Camp Coxcomb


The Camp Coxcomb was a sub camp of the US Army Desert Training Center in Riverside County, California. The main headquarters for the Desert Training Center was Camp Young were General Patton's 3rd Armored Division was stationed. Camp Coxcomb was designated a California Historic Landmark. The site of the Camp Granite is 45 miles East of Indio, California off Interstate 10 and California State Route 177 near the Coxcomb Mountains. The train stop at Freda railroad siding delivered Troops and equipment. The camp closed in early in 1944 after about two years of operations.
Built in the spring of 1942, Camp Coxcomb was built to prepare troops to do battle in North Africa to fight the Nazis during World War 2. Stationed at Camp Coxcomb was the 7th Armored Division and the 85th Infantry Division. Also trained at the camp was the 93rd Infantry Division and the 95th Infantry Division. The trained troops went on to fight in the North African campaign.
When completed the camp had 39 shower buildings, 165 latrines, 284 wooden tent frames, observation/flag tower and a 40,000-gallon water tank. The camp had seven ranges for machine gun and small firearms. The trained troops went on to fight in the North African campaign.

Camp Coxcomb Army Field

Camp Coxcomb Army Field was an air strip near the Camp Coxcomb to support training activities. The runway ran north–south and was 4,500 feet long made of steel landing mats. The landing strip is on the east side of California State Route 177. Small planes were used to watch the desert survival training, gunnery practices, and tank tactics training. Also aircraft were used to coordinate tanks and other armored vehicles from the air. For a short time in 1951 the Coxcomb airfield was used as a private landing strip.

Camp Freda Quartermaster Depot

Near the Camp Coxcomb was an old Sante Fe Railroad station that was turned into the Camp Freda Quartermaster Depot also called Camp Freda. This was near the small town of Freda, California. The US Army turned the small rail station into a major US Army quartermaster depot to support Camp Coxcomb and the other near by Desert Training Center camps. All the troop to be trained at Camp Coxcomb arrived at the rail depot. The depot was stocked with tanks, military vehicles, artillery guns, gas, food, tents, and ammo. Also to support the thousands of troop in the area was field hospital. The 92nd evacuation hospital medical unit was stationed at the Camp Freda Quartermaster Depot before being transferred to the Camp Desert Center Evacuation hospital. Camp Freda was staffed by the 92nd Evacuation Hospital unit, 211th Quartermaster Gas Supply Battalion, 484th Quartermaster Battalion, and 378th Engineer Battalion. Camp Freda closed April 1944; Camp Freda now an unpopulated railroad siding with a few remnants of US Army built rock-lined walkways, roads and a few concrete foundations.

Marker

Marker on the Riverside, California site reads:
Marker on site: