Auxiliary hospital Dahlmannschule: Refugees and General in Need in War

Auxiliary hospital Dahlmannschule: Refugees and General in Need in War

Bad Segeberg, Deutschland - at the end of 1944 Bad Segeberg was in a dramatic situation. Many sick refugees and wounded soldiers were admitted to the city. In this critical phase, the classrooms of the dahlmannschule shorthand converted into sick rooms and an emergency hospital was set up. The regular teaching company had to be hired because many students were commanded for work -important work.

The auxiliary hospital was in the main building of the Dahlmann School, while refugees moved to the scientific wing. With the sudden increase in the number of people, there was no basic hygiene articles such as toilet paper. In order to eliminate this defect, those responsible in the auxiliary hospital even sacrificed the teacher library, starting with philosophical books. Groups from the German young people and the Hitler Youth also helped collect old material to use it.

the entry of Ernst-Günther Baade

On April 24, 1945, Lieutenant General Ernst-Günther Baade , a highly decorated officer, to the auxiliary hospital. Baade, born on August 20, 1897 in Falkenhagen, was the last fighter commander of Cologne at the time and was seriously wounded in an attack by a British fighter bomber (foray on the neck and shot on the lower leg). Despite his prominent position, Baade gave the instruction not to provide information about him because the Gestapo and military police were looking for him.

Baade worked in various significant military missions during his military career. He joined the 2nd Pomeranian Ulanen Regiment No. 9 as a volunteer and later also served in the Soviet Union and in North Africa. During the Second World War, he commanded the 90th Panzergrenadier division, which fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino, and was called the winner of the first Battle of Monte Cassino.

The last few days in the auxiliary hospital

After his wounding, Baade remained undetected in the hospital and noted on May 3, 1945 in his diary: "English, finally liberation." These words reflect the despair and hope that many felt at this point. On May 8, 1945, on the day of the surrender of the Wehrmacht, Baade died of the consequences of blood poisoning.

The circumstances of his wound and his last stay in the Dahlmann School's aid hospital illustrate the chaotic conditions, from which military personnel and the civilian population suffered during the war. The camps and hospitals, as well as the organization of the medical service, exemplify the challenges that war events brought with it. The inventory of files and documents on the war hospitals of the XIV army corps shows how many aspects of military and medical life were interwoven at this time, including the distribution of health, wounded care and sanitary care in the war zone, such as the German digital library documented.