After setting a time record by remaining in one area for 42 days, we moved, late in April, to Tabarca-By-The-Sea. Completely wrecked, as were most of the towns in Tunisia, Tabarca formerly was a summer beach resort, a fact which enabled all the men to take advantage of a pleasant swim in the beautiful Mediterranean for the first time since we came to Africa. Although the malaria season was about to begin, and in spite of the very poor selection of a swamp land for our hospital area, not one case of malaria was reported during our two week stay here. The only trouble we had was from the reaction to the atebrine tablets which we were given to prevent the symptoms of malaria from hospitalizing us. Atebrine did not cure malaria. All it did was temporarily postpone the effects of malaria. Obviously, this disease will therefore be chronic and recurrent in many soldiers many years after they return home.
The Allies were beginning to put on the pressure. The British Eighth Army broke through at the Mareth Line and joined the II Corps which was attacking Medjez-el-Bab. On May 3rd, the First Armored Division broke through in a powerful thrust which carried it to Mateur and on May 6th, the final drive for Bizerte and Cape Bon was begun. By May 7th, the British were on the outskirts of Tunis and the II Corps was nearing Bizerte. The expected final battle was nearing and the Ninth Evac was ordered to pack up and move as close to the front as possible. On May 9th, we set up in Mateur in a former French hospital, built to serve its colonial troops in Africa, captured by the Germans and held by them until May 1st, at which time they retreated quickly, leaving their dead lying on their cots, not having any time to bury them. Meanwhile, the trapped German Army in Bizerte surrendered on May 9th and the end of the entire German Army in Africa was near at hand.
Our trip from Tabarca to Mateur was a momentous one. Travelling across a former battlefield on which many soldiers from both sides had fought only several days before, we saw wrecked tanks, bombed towns, overturned trucks and total destruction in general. The Germans were surrendering literally by the truckload and it was not an uncommon sight to see them drive right up to an American command post or prison camp in their own tanks, trucks and motorcycles without being guarded by Americans. Some of our own prison camps had to turn thousands away as Germans lined up for miles around to surrender to the Americans rather than travel twenty miles away to give up to the British. They were told that they would receive better treatment from the Americans.
We had to clean out the hospital before we could again set up. The barracks had to be swept and cleaned, the stench from the dead bodies had to be eliminated and a general clean-up job was the first order of the day. Our German comrades evidently had left so quickly that there still was standing in the officer's bar half filled wine glasses. They probably were drinking a toast to the German Army just before they left.
Some of the German units had not been in contact with their forward outfits and did not know exactly what was going on. Such was the case of a German company which was holding out on a hill directly opposite the hospital, about a mile away. Although they were trapped, they tried to fight their way out on the night of May 9th. We witnessed the battle from our hospital area. This probably was the last organized resistance of the North African campaign. As far as we could determine, the unit was completely annihilated. The German High Command laid down their arms and surrendered on May 10th and the final count of prisoners exceeded 250,000. This completed the conquest of the African continent and placed the Allies in an advantageous position to launch their attacks on the mainland of Europe.
The Ninth Evac, meanwhile, stood by to receive patients. Along with the troops, five German field hospitals were trapped and had to surrender. The entire detachment of patients from these hospitals, nearly 900, were transferred to the Ninth Evac and for the time being, we acted as a German station hospital. Unlike previous prisoner patients, these "supermen" looked quite fatigued, exhausted and afraid. However, they were given excellent treatment, a fact which amazed most of them. They had been led to believe that the Americans wouldn't treat them as equals. But, soon we were on speaking terms with them which afforded us a most excellent opportunity to "educate" them into the American ways of life. This was done very often and it was a very common sight to see an American soldier discuss the political and international situation with a group of Germans. More often than not, these discussions wound up with the Germans admitting that perhaps Hitler wasn't the superman they thought he was. However, there still was a great many who were stubborn and stuck to their guns. Many of them were under the impression that Oran was still held by their own troops.
Our hospital consisted of approximately fifty barracks which housed all our wards, the operating rooms, x-ray, pharmacy, the various other services, and the living quarters of the officers, nurses and enlisted personnel. This was the first time since we left England that we were in buildings. The area itself was covered with all kinds of flowers and was very beautifully landscaped. It overlooked the main road to Tunis and Bizerte, and beyond that, Lake Achkel which was connected with the Mediterranean by Lake Bizerte. Other features of this area was a large recreation hall, shower room and open-air movie. A large German black cross was not painted white to coincide with our hospital insignia for some unknown reason.
The German prisoners and their medical officers were very much surprised to see the technique and methods of American surgery and were amazed at our excellent treatment of their wounded patients. The German General Staff, or what was left of them after the battle was over, spent a day at our hospital before going further back and also were very much impressed by our setup. Although most of the German boys were tired and wanted to go home, there were a few loyal Nazis who firmly believed that they would win the war. They always were alone by themselves as most of the German boys didn't talk with them. The majority were convinced that Allied production and equipment eventually would beat them.
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