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Camp Joseph T Robinson

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Date: 1937
Location: Pulaski, Arkansas, United Statesmap
Surnames/tags: Arkansas US_History Pulaski_County
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Camp Joseph T. Robinson

Camp Joseph T. Robinson in Arkansas was originally named Camp Pike in honor of General Zebulon Montgomery Pike.[1][2] In 1937, it was renamed after United States Senator Joseph Taylor Robinson.[1]

35th Division

35th ID Shoulder
Sleeve Insignia

The United States reclaimed Camp Robinson in 1940 and began construction on September 9, 1940 for a temporary facility to house the 35th Division. The 35th was a National Guard division with units from Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. As soldiers arrived at the camp, many were housed in makeshift tents. The unit had been training at the camp in Arkansas and Louisiana, and was preparing to return home when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After the attack, the unit was moved to the West Coast to defend against a possible Japanese attack on the mainline. They later conducted additional training at Camp Rucker, Alabama and Camp Butner, North Carolina, before being sent overseas to England in May of 1944.[3]

Training Units at Camp

153rd Infantry Regiment (First Arkansas)

153rd Infantry Regiment
Coat Of Arms

The 153rd Infantry Regiment (First Arkansas) was ordered to active duty on December 23, 1940, as part of a one-year mobilization of the National Guard in preparation for World War II, and spent the next 10 days at W[1]. The regiment then moved to Camp Robinson and completed basic training[4][5]. They eventually stormed Omaha Beach in July 1944 and participated in combat operations in France, Belgium and Germany. They crossed the Ruhr when the war ended.[3]

92nd Infantry Division

92nd Division
Shoulder sleeve insignia

The 92nd Infantry Division was activated at Camp Robinson on October 15, 1942. The 92nd was the last division of the segregated army. All enlisted personnel and about one-half of the officers were black[6][7][8]. The 92nd Infantry Division's unit newspaper earned a place as one of the premier newspapers in the European Theater of Operations during WWII[6]. After Almond arrived at Fort Huachuca, he received a telegram directing him to Fort McClellan, Alabama, to form the 92nd Infantry Division[9]. The military was then segregated. The division was organized in October 1917, after the U.S. entry into World War I, at Camp Funston, Kansas, with African-American soldiers from all states[10].

66th Infantry Division

66th Infantry Division
Shoulder sleeve insignia

The 66th Infantry Division was activated on April 15, 1943, and trained at Camp Blanding, Florida[11]. The division transferred to Camp Robinson, Arkansas, and then later to Camp Rucker, Alabama[11][12]. The 66th Infantry Division arrived at Camp Robinson on August 17, 1943, and stayed until April 7, 1944[11]. The division entered France at Cherbourg on December 25, 1944[11]. The black panther was chosen to symbolize the attributes of the division's soldiers: stealth and cunning in combat[13].

Branch Immaterial Replacement Training Center (BIRTC)

Prefabricated hutments

The BIRTC was located at the camp in early 1942. Their purpose was to train soldiers in basic infantry skills to prepare them for combat. The BIRTC consisted of five regiments, each with three battalions of four companies. They had the capacity to train 16,200 soldiers.[3]

The BIRTC was structured into five training regiments, namely the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th, with each regiment comprising three battalions. The 11th regiment had the 51st, 52nd, and 53rd battalions, the 12th had the 56th, 57th, and 58th, the 13th had the 61st, 62nd, and 63rd, the 14th had the 66th, 67th, and 68th, while the 15th had the 71st, 72nd, and 73rd.[3]

In January 1943, the BIRTC was transformed into an Infantry Replacement Training Center, and the training period was initially eight weeks, but later doubled in the same year. However, due to prevailing global circumstances, the duration of training was frequently shortened to meet the manpower requirements.[3]

Medical Replacement Training Center (MRTC)

MRTC students practice removing a wounded soldier from a simulated tank

The MRTC operated at the camp from 1942 to 1944. Their job was to train soldiers as medical personnel. The MRTC consisted of three regiments, one with two battalions and two with three battalions each. Each company had 270 personnel to train 13,500 trainees. The training cycle lasted eight weeks, but later was doubled.[3]

The MRTC was comprised of three regiments, specifically the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, with the 21st having two battalions - the 101st and 102nd - while the other two regiments had three battalions each - the 103rd, 104th, and 105th in the 22nd, and the 106th, 107th, and 108th in the 23rd. With each company, which had 270 individuals, the MRTC had a total capacity of 13,500 trainees. Initially, the MRTC's training period was eight weeks, similar to the BIRTC. However, it was later doubled, and the duration was frequently shortened in the event of urgent need for medics.[3]

