The Liberation Festival is over and after three years of COVID-19 restrictions we really enjoyed it to the fullest. Together with KVH Tommy & Yankee z. s. Pilsen, we presented the U.S. 45th Field Hospital together with a field cinema, patient ward, sterilization tent, nurses' and men's quarters and an exhibition of wartime uniforms. There were also ambulances and other vehicles with medical markings. Thank you to everyone who visited us in Pilsen. The capacity of our guided tours was completely exhausted and in three days we guided more than 150 visitors through our military hospital! We are very pleased with your interest and it motivates us to work on new and more sophisticated projects.

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Below we have included a brief summary of what you could see during the hospital tour:

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1) The tour began with a multimedia presentation on the U.S. Army field and evacuation hospitals in Czechoslovakia in 1945, followed by the 1945 video "The Army Nurse," which introduced visitors to the role of nurses during World War II.

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2) From the recreation tent we moved to the mini-museum, or tent, where we prepared a small exhibition of nursing uniforms typical of the late war. Among the field, hospital, and service uniforms, there was a gem: an M-1943 jacket liner and women's HBT trousers found after the war in Pilsen. Both items were donated to our association by Ivan Rollinger of Patton Memorial Pilsen.

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3) Next was the hospital ward. Our friends from KVH Tommy & Yankee z.s. Plzeň played the roles of doctors and patients very well. The latter wore our original Medical Department pajamas and bathrobe, which have been recently acquired by our group.

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4) Later, the whole group followed the nurse to the sterilization tent, which premiered at the event. The tent and autoclave were purchased thanks to you (thank you to everyone who ordered our t-shirts and sweatshirts). Inside, our members explained in detail how medical supplies were sterilized, demonstrated different types of sterilizers, and showed how to prepare various items for sterilization. In addition, various original and replica bandages, syringes, and other materials were on display in the tent.

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5) In front of the tent was a parked ambulance – a Dodge WC-54. Visitors could look inside and learn what made this vehicle different from other vehicles used in the U.S. Army.

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6) The last stop was the nurses' living quarters. Here we discussed what daily life was like for the women at the front, what they did in their free time, and what the army's rules were when it came to hair and makeup.

 

We thank all the participants for coming, and for those who could not come to Pilsen this year, we have prepared a small photo album. Enjoy!