801ST MEDICAL AIR EVACUATION SQUADRON
54TH TROOP CARRIER WING

The 801st Medical Air Evacuation Squadron (801st MAES) was initially assigned to the 13th Air Force.

40,000 patients were evacuated by air from February 1943 through to 15 September 1944 by the 801st Medical Air Evacuation Squadron. In 10 days at Bougainville, 1,800 patients were evacuated to Guadalcanal and Espiritu. It was stated that "five hours after being wounded on the perimeter at Bougainville, the soldier would be on the operation table at Guadalcanal." "A soldier wounded in the morning at Munda, in the evening rests in a hospital at Espiritu Santo."

The 801st Medical Air Evacuation Squadron relocated from Guadalcanal to Biak in October 1944. It is assumed this was when it worked with the 54th Troop Carrier Wing. It then relocated to Leyte, Philippines in March 1945. From October 1944 until April 1945, the squadron evacuated 15,000 patients from Allie dbases in the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies and Palau.

Flight Nurses in Air Evacuation
Squadrons in Australia during WWII

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"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 3 May 2026

This page last updated 03 May 2026