WWII Souvenirs & Memorabilia from Desert Training Center
| Since I first started exploring the old camps of Desert Training Center over 20 years ago, I have been very fortunate to have spoken with veterans who trained at the various camps in Arizona or California during WWII to hear their stories and experiences. As time goes on, it is now the grown adult children of the veterans who reach out when they want to learn more about their dad's time at DTC, or, they have materials and memorabilia they want to share with me. I am very thankful for the families who understand my interest in the DTC camps and are generous enough to share what they have. Below are some WWII DTC-related items in my collection. |
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| A 1943 dated map of Area's A, B and C of the Desert Training Center. | |
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| A 6-page unit newspaper from Camp Hyder that belonged to a soldier of the 306th Infantry Regiment of the 77th Infantry Division. | |
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| A 20 page pamphlet belonging to a soldier of the 13th Infantry Regiment/ 8th Infantry Division while estationed at Camp Laguna in Arizona. | |
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| This German helmet war trophy was
given to me from a soldier (Orville) who I met back in 2006. He trained
at DTC and then saw service in Europe. He told me that while on patrol
the evening of Thanksgiving Day, 1944, his unit was walking on a dirt
road when his sergeant told the squad to take a break. Just as they laid
back against a berm, a German machine gun from up the road opened up
with tracers. Had they walked another minute they would have sustained
heavy casualties. Orville's squad was told to check out the machine gun,
and it was his turn to be point. As they walked through the forest, he
saw a soldier illuminated by the bright moon, and as he raised his M1
Garand, he was hit in the clavicle and stomach by a burst from the
German's submachine gun. He was in a hospital recovering when the German's launched the Battle of the Bulge offensive. Although not entirely healed, he reported back to his unit and fought through the campaign. As the war was winding down, his unit was outside of Munich in April of 1945 when they came across a large pile of military equipment and weapons that the surrendering Germans had discarded. He grabbed this helmet and had it shipped home. |
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| A photo album from the family of a soldier who served with the 6th Infantry Division while stationed at Camp Coxcomb. | A photo album with 75 photos from the family of a soldier who served with the 5th Armored Division, 95th Armored Field Artillery Battalion while on maneuvers at DTC. |
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| A newspaper from the 104th Infantry Division while at Camp Horn, Arizona. This paper was published while the division was on Maneuvers in California. | |
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| Newspapers from the 81st Infantry Division Wildcats while they were stationed at Camp Horn. | |
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| The photo album from a nurse who was stationed with the 92nd Evacuation Hospital at Camps Freda and Desert Center. The album contains over 65 photos and has hand-drawn diagrams of the camp and tent layouts. | |
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| Newspapers of the 104th Infantry Division Timberwolfs while stationed at Camp Horn. | |