Existing comment:
Cold Front: Protecting the Troops from the Elements:
As the war ground on in Korea in the winter of 1950-1951, soldiers were frequently pinned down by enemy fire in harsh subzero conditions. Service-members with wet feet and wearing wet clothing fought in temperatures ranging from 20 to -30 F. Over the course of the winter, 5,600 frostbite patients had to be evacuated to Japan for treatment.
The following winter, the Army formed the Cold Injury Research Team to study how frostbite might be prevented and why certain Servicemembers seemed more susceptible to frostbite than others. Unlike previous efforts, it was an attempt to study cold injury in the environment as it occurred.
The research team found that wet clothing dissipated body heat, and that Servicemembers who had been immobilized or fatigued were especially vulnerable to frostbite. Based on these findings, the team concluded that improved training and management of troops in a cold environment could easily prevent many cases of frostbite. |