Feldlazarett

Feldlazarett is a term used for a military field hospital in German-speaking armed forces. The word combines Feld (field) with Lazarett (derived from lazaretto, a quarantine or military hospital), reflecting its role as a temporary medical facility deployed near front lines. Feldlazarette were designed to provide rapid medical care to wounded and sick soldiers, perform triage, stabilize patients, conduct initial surgical treatment, and prepare patients for evacuation to rear-area hospitals.

Organization and function are oriented toward mobility and efficiency. A Feldlazarett was typically staffed by surgeons, physicians, nurses, orderlies, and evacuation personnel. Facilities could be tents or temporary structures arranged into operating areas, wards, and supply depots, sometimes with limited diagnostic capabilities depending on the era. The core tasks included triage, definitive treatment for injuries and illnesses, and rapid stabilization to enable evacuation to larger general hospitals or lazaretts behind the front.

History and usage note that Feldlazarette were common in various German-speaking military forces from the 19th century onward. They played a key role in World War I and World War II, functioning as intermediate medical hubs between frontline medical posts and rear-area hospitals. In modern German military organization, field medical support has evolved under names such as Sanitätsdienst, and the explicit term Feldlazarett is largely historical, though the concept of mobile field hospitals persists in contemporary international and humanitarian deployments.