Camp Shanks
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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
Army Air Forces
Other
References
- ^ a b 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