195th (Airlanding) Field Ambulance
Encyclopedia
The 195th Field Ambulance was a Royal Army Medical Corps
unit of the British airborne forces
during the Second World War.
The 195th was the second airlanding Field Ambulance
formed by the British Army. Once raised it was assigned to the 6th Airlanding Brigade, which was part of the 6th Airborne Division. It accompanied the brigade on operations, seeing service in the Normandy landings in 1944, and the River Rhine crossing
in 1945, after which they remained in Germany following the advance until the end of the war.
At the end of May 1945, the 195th was withdrawn back to England, but by the end of the year had moved with the 6th Airborne Division to the British mandate of Palestine
in an internal security
role. The 195th served in Palestine until the 6th Airlanding Brigade was disbanded.
, the British Prime Minister
, Winston Churchill
, directed the War Office
to investigate the possibility of creating a corps
of 5,000 parachute troops. In September 1941 the 1st Parachute Brigade began forming, comprising three parachute infantry battalions. In keeping with British Army practice at the same time as the infantry battalions were forming, airborne supporting arms were formed including Royal Army Medical Corps
volunteers.
Of the seven airborne field ambulance
s formed during the Second World War, two were glider borne the 181st
and the 195th. While the other five were parachute trained the 16th
, 127th
, 133rd
, 224th
and the 225th
.
was arduous, and designed to ensure they were at the peak of physical fitness. It also comprised glider training accustoming them to the hardships and problems associated with travelling by gliders. To complement their glider training some of the unit also completed parachute training.
The war establishment of an airlanding Field Ambulance, consisted of 204 all ranks. Consisting of ten doctors in two surgical teams and five sections. They could deal with 330 cases in twenty-four hours. With the surgical teams completing 1.8 operations an hour, but if they were required to operate the following day had to be relieved after twelve hours.
It was commanded by a Lieutenant-Colonel, with a major
second in command
and a regimental sergeant major
as the senior non commissioned rank. Medical staff included two specialist surgeons and a specialist anaesthetist, a pharmacist and a Royal Army Dental Corps
(RADC) dentist
. To assist with operations there were six operating room assistants, a sergeant
nursing orderly and six nursing orderlies. Other medical staff were a sergeant sanitary assistant, a masseur, a RADC orderly. These were assisted by five stretcher bearers, one of whom was trained as a shoemaker. The rest of the headquarters was comprised of a Quartermaster
, clerks, cooks, storemen, an Army Physical Training Corps
instructor and a barber. The four sections each comprised an officer (Doctor) in command and a staff sergeant
(nursing orderly) second in command. Three nursing orderlies, a clerk, a dutyman and thirteen stretcher bearers. The last component of the Field Ambulance was the Royal Army Service Corps
detachment, commanded by a captain
, with a company sergeant major
as second in command. They had fifty men under them, including thirty-eight drivers, four motorcyclists and five vehicle mechanics.
. The 195th would land from around 21:00 that evening in Operation Mallard
, the plan for the unit was flexible and the location they would establish their Main Dressing Station (MDS) would be decided after they had landed. To carry the 195th to Normandy they were assigned ten Horsa
gliders; on board there were the MDS staff, with the two surgical teams and Nos. 3 and 4 Sections. At total there were eleven officers, 109 other ranks
, nine Jeeps
and five trailers. The remainder of the unit would arrive by sea.
The commanding officer with No. 3 Section would land at landing zone 'N', while the MDS with No. 4 Section landed at landing zone 'W'. By 22:30 they had cleared the landing zone and stayed the night at Bas de Ranville and the following morning set up the MDS at Mariquet, which was receiving casualties by 11:00. By midnight 7 June they had treated 154 wounded and the surgeons had performed twenty-three operations. By 07:00 8 June a secure route to the landing beaches was formed and the wounded were evacuated to England. Later that afternoon the seaborne party arrived, reinforcing the MDS staff. In the evening the MDS, which had been under mortar fire, received a direct hit and one of the surgical teams was moved into the buildings basement. Throughout the day they treated 163 wounded and performed eleven operations. On 9 June the MDS was still under intermittent mortar fire but managed to treat 156 wounded and perform eleven operations. By now a blood bank had been established for the British forces at Le Deliverande but supplies were still short and volunteers were asked to donate blood. One volunteer was a captured German non-commissioned officer
medical orderly, who not only gave blood but assisted at the MDS. For his conduct during this time the second in command Major Young wrote out a citation for the Iron Cross
, which was passed to the German authorities. From 18 June an exhaustion ward was set up at the MDS; men identified as suffering were sedated for forty-eight hours and then returned to their units. By the end of June the 195th had admitted 1,687 men to the MDS and performed 127 operations.
