Camp Shanks
Camp Shanks was a United States Army installation in the Town of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York. Named after Major General David Carey Shanks (1861–1940), it was situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River. The camp was the largest U.S. Army embarkation camp used during World War II.
History
Camp Shanks served as a point of embarkation for troops departing overseas during World War II. Dubbed “Last Stop USA”, the camp housed about 50,000 troops spread over 2,040 acres (8.3 km2) and was the largest World War II Army embarkation camp, processing 1.3 million service personnel including 75% of those participating in the D-Day invasion. In 1945 Camp Shanks housed German and Italian prisoners of war.[1]
After the war, Camp Shanks was converted into housing for veterans with families attending colleges and universities in the New York City area under the GI Bill; the settlement, then known as Shanks Village, closed in 1954.[1]
A small museum opened near the site in June 1994.[2]
Units passing through Camp Shanks
(Partial Listing)
Ground Forces
- 2d Infantry Division
- 6th Armored Division
- 6th Cavalry Group
- 12th Armored Division
- 15th Cavalry Group
- 16th Armored Division
- 32d Signal Construction Battalion
- 48th Infantry Regiment
- 50th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 56th Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade
- 75th Infantry Division
- 83rd Infantry Division
- 61st Surgical Hospital
- 94th Infantry Division[3]
- 103d Infantry Division
- 106th Infantry Division
- 106th Cavalry Group
- 108th Antiaircraft Artillery Group
- 208th Engineer Combat Battalion
- 231st Station Hospital[4]
- 275th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 294th Field Artillery Observation Battalion
- 559th Anti-Aircraft Brigade
- 757th Railway Shop Battalion[5]
- 808th Tank Destroyer Battalion
- 4031 Quartermaster TRK
- Headquarters, Third United States Army
Army Air Forces
- 14th Fighter Squadron
- 58th Fighter Squadron
- 59th Fighter Squadron
- 60th Fighter Squadron
- 371st Fighter Squadron
- 301st Signal Company
- 314th Fighter Squadron
- 315th Fighter Squadron
- 316th Fighter Squadron
- 441st Bombardment Squadron
- 442d Bombardment Squadron
- 443d Bombardment Squadron
- 444th Bombardment Squadron
- 509th Fighter Squadron
- 511th Fighter Squadron
- 523d Fighter Squadron
- 524th Fighter Squadron
- 27th Fighter Group
- 33d Fighter Group
- 36th Fighter Group
- 48th Fighter Group
- 324th Fighter Group
- 357th Fighter Group
- 367th Fighter Group
- 379th Bombardment Group
- 401st Bombardment Group
- 445th Bombardment Group
- 446th Bombardment Group
- 448th Bombardment Group
- 452d Bombardment Group
- 467th Bombardment Group
- 490th Bombardment Group
- 53d Troop Carrier Wing
- 71st Fighter Wing
- 97th Bombardment Group
- 390th Bombardment Group
- 42d Bombardment Wing
- IX Tactical Air Command
Other
References
- 1 2 Levine, David (September 2010). "Remembering Camp Shanks". Hudson Valley Magazine. Poughkeepsie, NY. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Camp Shanks World War II Museum". Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. 2012. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- ↑ Bennett, Donald Sr. "Camp Shanks". Don Bennett's War. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- ↑ "77th Station Hospital / 231st Station Hospital". WW2 US Medical Research Centre. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment 757th Transportation Battalion". History.army.mil. February 9, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
Further reading
- Gottlock, Wesley, and Barbara H. Gottlock. Lost Towns of the Hudson Valley. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2009.
External links
- Archives for The Palisades (1943-1946), bi-weekly newspaper for Camp Shanks, at Hudson River Valley Heritage Newspapers
- Archives for The Shanks Villager (1946-1953), newspaper for post-war Shanks Village, at Hudson River Valley Heritage Newspapers
Coordinates: 41°02′10″N 73°57′30″W / 41.03611°N 73.95833°W