Camp Shanks

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
File:Camp shanks ny.JPG
Camp Shanks Memorial in Orangeburg, NY

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

<templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/>

3

Army Air Forces

<templatestyles src="Div col/styles.css"/>

3

Other

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Further reading

  • Gottlock, Wesley, and Barbara H. Gottlock. Lost Towns of the Hudson Valley. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2009.

External links

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.