On 19 August the 6th Airborne Division crossed the River Dives and advanced north along the coast of France. In the advance No. 2 Section was attached to the 2nd Ox and Bucks Light Infantry
, while No. 3 Section was attached to the 12th Devonshire Regiment and later the 1st Royal Ulster Rifles
. The MDS at first remained where it was and casualties were evacuated from the front line back to the MDS by Jeep. The following day it was moved across the River Dives to the Château de Villers, and in 26 August to the Manor de la Pommeraye. The division was withdrawn to England in September 1944; during the advance, the 195th had treated 332 casualties, performing nineteen operations.
, arriving at Calais
on 24 December. The division remained on the continent carrying out patrols until February when once again they were withdrawn to England.
The second airborne crossing of the River Rhine, Operation Varsity
took place on 24 March 1945. Involved were the British 6th and the American 17th Airborne Division. With the 6th Division landing in the area around Bergen
and Hamminkeln
. As in Normandy the two parachute brigades would land first followed by the airlanding brigade.
The gliders carrying the 195th started crossing the River Rhine from 10:30; in the face of prepared German defences the airlanding brigade suffered forty per cent casualties in the landings. The following afternoon the troops involved in the assault river crossing the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division linked up with the airborne troops, who by then had taken almost 3,000 casualties.
On 26 March the 195th followed up the divisions advance into Germany, passing through Rhade
, Limbeck
and reached Coesfeld
on the 30 March.
Reaching the River Weser the 195th established their MDS at Petershagen
, they did not remain here long with the speed of the divisions advance, they were soon at the River Elbe. At Wismar
the 195th set up a refugee reception centre, and started treating German civilians and refugees fleeing west from the advancing Russians. Here they remained until the end of the war.
area while they acclimatised to the conditions.
When the division deployed at the end of October the 195th moved to the Samaria
district. On 15 April 1946, 6th Airlanding Brigade left the division and was renumbered the 31st Independent Infantry Brigade. However the 195th remained with the 6th Airborne Division, and retained as a parachute unit being renamed the 195th (Parachute) Field Ambulance.
On 31 October the 195th suffered its first casualties, when two men were killed by a mine exploding under their vehicle. In January 1947 the division relocated to the north of Palestine and the 195th moved to the Galilee
sector. In 1948 the British mandate in Palestine ended. At the same time it was decided to disband the division and all its units. Leaving in small groups the last men of the 195th left Palestine in March 1948.
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
unit of the British airborne forces
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
during the Second World War.
The 195th was the second airlanding Field Ambulance
Field Ambulance
A Field Ambulance is the name used by the British Army and the armies of other Commonwealth nations to describe a mobile medical unit that treats wounded soldiers very close to the combat zone...
formed by the British Army. Once raised it was assigned to the 6th Airlanding Brigade, which was part of the 6th Airborne Division. It accompanied the brigade on operations, seeing service in the Normandy landings in 1944, and the River Rhine crossing
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
in 1945, after which they remained in Germany following the advance until the end of the war.
At the end of May 1945, the 195th was withdrawn back to England, but by the end of the year had moved with the 6th Airborne Division to the British mandate of Palestine
Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine existed while the British Mandate for Palestine, which formally began in September 1923 and terminated in May 1948, was in effect...
in an internal security
Internal security
Internal security, or IS, is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other self-governing territories. generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats...
role. The 195th served in Palestine until the 6th Airlanding Brigade was disbanded.
Background
Impressed by the success of German airborne operations, during the Battle of FranceBattle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, the British Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, directed the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
to investigate the possibility of creating a corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
of 5,000 parachute troops. In September 1941 the 1st Parachute Brigade began forming, comprising three parachute infantry battalions. In keeping with British Army practice at the same time as the infantry battalions were forming, airborne supporting arms were formed including Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
volunteers.
