Camp San Luis Obispo (San Luis Obispo County, California)
San Luis Obispo County · California · World War II
History & Significance
State Adjutant General Brigadier General Richard E. Mittelstaedt, 40th Division Commander Major General Walter P. Story, and State Senator Chris N. Jespersen persuaded the California Legislature to establish the camp as a training site for the California National Guard. The installation was formally dedicated on July 4, 1928, on 5,800 acres east and north of State Highway 1 on the Central Coast.
The U.S. Army acquired the camp in 1940 and renamed it; additional lands were annexed in the early 1940s, bringing the facility to approximately 14,959 acres. The cantonment area, constructed between 1940 and 1941, accommodated 1,523 officers and 19,383 enlisted personnel and featured 27 ranges and 13 training areas.
The camp served as a primary training hub for several infantry divisions conducting intensive exercises in small arms, artillery, mortars, rockets, and grenades from 1943 to 1946. The facility also functioned as a prisoner-of-war camp for German and Italian soldiers.
The 40th Infantry Division, comprising California, Nevada, and Utah National Guard units, underwent mobilization and training starting in March 1941 before sailing to the Philippines in December 1944. The Army constructed Salinas Dam along the Salinas River to supply water for the facility, marking the first major water project in San Luis Obispo County.
Key Facts
Map
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Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_San_Luis_Obispo
- https://calguard.ca.gov/cslo/
- https://www.militarymuseum.org/CSLO%20History.html
- https://grokipedia.com/page/Camp_San_Luis_Obispo
- https://www.spl.usace.army.mil/Portals/17/docs/FUDS/CampSLO_05_07_FactSheet_2019.pdf