Camp Fannin
Winona, Smith County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Numerous military bases were expanded or established throughout Texas during World War II. Originally planned as an Air Corps installation, construction of Camp Fannin began in late 1942. Named in honor of Texas revolutionary hero James Walker Fannin, Jr., the camp opened in the spring of 1943 and was formally dedicated in September. The main purpose of the camp was an Infantry Replacement Training Center (IRTC), and during its peak operation as many as 35,000 to 40,000 men were trained every four months to replace troops killed, wounded, or recalled from the war's battlefronts. In addition to the infantry training center, the camp also included a German prisoner of war facility from 1943 to 1946, and a Women's Army Corps (WAC) installation in 1944. Camp Fannin had a tremendous impact on the local economy, employing about 3,000 civilian workers and giving rise to numerous new businesses catering to the military trade. Many of the camp's facilities were later acquired by business interests and are still in use. Soldiers stationed here, as well as at least one former German prisoner, returned to East Texas to settle after the war. (1989)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
As World War II swelled the nation's military, construction began at Camp Fannin near Tyler in late 1942, named for Texas revolutionary hero James Walker Fannin, Jr. Opened in 1943 as an Infantry Replacement Training Center, at its peak it processed 35,000 to 40,000 men every four months to replace troops lost on the battlefronts, and it also held German prisoners of war and a Women's Army Corps unit. The camp reshaped the East Texas economy, and after the war some soldiers — and even a former POW — returned to settle in the region.
Why it matters
Camp Fannin shows how the vast machinery of World War II transformed rural America, turning quiet counties into training grounds that fed the front and changed who called the place home.
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Related people
- · James Walker Fannin, Jr.
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Camp Fannin Internment Camp World War II P.O.W. Camp
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Alongside its role training American soldiers, Camp Fannin near Tyler became a prisoner-of-war camp, receiving its first captives from Germany's Afrika Korps in October 1943. By 1944 it was designated a POW base camp overseeing smaller branch camps across East Texas, and with wartime labor scarce, prisoners were put to work in the region's forests and farms. The camp held more than 1,000 prisoners at a time and closed in May 1946 after repatriating them.
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