Problems of Sanitary Maintenance of the Troops of the Central Front on the eve and During the Battle of Kursk

Relevance. The instability of the current geopolitical situation is caused by a complex of contradictions, the resolution of which is not always possible in a peaceful way. The problem of restoring the health of soldiers and commanders of the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War was adequately reflected in scientific publications of both military historians and physicians. At the same time, the availability of fundamental generalizing works and specialized research in various areas of military medicine does not exclude the need to introduce new historical sources into scientific circulation reflecting the activities of specific military sanitary institutions at a certain stage of military history.
The purpose is to reveal the main problems of sanitary maintenance of the troops of the Central Front during the preparation and during the Battle of Kursk.
Objectives: on the basis of documentary sources identified in the Archive of military medical documents, to characterize the activities of military sanitary institutions of the Central Front in the spring - summer of 1943.
Methodology. In the process of working on the study, the basic principles of historical science were used: historicism, objectivity and consistency. Also, when writing the article, both general scientific methods (analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction) and special historical methods were used: historical-genetic, comparative-historical.
Results. On the basis of historical sources introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, the multifaceted work of the institutions of the frontline evacuation point No. 73 on evacuation and medical assistance to wounded and sick soldiers of the Central Front is presented, the dynamics and nature of wounds and diseases during the springsummer period of 1943 are shown, the issues of staffing of medical institutions of the front at the critical stage of the war are revealed.
Conclusion. During the period of preparation for the Battle of Kursk, the main problems in the activities of military sanitary institutions of the Central Front were the lack of vehicles for timely relocation of hospitals and transportation of sick and wounded servicemen. The partial solution of these problems by the beginning of the defensive battle on the northern face of the Kursk Bulge contributed to an increase in the effectiveness of medical care for soldiers wounded in battles with a significant increase in their numbers.

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