M-4 Tanks at Camp Granite in 1943Filling up Tanks at Camp Granite in 1943Map of Desert training center with Camp GraniteDesert Training Center map US Army 1943
Built in the spring of 1943, Camp Granite was built to prepare troops to do battle in North Africa to fight the Nazis during World War II. The original camp had to quickly be moved to higher ground due to flooding. At Camp Granite were stationed the 90th Infantry Division and 104th Infantry Divisions. Among the smaller units known to have been stationed at Camp Granite were the 76th Field Artillery Regiment and the 413th Infantry Regiment. XV Corps (United States) used Camp Granite as their headquarters from July- 1943 to November 1943. When completed, the camp had 40 shower buildings, 157 latrines, 191 wooden tent frames, and a 50,000-gallon water tank.
Palen Pass in the Palen Mountains was the site of major maneuvers. The pass was both used as a place for troop to build defenses and as target for artillery training. Lockheed P-38 Lightnings bombed and attacked ground targets in the pass on August 20, 1943.
Marker
Marker on the Riverside, California site reads:[2]
NO. 985 DESERT TRAINING CENTER, CALIFORNIA–ARIZONA MANEUVER AREA (ESTABLISHED BY MAJOR GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR.) – CAMP GRANITE – Camp Granite was established at this site in the Spring of 1942. It was one of twelve such camps built in the southwestern desert to harden and train United States troops for service on the battlefields of World War II. The Desert Training Center was a simulated theater of operations that included portions of California, Arizona and Nevada. The other camps were Young, Granite, Iron Mountain, Ibis, Clipper, Pilot Knob, Laguna, Horn, Hyder, Bouse and Rice. A total of 13 infantry divisions and 7 armored divisions plus numerous smaller units were trained in this harsh environment. The Training Center was in operation for almost 2 years and was closed early in 1944 when the last units were shipped overseas. During the brief period of operation over one million American soldiers were trained for combat.
