Служба меннонитов в медицинских частях русской армии в период Первой мировой войны

Abstract

With the outbreak of WWI the Mennonites, as a German-speaking ethnic group, found themselves in a difficult situation of political, social and economic pressure. With the growth of germanophoby in the society, the Mennonites had to prove their loyalty to the Russian Empire. As serving in the military combatant units was impossible for the religious believers, they went to alternative military service in medical divisions. In the article some issues of medical support for troops, which was organized and conducted by public organizations, are disclosed. The plots of the Mennonite service during WWI in the medical units, which provided various tactical tasks on the Western, Caucasian Fronts and in the rear, are shown. The causes and circumstances of widespread voluntary involvement of the Mennonites (mainly corpsmen) into healthcare are highlighted. Testimonials from memoirs, diaries, and records of colleagues and physicians, who give characteristic of the Mennonites` diligence to their duties, were picked up. Significant part of the medical service stuff was corpsmen. The Mennonites were among them. About 7200 Mennonites were called up as a corpsman. They were respected by the doctors and got gratitude from the wounded and the sick due to their working capacity, and responsible attitude to the service. They served in the field hospitals, hospital trains and sanitary squads. About 100 – 120 of them died during the war. The Mennonite corpsmen were often at risk during the battles and were most at risk of being infected. In general, 12,400 Mennonites were involved into alternative military service (taking in to account the numbers of draftees in the Forestry and Road Teams). Being involved into alternative service, the Mennonites protected their families and congregations from the implementation of so called "Liquidation Laws", preserved private land and other property.