The Desert Training Center/California-Arizona Maneuver California-Arizona Maneuver Area, Area, 1942–1944, Volume 1: Historical and Archaeological Contexts for the California Desert

Summary

With the German Afrika Korps driving across the North African desert with impunity in 1941 and 1942, the U.S. Army realized that it might be called upon to assist its British ally in the fight against the Germans and Italians. Egypt, along with the strategic Suez Canal and the Middle East in general, was in danger of being lost to the Axis powers. It became imperative that the Axis be expelled from North Africa. The U.S. Army, however, had never fought a large-scale war in a desert environment. As a result, the Army Ground Forces designated more than 18,000 square miles of the Arizona and California desert as an armored training facility. Maj. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., was placed in charge of establishing this facility and served as its first commanding officer. The facility would thereafter reflect his tough image and relentless training doctrines. The facility was called the Desert Training Center (DTC), and its mission was to harden and prepare troops for the rigors of desert warfare in the forthcoming invasion of North Africa.

Operating from 1942 to 1944, the DTC expanded far beyond this original scope and in 1943 became known as the California-Arizona Maneuver Area (C-AMA). The Desert Training Center/California-Arizona Maneuver Area, 1942–1944: Historical and Archaeological Contexts provides an in-depth look at the history of this massive military training ground. The facility was truly massive in scale. Numerous divisional camps—measuring three miles long by one mile wide and housing more than 15,000 men each—were established throughout the desert. In addition, the facility contained airfields, supply depots, railroad siding, hospitals, ranges, and maneuver areas. Because of its hasty construction, short duration, and the army's desire to train men under spartan conditions, the DTC/C-AMA contained few permanent structures and was quite ephemeral compared with other military bases. Nevertheless, countless reminders of this massive training facility exist throughout the California desert today. Maneuver areas, where entire divisions practiced, attacking and defending huge land areas, can be seen. Small camps, where individual units were stationed, are marked with rock-lined walkways, and unit symbols are spelled out in rocks of different colors. Tank tracks can also be detected in a variety of locations. This report provides descriptions of the remaining property types· associated with the DTC/C-AMA and commentary on the significance of these resources. Included are details on the administrative history of the facility, the daily lives of the men stationed there, and the weapons, vehicles, and equipment used. Illustrated with historic as well as modern photographs, maps, and drawings, this report helps the reader gain an intimate sense of what took place in this portion of the Mojave Desert more than half a century ago.

Volume 1 of 2

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SRI Press

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1942 to 1944 (Duration of training during World War II)

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): SRI Press

Collaborator(s): Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM), California Desert District, Riverside, California; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District

Landowner(s): Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM), California Desert District, Riverside, California

Prepared By(s): Statistical Research, Inc.

Notes

General Note: Volume 1 of 2

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