In 1944, an Infantry Replacement Training Center replaced the BIRTC, which led to the MRTC being converted into infantry training units. After the restructuring process, the Infantry Replacement Training Center was authorized 878 officers and 4,024 enlisted soldiers, with a training capacity of 21,000. The training continued until 1946.[3]

Infantry Replacement Training Center

IRTC soldiers enjoy a Care package of cookies from home

A Branch Immaterial Replacement Training Center (BIRTC) was located on Camp Robinson in early 1942. Its purpose was to train soldiers in basic infantry skills to prepare them for combat, regardless of their specialty[1][3]. Originally the home of the Eighty-seventh Division, the post served as a replacement training facility after the division deployed to France and then as a demobilization center[14].. The facility consists of 32,000 acres, 26 small arms ranges and hosts three premier training institutions; the 233rd Regiment Regional Training Institute, the Professional Education Center and the Robinson Maneuver Training Center[15]

Famous Visitors

President Roosevelt visited Camp Robinson on Palm Sunday, April 18, 1943.

President Franklin Delora Roosevelt toured the camp on April 18, 1943. He arrived by train early in the morning and was driven along a route on the base lined with soldiers. At the time, there was a drizzle of rain, but the President rode with the top down in a convertible and was loudly cheered by the troops. He attended religious services in the field and departed the same day.[3]

Cary Grant visiting Camp Robinson

Cary Grant visited Camp Robinson during WWII[3][16]. He was an English actor born on January 18, 1904 and died on November 29, 1986[17]. He was known for his good looks and charm. Grant was one of the most popular actors of his time. He starred in many films, including "She Done Him Wrong"[18]. Unfortunately, there is no information available about the purpose or details of his visit to Camp Robinson.

Jackie Cooper visit at Camp Robinson

Jackie Cooper visited Camp Robinson during WWII[3]. Unfortunately, there is no information available about the purpose or details of his visit. Jackie Cooper was an American actor and director born on September 15, 1922, and died on May 3, 2011[19]. He began his career in film as a child[19]. During World War II, he played the drums with Claude Thornhill's band[20]

General Joseph “Vinegar Joe” Stillwell

General Joseph W. Stilwell visited Camp Robinson during WWII[21][22][23] He was a United States Army general who served in the China Burma India Theater during World War II[22]. Stilwell graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York in 1904 and rose to the rank of general in 1944[23]. During World War I, he served with the IV Corps in combat intelligence[24]. After 1935, he served as a military attaché to China and later commanded American forces in China during World War II[22]. His papers are available at the Eisenhower Presidential Library[25].

Robinson Maneuver Training Center (RMTC)

An underground hospital dug out
of sandstone and solid rock
at Camp Joseph T. Robinson (1943)

Construction on the camp began on September 9, 1940. The Robinson Maneuver Training Center, part of Camp Robinson, was named after Confederate States Army Brigadier General Albert Pike. Today, Camp Robinson provides training for the Army National Guard and other organizations.

Robinson Maneuver Training Center (Camp Robinson) is a 32,000 acres facility located at North Little Rock, Arkansas, which houses the Joint Forces Headquarters of the Arkansas National Guard and provides training for all branches of service[26]. The Arkansas National Guard has four major training sites. The Army National Guard at Robinson Maneuver Training Center (Camp Robinson) in North Little Rock[27]. The Army National Guard at Robinson Maneuver Training Center (Camp Robinson) in North Little Rock is part of the Arkansas Department of Military[28]. Camp Robinson Maneuver Training Center (RMTC) firearm and ammo are stored and concealed in a case out of sight and locked in their car[29]. Camp Robinson, also known as the Robinson Maneuver Training Center, is home to the Arkansas National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and other units[30].

39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

39th IBCT Shoulder
Sleeve Insignia

The 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is the largest major command in the state and is headquartered on Camp Robinson[27]. The 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, also officially known as The Arkansas Brigade, is an infantry brigade combat team of the Army National Guard[30]. While deployed in Iraq from April to December 2008, the headquarters of the 39th IBCT assumed the mission as the Base Defense Operations Cell (BDOC) for Victory[31]. The 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, formerly called the 39th Infantry Brigade (Separate) – nicknamed the Arkansas Brigade or the Bowie Team – is a combat brigade of the United States Army and part of the Arkansas Army National Guard[32]. The “Gunslinger” Battalion or 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment, of 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team welcomed Lt. Col. Todd Spafford as a familiar face[33].

