Camp Maxey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Camp Maxey
Nickname(s):  Camp Maxey Training Site
Camp Maxey Location in Texas
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Lamar
Area
• Total	14,427 acre (5,838 ha)
• Land	10,144 acre (4,105 ha)
• Water	4,283 acre (1,733 ha)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	75473
Area code(s)	903

Camp Maxey is a training place for the Texas Military Department. It was first built during World War II to train U.S. Army soldiers. Soldiers used it from July 1942 to early 1946. It is located near Powderly, Texas in Lamar County, Texas. The main entrance was about nine miles north of Paris, Texas.

Planning for this huge 70,000-acre camp started in 1940. This was soon after the National Military Draft was ordered. The plans sped up in 1941, just before the United States joined World War II in December 1941.

Construction of the camp began on February 27, 1942. On April 2, 1942, the Army officially named the new military base. It was called Camp Maxey to honor Confederate Brigadier General Samuel Bell Maxey. The first U.S. Army staff arrived on July 4, 1942. The camp officially opened on July 15, 1942.

Training Soldiers for War

The first group of soldiers trained at Camp Maxey was the 102nd Infantry Division. These soldiers arrived at Camp Maxey on September 1, 1942. The camp officially began training them on September 15, 1942. This division was led by Major General John B. Anderson.

The 102nd Infantry Division was known as the "Ozark Division." Before the war, it was a National Guard unit from Missouri and Kansas. Many young men from all over the United States joined the Army in 1942. They came to Camp Maxey for training. The division grew to about 40,000 soldiers.

What Training Was Like

Soldiers trained in many ways across the camp's 70,000 acres. The different types of land helped them practice for real battles. They had an artillery range for shooting big guns. There was also an obstacle course and an "infiltration course."

A special "German Village" was built for training. It had targets that popped up in windows and doorways. This made the training feel very real. The obstacle course had tough barbed wire barriers. Small dynamite charges were used to sound like artillery explosions.

In March 1943, Colonel Robert O. Annin took over running Camp Maxey. He stayed in charge for the rest of the war. The 102nd Division left Camp Maxey in late 1943. They moved to Louisiana for more training. After that, they went to France to fight in the war.

Other Units at Camp Maxey

In November 1943, the 99th Infantry Division arrived. This division was called the "Checkerboard Division." Major General Walter E. Lauer was their commander. The 99th Infantry Division trained at Camp Maxey until September 1944. Then, they were sent to fight in Europe.

Many other military groups also trained at Camp Maxey from 1942 to 1945. These included artillery units and special forces. They also trained engineers, medics, and military police. For example, the 793rd Military Police Battalion trained here. They later went to Scotland to prepare for the invasion of France.

Camp Maxey as a POW Camp

Camp Maxey was also a prisoner of war (POW) camp. It held prisoners from October 1943 to February 1946. The POW area had barracks and recreation halls. It was inside a large fenced area with watchtowers. This part of the camp was built to hold prisoners from the Pacific war.

However, most prisoners ended up being German soldiers. Many came from the defeated Afrika Korps in North Africa. Later, more German soldiers, sailors, and airmen arrived. By April 1945, there were 7,458 prisoners at the camp. The last German prisoners left Camp Maxey in the spring of 1946.

Camp Maxey After the War

After World War II ended in 1945, Camp Maxey's main job was done. The camp was put on an "inactive list" on October 1, 1945. Most of the camp slowly closed down. The last German prisoners left in 1946.

The camp sat empty for several years. In the 1950s, the government started to take Camp Maxey apart. More than 1,000 buildings were sold and torn down. Some buildings were moved to be used as public facilities.

However, several thousand acres were kept by the government. This included the old command buildings. These areas were given to the Texas National Guard. They would use it as a training facility. In the early 1960s, about 10,000 acres were used to build the Pat Mayse Reservoir. This made Camp Maxey smaller, about 6,650 acres.

Camp Maxey Today

Today, Camp Maxey is a training center for the Texas National Guard. Most of the old buildings are gone. The base is managed by the Texas Army National Guard. Its job is to provide training places for units in Northeast Texas. This includes different types of units, like Infantry and Engineer groups.

Over the last ten years, the camp has been updated. New training ranges and housing for soldiers have been built. On November 4, 2022, a strong tornado hit Camp Maxey.