Of the seven airborne field ambulance
Field Ambulance
A Field Ambulance is the name used by the British Army and the armies of other Commonwealth nations to describe a mobile medical unit that treats wounded soldiers very close to the combat zone...
s formed during the Second World War, two were glider borne the 181st
181st (Airlanding) Field Ambulance
The 181st Field Ambulance was a Royal Army Medical Corps unit of the British airborne forces during the Second World War.The Field Ambulance was assigned to the 1st Airlanding Brigade, the glider borne element of the 1st Airborne Division. Some men of the unit took part in the first parachute raid...
and the 195th. While the other five were parachute trained the 16th
16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
The 16th Field Ambulance was a Royal Army Medical Corps unit of the British airborne forces during the Second World War. The unit was the first parachute field ambulance unit of the British Army. Their first deployment was in Operation Torch the Allied landings in North Africa. This was followed...
, 127th
127th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
The 127th Field Ambulance was a Royal Army Medical Corps unit of the British airborne forces during the Second World War.The 127th Field Ambulance was originally a pre war Territorial Army unit converted to parachute duties, becoming the second parachute field ambulance in the British Army...
, 133rd
133rd (Parachute) Field Ambulance
The 133rd Field Ambulance was a Royal Army Medical Corps unit of the British airborne forces during the Second World War.The 133rd Field Ambulance was formed in Palestine in January 1943, by the conversion of the 133rd Field Ambulance to parachute duties...
, 224th
224th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
The 224th Field Ambulance was a Royal Army Medical Corps unit of the British airborne forces during the Second World War.The 224th Field Ambulance was converted to an airborne unit in 1942, and assigned to the 3rd Parachute Brigade, part of the 6th Airborne Division...
and the 225th
225th (Parachute) Field Ambulance
The 225th Field Ambulance was a Royal Army Medical Corps unit of the British airborne forces during the Second World War.When raised the Field Ambulance was assigned to the 5th Parachute Brigade, which was part of the 6th Airborne Division. As such they participated in Operation Tonga part of the...
.
195th (Airlanding) Field Ambulance
On 1 October 1943 the 195th (Airlanding) Field Ambulance was formed under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Maurice Anderson, by the conversion of the 195th Field Ambulance to parachute duties. The 195th was the second airlanding field ambulance unit formed. It was then assigned to the 6th Airlanding Brigade, part of the 6th Airborne Division. Training for the 195th as an airborne forceAirborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
was arduous, and designed to ensure they were at the peak of physical fitness. It also comprised glider training accustoming them to the hardships and problems associated with travelling by gliders. To complement their glider training some of the unit also completed parachute training.
The war establishment of an airlanding Field Ambulance, consisted of 204 all ranks. Consisting of ten doctors in two surgical teams and five sections. They could deal with 330 cases in twenty-four hours. With the surgical teams completing 1.8 operations an hour, but if they were required to operate the following day had to be relieved after twelve hours.
It was commanded by a Lieutenant-Colonel, with a major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
second in command
Second in Command
Second in Command is a 2006 action film directed by Simon Fellows, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. It was released direct-to-video in the United States, Belgium, and Germany on May 2, 2006. It has been rated R by the MPAA for violence and some language. The film was made in Bucharest, Romania.-Plot...
and a regimental sergeant major
Regimental Sergeant Major
Regimental Sergeant Major is an appointment held by warrant officers class 1 in the British Army, the British Royal Marines and in the armies of many Commonwealth nations, including Australia and New Zealand; and by chief warrant officers in the Canadian Forces...
as the senior non commissioned rank. Medical staff included two specialist surgeons and a specialist anaesthetist, a pharmacist and a Royal Army Dental Corps
Royal Army Dental Corps
The Royal Army Dental Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army that provides dental care services to British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
(RADC) dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
. To assist with operations there were six operating room assistants, a sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
nursing orderly and six nursing orderlies. Other medical staff were a sergeant sanitary assistant, a masseur, a RADC orderly. These were assisted by five stretcher bearers, one of whom was trained as a shoemaker. The rest of the headquarters was comprised of a Quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
, clerks, cooks, storemen, an Army Physical Training Corps
Army Physical Training Corps
The Royal Army Physical Training Corps is the British Army corps responsible for physical fitness and physical education. Its members are all Royal Army Physical Training Corps Instructors ....