German POWs

German POWs at the mess hall

During World War II, Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas served as a German prisoner-of-war camp with a capacity of 4000 prisoners[34][35][3]. Nearly 23,000 captured troops, mostly Germans and Italians from Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps, were sent to POW camps in Arkansas[34]. The initial prisoners at the German POW camp on Camp Robinson were members of Rommel's Afrika Corps captured in September of 1943[3]. Lieutenant Colonel Virgil Caldwell was in charge of the prisoners at Camp Robinson in 1943.[34]

POWs held at Camp Robinson were required to work around the camp and were allowed to work outside the camp for pay. The POWs were loaned out out for civilian labor and were paid eight cents a day. This allowed them to buy toiletries, candy, cigarettes, and even beer on the base. They even had their own matches, labeled "Prisoner of War" and one side had a image of a POW sailing away from the United States toward Hamburg, Germany.[36]

The camps were disassembled in 1946 at which time the prisoners returned to Europe. The United States had a positive effect on the former prisoners-of-war because many of them made repatriation to the United States government and returned to America.[34]

Interesting Facts about Camp Robinson

  • There was a 1,000 bed hospital on Camp Robinson during WWII. It consisted of 36 wards, connected by over 1.5 miles of walkways[3]. The Fifty-fifth General Hospital, also known as the "Underground Hospital," at Robinson Maneuver Training Center in Pulaski County was activated on May 25[37]. The 188th General Hospital was activated on June 25, 1943 at Camp Joseph T. Robinson[38]. Between World War I and World War II, the camp served as the headquarters of the Arkansas National Guard[39].
  • During WWII, there were 10 chapels, 3 libraries, 2 big px's and dozens of smaller ones, and eight theaters on Camp Robinson[3]. The camp was originally designed as a tent-barracks regimented cantonment for 25,000 soldiers, with construction beginning on September 9, 1940[3]. During the time between World War I and World War II, the post served as the headquarters of the Arkansas National Guard[2]. Facilities to support the use of the camp during WWII included a German prisoner-of-war camp with a capacity of 4000 prisoners[34], which was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Virgil Caldwell in 1943. By 1945, about 23,000 Germans and Italians were sent to Arkansas camps[34][40][14].
  • During WWII, there were 4 service clubs, a field house large enough to accommodate three simultaneous basketball games, an Olympic sized swimming pool and a 10,000 seat open air amphitheater on Camp Robinson[3]
  • During WWII, there was a dance at Robinson Auditorium in Little Rock every Saturday night sponsored by the Business and Professional Women's Club of LR. An average of 600 women attended, and the soldiers' numbers are unknown[3]. Robinson Center Music Hall opened in 1939 and hosted its first event, a dance, on October 4, 1939[41]. Over the years, Robinson has hosted theater, music, dance, lectures, sports, and civic events[42][43]. When it opened, it became the first auditorium in the South with air conditioning[43].
  • During WWII, there were buses to and from Little Rock departing every 15 minutes. The buses ran continuously; as one was filled up, it departed and another took its place. Bus fare was 15¢ one way or 25¢ round trip[3]. Today, the bus fare to Camp Robinson Rd costs about $1.35[44]. Camp Robinson published a weekly newspaper and had two daily radio programs on Little Rock stations[3]. The Little Rock Board of Commerce offered, at no cost to the U.S. government, the land where Camp Robinson was built[2]. Adult 31-Day Pass for METRO Local Bus and METRO Connect Little Rock/North Little Rock Microtransit costs $36.00 today[4].[45]

