203rd General Hospital

The United States Army's 203rd General Hospital was activated on February 10, 1941, to meet anticipated military medical needs of a country preparing for war. Initially, the group was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, as a subsidiary of the base hospital there, and its primary function was to train medical technicians as army hospital and clinic support staff.

In 1942, the mission of the 203rd changed:  it was completely reorganized as an independent general hospital unit, and ordered to prepare for combat operations overseas. In December, 1943, commanded by Colonel James H. Turner, the unit left Fort Lewis for an east coast port of embarkation, and then, over 600 strong, set sail for an unknown theater of war. In early January, 1944, the unit landed in Scotland, and was transported by train to Southern England, where they joined other hospital units preparing to provide medical support for the coming invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. In England, they continued their combat and medical training in Petworth and Swindon, and by April, 1944, had established an 834-bed hospital plant at Broadwell Grove near Burford, where they eventually cared for troops wounded in the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion of Northern France.

In July, 1944, the 203rd followed allied armies to Normandy, landed on Utah Beach, and provided field hospital care during the Campaigns of Normandy and Northern France. After the liberation of Paris in August, 1944, the 203rd was assigned to a hospital plant in the Parisian region, where they administered and staffed in Garches, the largest medical establishment of the European Theater of Operations. During their tenure in Paris—from September, 1944, through July, 1945—over 65,000 patients were cared for by the 203rd. Unit members who had served with the 203rd since its arrival in France were awarded Bronze Stars for both the Normandy and Northern France campaigns.

In November, 1945, the 203rd was deactivated by the U.S. Army.

(NB: The 203rd was sometimes referred to as the 203d)