instructor and a barber. The four sections each comprised an officer (Doctor) in command and a staff sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
(nursing orderly) second in command. Three nursing orderlies, a clerk, a dutyman and thirteen stretcher bearers. The last component of the Field Ambulance was the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
detachment, commanded by a captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
, with a company sergeant major
Company Sergeant Major
A company sergeant major is the senior non-commissioned soldier of a company in the armies of many Commonwealth countries, responsible for standards and discipline. In combat, his prime responsibility is the supply of ammunition to the company...
as second in command. They had fifty men under them, including thirty-eight drivers, four motorcyclists and five vehicle mechanics.
Normandy
The 6th Airborne Divisions two parachute brigades landed in Normandy in the early hours of the 6 June 1944, in Operation TongaOperation Tonga
Operation Tonga was the codename given to the airborne operation undertaken by the British 6th Airborne Division between 5 June and 7 June 1944 as a part of Operation Overlord and the Normandy Landings during the Second World War....
. The 195th would land from around 21:00 that evening in Operation Mallard
Operation Mallard
Operation Mallard was the codename for an airborne forces operation which was conducted by the British Army on 6 June 1944, as part of the Normandy landings....
, the plan for the unit was flexible and the location they would establish their Main Dressing Station (MDS) would be decided after they had landed. To carry the 195th to Normandy they were assigned ten Horsa
Airspeed Horsa
The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British World War II troop-carrying glider built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces...
gliders; on board there were the MDS staff, with the two surgical teams and Nos. 3 and 4 Sections. At total there were eleven officers, 109 other ranks
Other Ranks
Other Ranks in the British Army, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are those personnel who are not commissioned officers. In the Royal Navy, these personnel are called ratings...
, nine Jeeps
Willys MB
The Willys MB US Army Jeep and the Ford GPW, were manufactured from 1941 to 1945. These small four-wheel drive utility vehicles are considered the iconic World War II Jeep, and inspired many similar light utility vehicles. Over the years, the World War II Jeep later evolved into the "CJ" civilian...
and five trailers. The remainder of the unit would arrive by sea.
The commanding officer with No. 3 Section would land at landing zone 'N', while the MDS with No. 4 Section landed at landing zone 'W'. By 22:30 they had cleared the landing zone and stayed the night at Bas de Ranville and the following morning set up the MDS at Mariquet, which was receiving casualties by 11:00. By midnight 7 June they had treated 154 wounded and the surgeons had performed twenty-three operations. By 07:00 8 June a secure route to the landing beaches was formed and the wounded were evacuated to England. Later that afternoon the seaborne party arrived, reinforcing the MDS staff. In the evening the MDS, which had been under mortar fire, received a direct hit and one of the surgical teams was moved into the buildings basement. Throughout the day they treated 163 wounded and performed eleven operations. On 9 June the MDS was still under intermittent mortar fire but managed to treat 156 wounded and perform eleven operations. By now a blood bank had been established for the British forces at Le Deliverande but supplies were still short and volunteers were asked to donate blood. One volunteer was a captured German non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
medical orderly, who not only gave blood but assisted at the MDS. For his conduct during this time the second in command Major Young wrote out a citation for the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
, which was passed to the German authorities. From 18 June an exhaustion ward was set up at the MDS; men identified as suffering were sedated for forty-eight hours and then returned to their units. By the end of June the 195th had admitted 1,687 men to the MDS and performed 127 operations.
On 19 August the 6th Airborne Division crossed the River Dives and advanced north along the coast of France. In the advance No. 2 Section was attached to the 2nd Ox and Bucks Light Infantry
Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army.The regiment was formed as a consequence of Childers reforms, a continuation of the Cardwell reforms, by the amalgamation of the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 52nd Regiment of Foot , forming the 1st...
, while No. 3 Section was attached to the 12th Devonshire Regiment and later the 1st Royal Ulster Rifles
Royal Ulster Rifles
The Royal Ulster Rifles was a British Army infantry regiment. It saw service in the Second Boer War, Great War, the Second World War and the Korean War, before being amalgamated into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1968.-History:...
