Good forHistory buffs
Camp Polk opened in June 1941 to serve the Louisiana Maneuvers—500,000 soldiers, 19 divisions, 3,400 square miles of coordinated movement across the piney woods and red-dirt parishes of central Louisiana. By July 1943 the camp held captured soldiers from the Afrika Korps. The base was renamed Fort Johnson in 2023. Today it's home to the Joint Readiness Training Center, where the museum collects the material record of those maneuvers and the decades since. Check base access requirements before visiting.
Quick facts
- ·Established June 1941 as Camp Polk
- ·Louisiana Maneuvers (1941): 500,000 soldiers, 19 divisions, 3,400 sq mi
- ·German POWs from Afrika Korps held here starting July 1943
- ·Renamed Fort Johnson in 2023
- ·Home to the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC)
- ·Museum open to visitors—check base access requirements
Memories
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Editorial content compiled with AI assistance. Place details verified against public records.