Fort A.P. Hill (Bowling Green, Caroline County, Virginia)
Bowling Green, Caroline County · Virginia · World War II
History & Significance
Following a detailed investigation in September 1940, artillery officer Lieutenant Colonel Oliver Marston recommended the Caroline County site near Bowling Green to the War Department. The installation was established as an army training facility on 11 June 1941, pursuant to War Department General Order No. 5.
The maneuver area contained 77,332 acres and billeting space for 74 officers and 858 enlisted personnel. In its 1st year, the installation was used as a maneuver area for the II Army Corps and for three activated National Guard divisions from Mid-Atlantic States.
In early 1942, 26,000 troops destined for Operation TORCH in North Africa trained at the site, including Major General Patton's Task Force A, which invaded French Morocco, and the 29th Division, which earned great honor on D-Day in 1944. During the early years of World War II, the post continued to be a training site for corps and division-sized units, and commencing in 1944, field training for Officer Candidate School and enlisted replacements from nearby Forts Lee, Eustis, and Belvoir was conducted. In 1952, during the Korean War, the installation was designated as Camp A.P. Hill and was a major staging area for units deploying to Europe, including the VII Corps Headquarters and the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.
Key Facts
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Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_A.P._Hill
- https://home.army.mil/aphill/about/history
- https://www.virginiaplaces.org/military/fortwalker.html
- https://fortaphill.wordpress.com/about-fort-ap-hill/