Camp Stoneman
Camp Stoneman was a United States Army facility located in Pittsburg, California. It served as a major troop staging area for and under the command of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation (SFPOE).[1] The camp operated during World War II and the Korean War.
The camp opened May 28, 1942 as for the purpose of staging troops for the Pacific Theater of Operations.[2] The camp was named after George Stoneman, a cavalry commander during the Civil War, and Governor of California. It was decommissioned as a military post in 1954.
The camp had a railroad track across the north side for receiving and shipping men. Late in the war the SFPOE experimented with embarking troops directly aboard a Liberty ship at the camp but that was not successful due to difficulties of large ship navigation to the camp.[1] Next to this were many buildings with loading docks, many which were still there in 2017 along Bliss Avenue. There were seven barracks areas, each consisting of nine blocks (3 x 3) surrounding a mess hall.
In addition to being a staging area for troops in transit the Pacific Coast Transportation Corps Officer Training School was located at the camp.[2] The camp also housed prisoners of war with Italian Service Unit of the 18th Italian Quartermaster Service Company working at the camp.[3]
Units staged at Camp Stoneman[]
- 13th Troop Carrier Squadron, October 10 to November 1, 1942
- 2nd Infantry Division
- 172nd Infantry Regiment
- 4th Engineer Special Brigade
- 5th Cavalry Regiment World War II combat survivors of Company B, 124th Infantry Regiment, 31st Infantry Division, at Camp Stoneman in December 1945.
- 7th Cavalry Regiment
- 86th Infantry Division deployed from Camp Gruber, OK, staged at Camp Stoneman 14–21 August 1945 then departed SFPOE to the Philippines[4]
- 805th Engineer Aviation Battalion
- 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiment[5]
345th Bombardment Group (Air Apaches)
- 380 Bomb Group (5th Air Force), April 1943.[6]
First Special Service Force, August 30 to September 4, 1943
References[]
- ^ a b Wardlow, Chester (1956). The Technical Services—The Transportation Corps: Movements, Training, And Supply. United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army. pp. 118, 127. LCCN 55060003. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ a b Wardlow, Chester (1999). The Technical Services—The Transportation Corps: Responsibilities, Organization, And Operations. United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army. p. 124. LCCN 99490905. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ militarymuseum.org, Prisoner of War Camps and Italian Service Units in California
- ^ Stanton, Shelby L. (1991). Wortld War II Order of Battle. New York: Galahad Books. p. 158. ISBN 0-88365-775-9.
- ^ "2d Filipino Battalion (Separate) (Formerly 1st Battalion, 2d Filipino Regiment) Service Summary". history.army.mil. United States Army. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ HortoN, Glenn R (1995). THE BEST IN THE SOUTHWEST - THE 380TH BOMB GROUP IN WORLD WAR II. Savage, MN: Moise Publications. ISBN 0-9645959-0-7.
- The California State Military Museum
- The First Special Service Force by Robert D. Burhans March 1947
Coordinates: 38°00′33.5″N 121°53′11.65″W / 38.009306°N 121.8865694°W
- History of Contra Costa County, California
- Closed installations of the United States Army
- Buildings and structures in Contra Costa County, California
- Pittsburg, California
- 1942 establishments in California
- 1954 disestablishments in California