Wind Songs: The Base

After leaving LC's favorite fishing hole I rode back to my truck, loaded my bike and drove down towards the main gate of the base.

On the way I stopped briefly at a boat ramp and fishing bridge to take more pictures of the reservoir.

One thing that always surprised me about this area is that no matter how hot and sunny and summery the weather still is, the number of fishermen and lake swimmers and boaters drops dramatically right after Labor Day.

Even now, in mid October the temperature is still in the mid-70's but there is almost nobody on the water.

This fishermen, against a back drop of changing leaves, was the only person I saw on the water yesterday..............

This is a very beautiful, peaceful and quiet place on the base and I have kayaked extensively throughout this section of the reservoir...............

There are a great many sections of the base - some of which are open and available to the public and of course others accessible only to military personnel.

There is a campground, golf course, community center, residences and single quarters, beaches and picnic and fishing and hunting areas, a couple of shooting ranges and so much more.

There are three manned gates on base where visitors must have legitimate military-related reasons for passing through and I have only passed through one of them over the years, so there is much about this place that I have never seen.

Yesterday I stopped briefly before coming to one of the main gates, pulled the truck into a small parking area and took these pictures of aircrafts proudly on display...................

Heading back towards Tullahoma and home I made one last stop just on the outskirts of town.

Some information about Camp Forrest:

Camp Forrest, located in Tullahoma, Tennessee, was one of the U.S. Army's largest training bases during World War II. It was an active Army post between 1941 and 1946.

The camp, named after Civil War Cavalry Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, was originally named Camp Peay. Camp Peay was named after the Tennessee Governor Austin Peay and built in Tullahoma as a National Guard Camp in 1926. Camp Peay covered 1,040 acres (4.2 km²). Camp Forrest covered 85,000 acres (340 km²) located just beyond the old Camp Peay.

The camp was a training area for infantry, artillery, engineer, signal organizations, and cooks. It also served as a hospital center and temporary encampment area for troops during maneuvers. Maj. Gen. George Patton brought his 2nd Armored Division from Fort Benning, Georgia for maneuvers.

William Northern Field, an air training base, was an addition used as a training site for crews of four-engined B-24 bombers of the Army Air Forces.

Incoming troops had the normal amenities such as service clubs, guest houses, library, post exchanges, post office, hospital, religious services, theaters, showers, Red Cross, and Army Emergency Relief facilities. Recreation facilities include swimming, archery, tennis, a sports arena and a nine-hole golf course.

Camp Forrest officially became a prisoner of war camp May 12, 1942. The camp housed Italian and German POWs. Prisoners became laborers at Camp Forrest in the hospitals and on farms in the local community. Initially the camp held civilian detainees who were arrested at the outbreak of the war under a program called "Alien Enemy Control." Many of these internees were incarcerated without legal process. Official government documents made available in the late 1990s indicate that over 25,000 Alien Enemies were held at various locations throughout the United States. Camp Forrest's population was over 700. In 1943 they were transferred to other Internment Camps to make room for actual POWs captured on the field of battle.

In 1945 the U.S. government implemented an Intellectual Diversion Program to educate Germans on the American way of life. This program used educational and recreational media to change views of POWs, and the government claimed success with many prisoners.

Tullahoma was greatly affected by the installation of Camp Forrest. Because of maneuvers and operations, civilians had to adjust to blocked roads, traffic jams, crowded stores, the absence of mail delivery and driving at night without lights. Soldiers camped out on lawns and fields; many crops and fences were destroyed.

In 1940 the population in Tullahoma was 4,500. By the end of the war, the population had grown to 75,000. Many military people who moved in for construction and operation of the camp remained after the war.

In 1946 the war was over and Camp Forrest and Northern Field were declared surplus property. Buildings were sold at auction, torn down and carted away. Water and sewage systems and electrical systems were sold as salvage. All that remained were roads, brick chimneys and concrete foundations.

Soon after the close of the camp, the area was selected for the site of the Air Force's new Air Engineering Development Center. In 1951 the center was dedicated by President Truman and renamed the Arnold Engineering Development Center in honor of General of the Air Force Henry H. "Hap" Arnold. General Arnold was World War II Commander of the Army Air Corps and the only Air Force officer to hold 5-star rank.....................