Desert Training Center, California

The Desert Training Center (DTC) was an 18,000 square-mile Army training ground used from 1942-1944. General George S. Patton created and commanded the DTC, which was later renamed the California-Arizona Maneuvers Area (CAMA). During its brief history, over a million US troops trained for combat here, making it the largest military training facility in the world. The DTC was initially established to train troops in desert survival and warfare, in preparation for combat against General Rommel's Africa Corps, who were then taking much of North Africa, and getting closer to controlling the world's supply of oil at the Persian Gulf. Tanks were the primary fighting tool used at the DTC, and tank tracks still mark the landscape, much of which is owned by the BLM. Remnants from many of the 12 field camps remain, mostly as rock mosaics and road alignments. The BLM is charged with preserving and protecting these camps, and monuments and fences are slowly appearing in these areas. A memorial museum to General Patton and the DTC is located off the interstate at Chiriaco Summit. The museum is located at the site of Camp Young, one of 12 WWII training camps that were part of the DTC.