Camp Bury

Camp Bury
Name	Camp Bury
Location	Southern California, United States
Coordinates	33°N 116°W
Established	1942
Decommissioned	1946
Type	Temporary training facility
Controlled by	United States Army
Occupants	United States Army Air Forces, United States Army Ground Forces

Camp Bury was a World War II-era temporary training installation established in 1942 in southern California. It served as a staging, training, and support site for units preparing for deployment to the Pacific and European Theaters, and was closed in 1946 after demobilization reduced the need for auxiliary facilities. The camp intersected with regional transportation networks and nearby installations, playing a role in broader mobilization efforts during the war.

History

Camp Bury was created during the rapid expansion of United States mobilization following the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States entry into World War II. Construction and activation occurred amid nationwide initiatives such as the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 mobilization programs and the establishment of temporary camps like Camp Pendleton, Fort Irwin, and Camp Cooke. Early operations aligned with training directives issued by the War Department and saw coordination with the Office of War Mobilization for logistics and personnel flow. During 1943–1944 the camp supported units preparing for operations related to the Guadalcanal Campaign, New Guinea campaign, and later the Philippine campaign (1944–45), while also accommodating transient personnel bound for the European Theater of Operations after training rotations through installations such as Fort Ord and Camp Barkeley. Postwar demobilization followed the Surrender of Japan and the installation was decommissioned under the supervision of the War Assets Administration.

Location and geography

The camp was sited in a semi-arid valley within southern California, chosen for proximity to transportation corridors such as the Southern Pacific Railroad and major highways serving the Los Angeles County and Riverside County regions. The locale provided access to nearby military airfields including March Field and naval facilities like Naval Station San Diego, enabling air and sea lift connections. Topographically the area featured chaparral-covered hills and alluvial plains typical of the Peninsular Ranges, with seasonal rivers and washes feeding into the Salton Sea watershed. Climate was Mediterranean to desert transitional, with hot summers and mild winters, which facilitated year-round training similar to conditions encountered in the North African Campaign and the Pacific Islands environment.

Purpose and operations

Camp Bury’s mission encompassed basic and advanced infantry training, small-unit tactics, field artillery live-fire exercises, and motor transport maintenance. Units rotated through the installation to undertake phases of preparation mirroring doctrine promulgated by the Army Ground Forces and coordination with United States Army Air Forces for combined-arms exercises. The camp functioned as a staging point for embarkation to ports such as Port of San Francisco and Port of Los Angeles, and for air movement via Los Angeles International Airport and regional air bases. Logistical operations included vehicle staging, ammunition handling consistent with regulations promulgated by the Ordnance Department, and medical processing through protocols influenced by the United States Army Medical Department. Camp Bury hosted maneuvers that drew on tactical guidance from publications like FM 7-10 and training standards used at other major centers including Fort Benning and Fort Bragg.

Facilities and infrastructure

Infrastructure at the installation comprised temporary barracks, mess halls, motor pools, firing ranges, and a small airstrip for liaison aircraft. Construction relied on standardized prefabricated designs distributed by the Corps of Engineers and Contractors active in wartime construction, paralleling projects at Adak Army Airfield and Fort Ord. Civilian laborers and enlisted engineers erected utilities including potable water systems, latrine blocks, and power distribution connected to regional grids administered by entities such as Southern California Edison. Medical support was provided by a dispensary modeled after Townsend Hospital-era field medical units, and a dental clinic following Army Dental Corps guidelines. Ammunition storage and explosive ordnance disposal sites followed protocols from the Ordnance Corps with clear zones adjacent to training grounds. Temporary chapels and recreational facilities hosted USO shows featuring entertainers who had performed for troops at venues like Hollywood Canteen.

Personnel and command

Command of Camp Bury was exercised by a rotating cadre of Army officers assigned from the War Department’s regional command structure, with senior leadership drawn from backgrounds in infantry, artillery, or logistics, many trained at United States Army Command and General Staff College. The garrison included a mix of Regular Army cadre, draftees inducted under the Selective Service Act, and specialist detachments from Signal Corps, Quartermaster Corps, and Chemical Corps. Liaison officers maintained relationships with nearby installations such as Camp Pendleton and naval commands, and with military police elements patterned after Provost Marshal procedures. Women’s Army Corps units and civilian clerical staff also supported administrative functions in line with personnel practices at other wartime camps.

Legacy and historical significance

Although the physical footprint of the camp was largely dismantled after 1946, Camp Bury contributed to the wartime mobilization infrastructure that enabled campaigns across the Pacific War and European Theater of Operations. Its role is reflected in archival records maintained by regional historical societies and by studies of military logistics that reference networks of temporary installations including Camp Roberts and Camp Polk. Postwar land reuse mirrored patterns seen at other former military sites, with portions converted to agricultural, industrial, or municipal use under the auspices of agencies like the Department of the Interior. Commemoration has occurred through local museums and veterans’ organizations that preserve unit histories tied to the camp, and through academic work examining home-front mobilization, exemplified by scholarship produced at institutions such as University of California, Los Angeles and University of Southern California.

Category:World War II installations of the United States