View source for California-Arizona Maneuver Area

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'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (1942-1944) - A [[World War II]] training area established in 1942 as the [[Desert Training Center]] (DTC) in California and Arizona. Renamed the [[California-Arizona Maneuver Area]] (CAMA) later in 1942. Closed on 30 Apr 1944.
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== History ==
Established by Major General [[George S. Patton Jr]] {{Cullum|4795}} shortly after the start of [[World War II]] and officially opened on 30 Apr 1942 to train U.S. troops in desert warfare. The Desert Training Center came to include eleven divisional camps, a headquarters camp, two support camps, nine camp airfields, and three major support airfields. The training area was initially known as the Desert Training Center but was renamed on 20 Oct 1943 as the California-Arizona Maneuver Area. [[Camp Young (1)]] was the first camp established and it became the headquarters camp, officially named on 12 May 1942.

General Patton was ordered to find a suitable large-scale site in southeastern California and western Arizona. General Patton and his staff arrived at [[March Airfield]], Riverside, California on 4 Mar 1942 and spent three days evaluating areas in California, Nevada, and Arizona. He settled on an area roughly bounded by Palm Springs CA on the west, Yuma AZ on the south, Prescott AZ on the east, and Searchlight NV on the north. General Patton became the first commander of the Desert Training Center but remained there only until 2 Aug 1942 when he was called to other duties.
{{California-ArizonaManeuverAreaCmdrs}}
This training area was in the southern California and Arizona desert areas and encompassed some 18,000 square miles. The eleven divisional training camps were dispersed enough so that training in one area did not affect other areas. The divisional camps were designed to each contain a full division of troops, some 15,000 men. As each division completed its training cycle and was moved out another division took its place. Over one million troops were trained at the Desert Training Center and the California-Arizona Maneuver Area in its short two-year history.

As the war entered a new phase in 1944, the camps were closed and training was discontinued on 30 Apr 1944.

{| class="wikitable sortable"  width="800px"
|+ California-Arizona Maneuver Area (CAMA) Camps & Airfields
|-
! Camp
! Near
! State
! GPS
! Airfield
! GPS
! Notes
|-
| [[Camp Young (1)|Young]] || Desert Center  || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=33.66989|Lon=-115.79392}} || [[Shavers Army Airfield|Shavers]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=33.66482|Lon=-115.71058}} || Headquarters Camp<br>Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Desert Center|Desert Center]] || Desert Center  || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=33.71463|Lon=-115.40039}} || [[Desert Center Army Airfield|Desert Center]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=33.74778|Lon=-115.32528}} || Note 1
|-
| [[Camp Coxcomb|Coxcomb]] || Desert Center || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=33.91402|Lon=-115.27061}} || [[Camp Coxcomb Army Airfield|Coxcomb]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=33.92261|Lon=-115.23951}} || Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Iron Mountain|Iron Mountain]] || Freda || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=34.10072|Lon=-115.15594}} || [[Camp Iron Mountain Army Airfield|Iron Mountain]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=34.10186|Lon=-115.10754}} || Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Granite|Granite]] || Freda || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=34.06653|Lon=-115.13741}} || [[Camp Iron Mountain Army Airfield|Iron Mountain]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=34.10072}|Lon=-115.15594}} || Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Essex|Essex]] || Needles || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=34.79238|Lon=-115.26787}} || [[Camp Essex Army Airfield|Essex]]|| {{GPSLink|Lat=34.77151|Lon=-115.22152}} || Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Clipper|Clipper]] || Needles || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=34.79689|Lon=-115.22118}} || [[Camp Essex Army Airfield|Essex]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=34.77151|Lon=-115.22152}} || Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Hyder|Hyder]] || Hyder || align="center" | AZ || {{GPSLink|Lat=33.02111|Lon=-113.37611}} ||  || {{GPSLink|Lat=|Lon=}} || Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Horn|Horn]] || Dateland || align="center" | AZ ||{{GPSLink|Lat=32.92679|Lon=-113.57589}} || [[Dateland Army Airfield|Dateland]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=32.81512|Lon=-113.52808}} || Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Pilot Knob|Pilot Knob]] || Pilot Knob || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=32.75819|Lon=-114.75477}} ||  || {{GPSLink|Lat=|Lon=}} || Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Laguna|Laguna]] || Yuma || align="center" | AZ ||{{GPSLink|Lat=32.84513|Lon=-114.38158}} || [[Camp Laguna Army Airfield| Laguna]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=32.86697|Lon=-114.39467}} || Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Bouse|Bouse]] || Bouse || align="center" | AZ ||{{GPSLink|Lat=34.03058|Lon=-113.73403}} ||  || {{GPSLink|Lat=|Lon=}} || Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Goffs|Goffs]] || Goffs || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=34.9208|Lon=-115.06436}} || [[Camp Goffs Army Airfield|Goffs]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=34.93658|Lon=-115.06823}} || Ammunition & Supplies
|-
| [[Camp Rice (2)|Rice]] || Freda || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=34.07882|Lon=-114.76456}} || [[Camp Rice Army Airfield|Rice]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=34.06482|Lon=-114.814}} || Divisional Camp
|-
| [[Camp Ibis|Ibis]] || Needles || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=34.97033|Lon=-114.82268}} || [[Camp Ibis Army Airfield|Ibis]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=34.97611|Lon=-114.84028}} || Divisional Camp
|-
|  || Blythe || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=|Lon=}} || [[Blythe Army Airfield|Blythe]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=33.62141|Lon=-114.71684}} || Major Airfield
|-
|  || Thermal || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=|Lon=}} || [[Thermal Army Airfield|Thermal]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=33.62673|Lon=-116.15643}} || Major Airfield
|-
|  || Needles || align="center" | CA ||{{GPSLink|Lat=|Lon=}} || [[Needles Army Airfield|Needles]] || {{GPSLink|Lat=34.7628|Lon=-114.62422}} || Major Airfield
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="7" | <small>Notes:<br> 1. Camp Desert Center housed an Evacuation Hospital, an Observers camp, Ammunition Depot, the 18th Ordnance Battalion, and a quartermaster truck company. Sometimes listed as a divisional Camp. </small>
|}

'''Sources:'''
* {{DesertTngCtr-CA-AZ}}.
* {{BischoffDTC}}
* {{Lynch-Kennedy-Wooley}}

'''Links:'''
* [http://www.historyshotsinfoart.com/USArmy/overview.cfm History Shots InfoArt - Overview of the US Army During World War II]
* [https://www.hmdb.org/results.asp?SeriesID=183 HMDB - Desert Training Center Historical Markers]

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