Since the battle started, the Bohemian battlefield on the northern front, which historically should not have broken out first, took the lead.
However, the war did not develop as the coaches of the two armies imagined. Various variables appeared from the beginning.
Prussia did not expect that the Austrian army would gather so quickly, nor did it expect that the Austrian army would attack so decisively. Austria also didn't expect that Prussia had already crossed the mountainous area in northern Bohemia and crossed the border. It also didn't expect that Prussia's firepower would be so fierce.
Therefore, after the two armies fought hand-to-hand here once, the rhythm slowed down on the third day.
There were still sporadic battles, but they were not as brutal as the ones on the morning of the 26th.
The activities of the two armies here are like a pot of hot water being heated. The bottom is already covered with small bubbles. Just add more firewood and it will boil. But the firewood under the pot always failed to breathe, and the water temperature remained at a neither high nor low level, which was very uncomfortable.
But for Kawei, who is at the back, this is a good opportunity to summarize.
He could take advantage of the rare free time in the general hospital to make some reports to the military medical office, the northern commander and the king. At the same time, he could also improve the previous "Military Medical Manual". Especially the craniocerebral and cardiothoracic trauma part, it is necessary to fill in the gaps in the 19th century as soon as possible.
Time came to October, and Kawei still needed to deal with the discharge examination of the wounded.
These include serious limb injuries, serious medical diseases, mental disorders, fractures that require long-term recovery, and other diseases that need to be identified. He not only needs to prevent those soldiers from feigning illness, but also needs to find sick soldiers in time to prevent them from dying after returning to the battlefield.
In addition, the 2,000-bed Fortress General Hospital also needs to take strict precautions against the plague that may occur at any time.
The weather in Bohemia is getting cooler in early October, malaria is almost invisible, and the chance of cholera is not high, but typhus, which has little to do with the temperature, and typhoid fever, which is common in autumn and winter, are still fatal.
The former is a rickettsial infection transmitted by lice, and the latter is an intestinal infectious disease caused by Salmonella transmitted through feces or mouth.
No matter which one it is, it will be fatal once it develops into a serious disease, and the environment on the battlefield, especially the frontline battlefield, has become a breeding ground for them to breed and spread.
There were constant wars in Europe, and firearms shooting seemed to cause huge casualties. In fact, before World War I, the proportion of such weapons was not high. In comparison, the large and small plagues that accompanies wars are the main culprits in the deaths of soldiers, and can even determine the outcome of a war.
“Be sure to pay attention to water hygiene!”
This is the first time Kawei has warned him. Hills has already heard calluses in his ears: "You have said this countless times, and I have been asking people to follow up. Don't worry. The water at the entrance is all over the place." It’s boiled, but they actually prefer lighter wines.”
"What about personal hygiene?"
"The ward stipulates that you should take a bath once a week on average. Even though you just soak in a big bucket in the ward and then scrub with soap, it is still cleaner than at home." Hills said with a smile, "Many people are unwilling to take a bath. , or we forced it into the barrel."
"The weather is too cold, so it's really difficult to wash in cold water."
"It's not too cold. The spa in the sanatorium is much colder than here." Hills didn't think there was anything wrong with the low temperature. "If there were mountain springs here in Olmitz, I would like to get them all before winter comes." Go over and take a dip.”
"It's just a bath, not that many tricks."
"No, no, no, the mineral water in the spa is much more valuable." Hills seemed to be very concerned about the various things in the sanatorium. "The pair of girls who came here from Canada, their sanatorium had a bottle of fresh Alpine mineral springs. Water can be sold for 3 crowns.”
Kavi also heard about this: “I remember that the water in Vienna’s taps was also Alpine water.”
"That's different. The minerals in mineral water are much better than city water." Hills explained, "Dr. Fatorad strongly recommends that patients drink at least 2-4 times a day during the 'active phase' of the disease." A glass of mineral water.”【1】
Kavi sighed.
Whether mountain spring water and mineral water are really beneficial to the human body is irrelevant at the moment. He has no time or need to correct this matter. And compared to the familiar mineral water, other devices in Jenny and Cecilia's sanatorium make people feel more strange.
"Do you want to buy a hydrotherapy device?" Hills thought of some soldiers with ulcers on their bodies. "Just like the closed bathtub in the sanatorium, using a continuous flow of warm water to wash their bodies should be able to heal them." to achieve some effects.”[2]
"Farewell. The military medical office has limited funds." Kawei stopped his whims in time, "Just make sure the wounded drink enough water every day and take a bath every week."