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Camp Robinson Replacement Training Center handbooks, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas. "Camp Robinson Replacement Training Center handbooks, 1942-1943." 27 Feb 2023.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Rucker, Steve, Little Rock, Arkansas. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. "Camp Joseph T. Robinson." Accessed 27 Feb 2023.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 Screws, Raymond D. "World War II - US Reclaims Post." Accessed 27 Feb 2023.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia Contributor. "153rd Infantry Regiment." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  5. ↑ GlobalSecurity. "3-153rd Infantry Battalion." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The National WWII Museum, New Orleans. "The Buffalo: 92nd Infantry Division's Weekly Newspaper during World War II." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  7. ↑ Bultman, Lori, Army. 18 Feb 2021. "Remembering the service of the Fith Army's 92nd Infantry Division." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  8. ↑ BlackPast, Afirican American History. "92nd Infantry Division (1917-1919, 1942-1945)." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  9. ↑ Lynch, Michael E., 'Almond Takes Command: 1941–1943', Edward M. Almond and the US Army: From the 92nd Infantry Division to the X Corps (Lexington, KY, 2019; online edn, Kentucky Scholarship Online, 21 May 2020), "Almond Takes Command: 1941-1943.", accessed 28 Feb. 2023.
  10. ↑ Wikipedia Contributor. "[[Wikipedia:92nd_Infantry_Division_(United_States)]." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Wikipedia Contributor. "66th Infantry Division." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  12. ↑ Wartime Press. "66th Infantry Division." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  13. ↑ U.S. Army Center of Military History. "66th Infantry Division." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Military Bases. "Camp Joseph Robinson Army Base in North Little Rock, AR." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  15. ↑ Arkansas National Guard Military. "Camp Joseph T. Robinson." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  16. ↑ FranaWiki Contributor. "Camp Robinson." Accessed 27 Feb 2023.
  17. ↑ Wikipedia Contributor. "Cary Grant." Accessed 27 Feb 2023.
  18. ↑ Kael, Pauline. PBS American Masters, Cary Grant:A Class Apart. "The Man from Dream City." Accessed 27 Feb 2023.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Wikipedia Contributor. "Jackie Cooper." Accessed 27 Feb 2023.
  20. ↑ HollywoodComet Contributor. "Cometoverhollywood." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  21. ↑ Hoover Institution Archives. "The World War II Diaries of General W. Stilwell." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Wikipedia Contributor. "Joseph Stilwell." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Joseph W. Stilwell". Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Oct. 2022, "Joseph W. Stilwell." Accessed 28 February 2023.
  24. ↑ Military Spotlight. "Joseph Stilwell - Military Academy of Leadership." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  25. ↑ Eisenhower Library. "Eisenhower - World War II Participants and Contemporaries: Papers." 28 Feb 2023.
  26. ↑ Wikipedia Contributor. "Robinson Maneuver Training Center." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Arkansas National Guard. "39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT)." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  28. ↑ Arkansas National Guard. "Arkansas National Guard." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  29. ↑ Camp Robinson Maneuver Training Center (RMTC). "Weapon Policy Brochure." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Wikipedia Contributor. "39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  31. ↑ 1st Cavalry Division Association. "39th Infantry Brigade History." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  32. ↑ Fandom Contributor. "39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States)." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  33. ↑ Defence Visual Information Distribution Service. "39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 34.4 34.5 1000 German war prisoners, German POW Camp at Camp Robinson, General photo file, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas. "1000 German war prisoners, German POW Camp at Camp Robinson." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  35. ↑ Bowman, Michael, Arkansas State University. Encylopedia of Arkansas. "World War II Prisoner of War Records: Records of Prisoner of War Camps in Arkansas, 1943-1946." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  36. ↑ Hanley, Ray., Museum of Arkansas Military History, MacArthur. Camp Robinson and the Military on the North Shore. United States: Arcadia Publishing Incorporated, 2014. "Camp Robinson and the Military on the North Shore." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  37. ↑ McMath, Phillip, Bruce. Edinburgh, Scotland. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. "Underground Hospital." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  38. ↑ WW2 US Medical Research Centre. "188th General Hospital - Unit History." 28 Feb 2023.
  39. ↑ View of splendidly equipped Orthopedic Dept. Base Hospital - Camp Pike, Ark., General photo file, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas. "View of splendidly equipped Orthopedic Dept. Base Hospital - Camp Pike, Ark.." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  40. ↑ Camp Robinson Replacement Training Center handbooks, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas. "Camp Robinson Replacement Training Center handbooks, 1942-1943." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  41. ↑ Teske, Steven. Encyclopedia of Arkansas. "Robinson Center Music Hall." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  42. ↑ Lloyd, Libby Doss. Little Rock Press Release. "Historic Timeline Exhibit Unveiled at Robinson Center: Marks Second Anniversary of Performing Arts Center Renovation." Accessed on 28 Feb 2023.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 Courage, Tracy. University News Archive. "History on Display." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  44. ↑ Moovit. "How to get to 4000 Camp Robinson Rd in North Little Rock by Bus." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.
  45. ↑ Rock Region Metro. "Fares and Passes." Accessed 28 Feb 2023.




Images: 15
Camp Joseph T. Robinson Main Gate
Camp Joseph T. Robinson Main Gate
35th ID Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
35th ID Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
153rd Infantry Regiment Coat Of Arms
153rd Infantry Regiment Coat Of Arms
92nd Division Shoulder sleeve insignia
92nd Division Shoulder sleeve insignia
66th Infantry Division Shoulder sleeve insignia
66th Infantry Division Shoulder sleeve insignia
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Categories: 39th Infantry Brigade, United States Army | 66th Infantry Division, United States Army, World War II | 92nd Infantry Division, United States Army, World War II | 153rd Infantry Regiment, United States Army | 35th Infantry Division, United States Army, World War II | Pulaski County, Arkansas