Fort Devens

Fort Devens (1917-Present) - First established in 1917 as Camp Devens in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Named in G.O. 95, 18 Jul 1917 after Bvt Major General Charles Devens, a Massachusetts son who served in the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War, and later was named U.S. Attorney General. Renamed Fort Devens in 1931. Deactivated in 1996 and divided between the Devens Commerce Center and Devens Reserve Forces Training Area (DRFTA). DRFTA renamed Fort Devens in 2007.

Camp Devens Cantonment WWI Era	Camp Devens Hospital WWI Era
Camp Devens 1917 Panorama

World War I (1917-1918)

Originally established on on 5 Sep 1917 as one of 16 temporary cantonment areas in the United States during World War I.

Camp Devens was placed in caretaker status on 1 Sep 1921 and was used as a summer training camp for the National Guard, Reserve units, ROTC cadets and Citizens' Military Training Camp (CMTC) candidates. Camp Devens was designated a permanent military post and renamed Fort Devens in G.O. 10, 5 Nov 1931.

World War II (1941-1945)

With the start of the peacetime draft in 1940 a massive construction project built out over 1,200 wooden temporary WWII type buildings including two 1,200‑bed hospitals. Over $ 25,000,000 was spent on expanding the post in preparation for World War II.

During the war, Fort Devens trained three divisions, was the site of the Chaplains' School, and operated a 500‑man German prisoner of war camp. After the end of the war the post again served as a demobilization center and processed the returning troops.

Cold War (1947–1991)

The post was again placed on caretaker status until reactivated for the Korean War. Fort Devens played a training and support role in the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm and Operation Desert Shield. With the end of the Cold War the post was deactivated and divided between civilian uses and a National Guard/Reserve training area.

Current Status

Active duty post. The Devens Reserve Forces Training Area was renamed Fort Devens again in May 2007.

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Location: Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Maps & Images Lat: 42.5462958 Long: -71.6141613 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: '

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 397-398
• Rinaldi, Richard A., The US Army in World War I - Orders of Battle, Tiger Lily Publications LLC, 2004, 244 pages
• Brief Histories of Divisions, U.S. Army: 1917-1918, U.S.A. General Staff, June 1921, 92 pages

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Devens
• Wikipedia - Fort Devens
• Official History
• Fort Devens Museum
• New River Notes - World War I Forces

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