Camp Shanks, named after Major General David Carey Shanks (1861–1940) was a United States Army installation in and around Orangeburg in the Town of Orangetown, New York. Situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River, it 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. After the war Camp Shanks was converted into housing for veterans with families attending colleges and universities in the New York area under the GI Bill; the settlement, then known as Shanks Village, closed in 1954.[1]
Museum[]
A small museum opened near the site in June 1994.[2]
Units Passing Through Camp Shanks[]
(Partial Listing)
Ground Forces- 2d Infantry Division
- 75th Infantry Division
- 94th Infantry Division [3]
- 103d Infantry Division
- 106th Infantry Division
- 48th Infantry Regiment
- 50th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 6th Armored Division
- 16th Armored Division
- 6th Cavalry Group
- 15th Cavalry Group
- 106th Cavalry Group
- 275th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 808th Tank Destroyer Battalion
- 56th Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade
- 559th Anti-Aircraft Brigade
- 108th Antiaircraft Artillery Group
- 32d Signal Construction Battalion
- 61st Surgical Hospital
- 231st Station Hospital [1]
- 757th Railway Shop Battalion [2]
- 4031 Quartermaster TRK
- Headquarters, Third United States Army
- 71st Fighter Wing
- 27th Fighter Group
- 33d Fighter Group
- 36th Fighter Group
- 48th Fighter Group
- 357th Fighter Group
- 367th Fighter Group
- 14th Fighter Squadron
- 58th Fighter Squadron
- 59th Fighter Squadron
- 60th Fighter Squadron
- 371st Fighter Squadron
- 509th Fighter Squadron
- 511th Fighter Squadron
- 523d Fighter Squadron
- 524th Fighter Squadron
- 42d Bombardment Wing
- 97th Bombardment Group
- 379th Bombardment Group
- 390th Bombardment Group
- 401st Bombardment Group
- 445th Bombardment Group
- 446th Bombardment Group
- 448th Bombardment Group
- 452d Bombardment Group
- 467th Bombardment Group
- 490th Bombardment Group
- 441st Bombardment Squadron
- 442d Bombardment Squadron
- 443d Bombardment Squadron
- 444th Bombardment Squadron
- 53d Troop Carrier Wing
- 301st Signal Company
- IX Tactical Air Command
Books and publications[]
- Gottlock, Wesley & Barbara., Lost towns of the Hudson Valley 2009. Full pictorial chapter about Camp Shanks and Shanks Village. www.gottlockbooks.com
References[]
- ↑ "Remembering Camp Shanks, Hudson Valley Magazine, September 2010, http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/September-2010/Remembering-Camp-Shanks/
- ↑ "Rockland County Tourism: Camp Shanks". Rockland County. http://rockland.org/event.cfm?page=1760. Retrieved 11 March 2010.[dead link]
- ↑ http://don.genemcguire.com/CampShanks.htm
External links[]
Coordinates: 41°02′10″N 73°57′30″W / 41.03611°N 73.95833°W
The original article can be found at Camp Shanks and the edit history here.