Hills nodded: "That's true. It has only been a week, and the spare supplies in the hospital have been almost exhausted."
"The logistics transport convoy has just started on the road." Ignatz said from the side, "I just don't know how long it can last."
"It should last for a week. The Karachi Pharmaceutical Factory is already working overtime to replenish the warehouse." Kawi rubbed his eyes and brought the topic back to the ward. "How many patients with high fever are there in the ward now?"
Hills himself doesn't like to deal with these trivial matters and has no interest in medical statistics, but he has to admit that his meticulous attitude can indeed complete this work very well: "This morning, according to statistics, there are 100 people whose body temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees. 379 people, 653 people were between 37-38.5, and 747 of these more than 1,000 people were postoperative."
"Where are the rest?"
"They are basically soldiers sent from the Yodek Fortress on the front line." Hills said, "According to your previous request, these patients who have not undergone surgery have their own wards."
"They are all soldiers from the front line. Maybe there are some plagues that may spread." Kawei told him. "The key symptom is rash. Patients with typhus and typhus often have rash."
"I understand this," Hills said. "Dr. Fatorad is managing those patients. They will be fine."
Even if Kavi becomes the director of the Fortress General Hospital, he must abide by the treatment rules brought about by the gap between medicine and surgery. A medical student who has not experienced systematic medical school study may be familiar with human anatomy and be proficient in various surgeries due to his father and his own talent, but he is definitely not qualified to participate in internal medicine treatment.
Fatolad's treatment consisted of nothing more than cooling down and taking some pills mixed with heavy metals, herbs and earth. In the end, it was up to the soldiers to fight off the infection themselves.
Kawei does not have antibiotics against rickettsia and salmonella, and methylene blue is not strong in fighting infections. Even if he is really involved, there is no good way. All that can be done now is to prevent these two diseases as much as possible. Serious infectious disease.
"How was the results of the rodent eradication?"
Herman opened his notes: "There are basically no rats in the ward. Rats that die outside the hospital will be buried and disposed of immediately."
"As long as personal hygiene is ensured and rodents are eliminated, typhus is unlikely to be transmitted. If the water quality is clean, typhus can also be avoided." Kawei breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the prevention work was progressing steadily, "You guys should continue to follow up. Oh, by the way, give Lockard a copy of my recipe." [3]
"He is a top student in the examination, so he should know these things, otherwise he would not be appointed as a doctor accompanying the Third Army."
"It's not enough. This thing can't be used proficiently through simple learning." Kawei tapped the table with his pen. "It has to be reminded repeatedly to deepen the impression."
"Okay, I will write him a letter." Hills wrote down this matter. "How about asking him to write back a report on the situation in Jodek Fortress?"
"Who is the army physician there?" Carvey looked up and asked.
"A physician from Graze Hospital," Hills recalled. "I just went there not long ago, so I'm not familiar with him."
"Forget it, just urge him in the letter. If there are any difficulties, ask him to write back and explain, and I will think about it again."
Kawei had just finished assigning the next series of tasks when suddenly there was a knock on the door. The person who entered the door was a surgical assistant, holding in his hand the telegram message he had just received: "Dean, this is a telegram from Archduke Brecht. Please read it."
"The Grand Duke is looking for me?" Kawei took the letter and scanned it briefly, his expression became very ugly. 【4】
"What's wrong?"
"The war on the Western and Northwest fronts is intense, and the two central hospitals there are full." Kawei simply stated the contents of the letter, "I have been asked to bring at least two medical teams to support."
"Two teams? How many people?"
"At least 4 surgeons and 12 assistants need to be deployed, and maybe a dozen nurses will have to be taken away," Kawei said.
"What about Olmitz?" Hills knew that he would have to bear the pressure of the dean once Kawei left. "We were the first to fight here, but now we are not at a stable level. They are still sent every day. Many wounded soldiers."
Kawei shook his head: "This is a military order, and there is nothing I can do about it."
"But."
"Execute the order." Kawei patted the table, stood up and pointed to the desk and chair and said, "I'll leave this to you."
While the situation between Olmitz and Granceni remains relatively stable, the Western Front is much more lively these days.
