
that were often located near hospitals and maintained in ab- tensive search in a 10-minute walking radius but did not find
solute secrecy. Sites were well-drained and usually covered in any patients or equipment. Partisans dispersed pepper over the
grass or brush, and bunker access was controlled by the senior area to throw off search dogs. As the Germans drew closer to
orderly. Typically, bunkers were approximately 2 meters high the glade the Partisans moved to a limestone depression con-
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with two levels of bunks and ventilation holes bored to the cealed with felled trees, tarpaulins, and natural foliage. They
surface. Advanced designs began with digging a bunker-sized remained hidden here until a 20-bed log cabin was erected 2
hole, then constructing a cabin-like structure inside the cavity weeks later.
with double walls for dryness. Ventilation holes were placed
every 3 meters. These “open cast” style bunkers were typically Additional hospital cabins were constructed at Mt. Rog
2.7 meters wide and 2.4 meters high with two tiers of bunks, to accommodate a likely influx of more patients and water
included a sewage canal, and tar paper lining to reduce water shortage at the existing facilities. Improvements raised bunks,

26 | JSOM Volume 22, Edition 3 / Fall 2023