*** war and social upheaval: World War II Europen Theater -- Sweden Ethiopian ambulance project








World War II: Sweden--Ethiopian Ambulance Project (1935-36)

Swedish Ethiopian ambulance project
Figure 1.--After the Italian invasion, the Swedish red Cross orgabized an ambulancce corps for the Ethiopians. Here the Swedish Red Cross Ambulance Corps is being welcomed home in Stockholm after returning from Ethiopia (September 1936). Although bombed by the Italians, they managed to save thousands of miltary and civilian lives.

The principle of neutrality was growing in Sweden and managed to kep the Swedes out of Wold War I. This did not mean that the Swedes were not cocerned about international affairs or unmoved about the plight of other people. Many Swedes were concerned about the rise of Fascism in Europe, especially after Hitler seized power in Germany. The first Fascist power, however, was Missolini's Italy. And the first Fascist victim was Ethiopia (Abyssinia), one of the only independent African countries (October 1935). The Swedish Government of course did not intervene, but that did not prevent private citizens from getting involved. A group of Swedish doctorsdecided to organize an ambulance corps, meaning not only abulances, but a field hospital as well. Ethiopia was a poor, backward country with few doctors and no developed military medical system. The project was supported by the Swedish Red Cross (SRC). The immediate problem was that few Swedes had any knowledge of the Ethiopian people, culture, weather, or geography. The SRC found two very capable individuals. The first was Doctor Fride Hylander, the son of a missionaries. He had been working on a hospital project in Harrar. Dr. Hylander talked a close friend into assisting him, Dr. Gunnar Agge. He also had experience in Ethiopia. He had worked in projects to improve the health care system in Harrar and then later worked as a civilian and military doctor in Ogaden. There he was responsible for the medical care of over 9,000 Ethiopian soldiers that Emperor Haile Selassie had deployed there because of scattered inursions from Italian Somaliland. The two project directors handpicked the the other members of the medical team. Most of the members were interested in the projct because of strongly held Christian beliefs. The SRC launched a drive to finnce the project which in axfew weeks collected 0.7 million crowns, twice the estimated project cost . The ambulance project set out (November 1935). The plan was to enter Ethiopia through British Somaliland and establish a field-hospital in Harrar. The Emperor had other ideas. He wanted to divide the project and deploy some of it closer to the front line. The project encounteed enormous difficulties. There were problems caused by seasonal rains and almost non-existen roads. It tooks weeks to reach their assigned location. Dr. Agge headed the smaller group. He took 2 months to reach eastern Ethiopia. The larger group aarived in M�lka Dida (December 19). The Italian Air Force soon spotted it. And despite being clerly marked with Red Cross banners, Italian planes bombed it days after it had begun to treat the wounded (December 30). They destroyed the field-hospital and the medical equipment. Swedish medical orderly Gunnar Lundstr�m died of his injuries. Dr. Hylander was seriously wounded, but recovered. This was not an accidental or isolated attack. A British Red Cross facility was also bombed. The remaing Swedish project members were forced back to Addis Ababa. They subsequently joined the smaller group which was still operating untouched. The SRC ordered the group home as Ethiopiam resistance crumbled (May 1936). Italy had modern weapons, including banned chemical weapons. The Ethiopians had avirtully medieval army. The oucome was inevitable. The Swedish ambulance project by this time was running out of medical supplies and they feared another Italian air attack. Ethiopia was in chaos as the country disentegrated under the Italian invasion. After an exhausting and dangerous journey, the Swedes made it to the border of British Kenya. They had treated thousands of patients, both civilian and militry, and saved many lives. They would have treated far more had the Italians not bombed the main field hospital.












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Created: 3:00 AM 4/17/2016
Last updated: 3:00 AM 4/17/2016