The first was the war in the South German Federation. The main Prussian army was like a bulldozer in front of the armies of those states, presenting a completely one-sided situation.
On September 28, the Royal Hanoverian Army, which was attacked by the first wave of Prussian troops, left Göttingen and fled into Langensalza in northern Thuringia to rest and recuperate. They considered that the Prussian army was not advancing fast and that there was the Bavarian Army in the south. They could build a defense line here and wait for the southern friendly forces to join them.
Historically, the Royal Army of Bavaria did not do this, and it still does not do so now. It still adopts a passive attitude of sitting back and doing nothing.
The Royal Hanoverian army was logistically weak and had problems with food, grass and ammunition. It was unable to fight anymore and was soon surrounded by the army led by General Falkenstein.
Prussia's goal was Austria, so it sent a special envoy from Lieutenant General Alvin Sleben to negotiate with the blind King Georg V of Hanover. It was hoped that the Hanoverian army would give up resistance and surrender immediately.
At 10 a.m. on September 29, the negotiations broke down, and the blind king led the remaining 12,000 soldiers to refuse to surrender.
Counting from September 30, when Prussian General Felix led the leading troops to attack the Hanoverian position, until October 2, when Georg V announced his surrender, the highly morale Royal Hanoverian Army repelled three Prussian attacks in total.
Finally, under the pressure of the three-party encirclement, the king, who was out of ammunition and food, had no choice but to declare his surrender, and the Kingdom of Hanover was annexed by Prussia.
Georg V took the royal family into exile in Austria.
While the fierce fighting on the Western Front was in full swing, the Prussian First Army led by Prince Friedrich Karl in the northwest also began to actively advance. In Lao Moltke's offensive strategy, his position required an active attack to provide the northern front with an opportunity to invade.
After fighting broke out on the northern front on the 26th, Moltke immediately sent an urgent telegram to the First Army. 【5】
On the 27th, Prince Karl dispatched Lieutenant General Horn and his 8th Division and began to advance towards the two Isar River crossings at Podil and Turnau.
In the early morning of the 28th, Lieutenant General Horn's troops met the outposts of the Austrian First Army in Liebenau (now Hodkovice nad Mohelka in the Czech Republic).
The two sides launched a fierce artillery battle, and Austria chose to retreat into the hilly area after running out of firepower. Lieutenant General Horn immediately used cavalry to launch a fierce pursuit of the Austrian infantry that was gradually retreating, but the effect was not good.
At 4:30 in the afternoon, the Austrian cavalry general, Baron Leopold von Adlersheim, suddenly appeared on the flank of the Prussian army with his cavalry. Relying on the surprise attack of the cavalry artillery battery, Baron Leopold brought considerable trouble to Prussia, but that was all.
In the end, Prussia still managed to capture the crossing of the Isar River, but the bridge here had been destroyed.
On September 30, after Archduke Brecht avoided this attack, he sent two infantry divisions of the First Army to secretly cross the Isar River via Muchengraz. I never expected that after crossing the river on the night of October 1, I would directly face the 14th Division of the Prussian First Army.
This encounter was forcibly turned into a positional battle, which lasted for a day, and the infantry of both sides launched a fierce exchange of fire.
Head-on confrontation relied on equipment and firepower. Even if the military strength was unequal, Prussia still won the battle.
In this battle, the Austrian line infantry and chasseurs mounted bayonets on their rifles after several rounds of volleys, trying to use charges to drive away the Prussian infantry on the opposite side. However, with the breech-loaded striker guns in their hands, the Prussians used precise and uninterrupted fierce firepower to cause heavy casualties to the attacking Austrian troops.
However, even if Prussia drove the Austrian army back to Muchengraz, it also suffered many casualties.
On October 3, the Austrian army once again launched an attack on the other side of the Isar River. Under the command of Colonel Bogou, it fought with the Prussian army with two full divisions. The bloody battle took place in a small town along the river, where small houses and streets were shattered by shells.
In the sky full of flames and billowing smoke, despite the Austrian army's repeated charges and desperate resistance, they were still defeated by the deadly firepower of the Prussian firing pin rifles and shrapnel shells, and the entire camp was defeated.
At this point, the Austrian casualties on the entire Western Front exceeded 2,300, and 1,000 Austrian soldiers were lost in the two battles on the Isar River alone.
But the war continues, showing no signs of stopping.
(End of chapter)