. The MDS at first remained where it was and casualties were evacuated from the front line back to the MDS by Jeep. The following day it was moved across the River Dives to the Château de Villers, and in 26 August to the Manor de la Pommeraye. The division was withdrawn to England in September 1944; during the advance, the 195th had treated 332 casualties, performing nineteen operations.
Germany
In England the 195th were refitted and reformed then in December sent back to Europe in response to the surprise German offensive in the ArdennesBattle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, arriving at Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
on 24 December. The division remained on the continent carrying out patrols until February when once again they were withdrawn to England.
The second airborne crossing of the River Rhine, Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
took place on 24 March 1945. Involved were the British 6th and the American 17th Airborne Division. With the 6th Division landing in the area around Bergen
Bergen, Lower Saxony
Bergen is a town in the north of Celle district on the Lüneburg Heath, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Administratively it acts as a municipal borough divided into 12 subordinate parishes based on the town and its surrounding villages: Becklingen, Belsen, Bergen, Bleckmar, Diesten, Dohnsen, Eversen,...
and Hamminkeln
Hamminkeln
Hamminkeln is a town in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the river Issel, approximately 10 kilometers north of Wesel. It is twinned with Sedgefield, United Kingdom...
. As in Normandy the two parachute brigades would land first followed by the airlanding brigade.
The gliders carrying the 195th started crossing the River Rhine from 10:30; in the face of prepared German defences the airlanding brigade suffered forty per cent casualties in the landings. The following afternoon the troops involved in the assault river crossing the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division linked up with the airborne troops, who by then had taken almost 3,000 casualties.
On 26 March the 195th followed up the divisions advance into Germany, passing through Rhade
Rhade
Rhade is a municipality in the district of Rotenburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany.Rhade belonged to the Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen, established in 1180. In 1648 the Prince-Archbishopric was transformed into the Duchy of Bremen, which was first ruled in personal union by the Swedish Crown -...
, Limbeck
Limbeck
Limbeck was an alternative country band, with pop-punk roots, hailing from Orange County, California.-Background:Originating in Laguna Niguel, California, Limbeck featured Robb MacLean on lead vocals and guitar, Patrick Carrie guitar and backing vocals, Justin Entsminger on bass, and Jon Phillip,...
and reached Coesfeld
Coesfeld
Coesfeld is the capital of the district of Coesfeld in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first recorded earlier than that in the biography of St. Ludger, patron and first bishop of the diocese of Munster who was born north of...
on the 30 March.
Reaching the River Weser the 195th established their MDS at Petershagen
Petershagen
Petershagen is a town in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Geography:Petershagen is situated on the river Weser, approx...
, they did not remain here long with the speed of the divisions advance, they were soon at the River Elbe. At Wismar
Wismar
Wismar , is a small port and Hanseatic League town in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea, in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,about 45 km due east of Lübeck, and 30 km due north of Schwerin. Its natural harbour, located in the Bay of Wismar is well-protected by a promontory. The...
the 195th set up a refugee reception centre, and started treating German civilians and refugees fleeing west from the advancing Russians. Here they remained until the end of the war.
Palestine
At the end of May the division was withdrawn to England, it had been intended for them to go to the Far East for operations against the Japanese Empire. The dropping of the atomic bombs changed the War Office plans and instead the division was sent to Palestine as the Imperial Strategic reserve. On their arrival in Palestine the 6th Airlanding Brigade was concentrated in the GazaGaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
area while they acclimatised to the conditions.
When the division deployed at the end of October the 195th moved to the Samaria
Samaria
Samaria, or the Shomron is a term used for a mountainous region roughly corresponding to the northern part of the West Bank.- Etymology :...
district. On 15 April 1946, 6th Airlanding Brigade left the division and was renumbered the 31st Independent Infantry Brigade. However the 195th remained with the 6th Airborne Division, and retained as a parachute unit being renamed the 195th (Parachute) Field Ambulance.
On 31 October the 195th suffered its first casualties, when two men were killed by a mine exploding under their vehicle. In January 1947 the division relocated to the north of Palestine and the 195th moved to the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
sector. In 1948 the British mandate in Palestine ended. At the same time it was decided to disband the division and all its units. Leaving in small groups the last men of the 195th left Palestine in March 1948.