Home | / | Riverside County | / | see more sites in | Indio | OR | see more | Military Museums |
General Patton Memorial Museum
General George S. Patton Jr.
Lifesize figure of Gen. Patton |
photo of Gen. Patton |
bust and photo of Gen. Patton |
Museum Displays
THE GENERAL PATTON
LIMITED EDITION COMMEMORATIVE REVOLVER EXACT REPLICA CALIBER .45L COLT STERLING SILVER PLATE LOANED TO THE MUSEUM BY JERRY RUSCHE |
video area |
display cases |
bazooka and small arms |
small arms |
Desert Training Center displays |
|
DESERT TRAINING CENTER
CALIFORNIA - ARIZONA MANUEUVER AREA THE D.T.C. WAS ESTABLISHED BY MAJOR GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR., IN RESPONSE TO A NEED TO TRAIN AMERICAN COMBAT TROOPS FOR BATTLE IN NORTH AFRICA DURING WORLD WAR II. THE CAMP, WHICH BEGAN OPERATION IN 1942, COVERED 18,000 SQUARE MILES. IT WAS THE LARGEST MILITARY TRAINING GROUND EVER TO EXIST. OVER ONE MILLION MEN WERE TRAINED AT THE ELEVEN SUB-CAMPS (SEVEN IN CALIFORNIA). CALIFORNIA REGISTERED HISTORICAL LANDMARK NO. 985 PLAQUE PLACED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION IN COOPERATION WITH THE GENERAL PATTON MEMORIAL MUSEUM AND THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, NOVEMBER 11, 1989. |
Armour Displays
The museum has a nice collection of over a dozen armoured vehicles. There are 5 types of tanks on display, with the majority being varieties of the M47 and M48 "Patton" tanks. There is another fenced-off area nearby that contains 5 or 6 additional tanks in varying stages of repair. |
M5A1 "General Stuart" light tank
M4 "Sherman" medium tank
M26A1 "Pershing" medium tank
M47 "Patton" medium tank
M578 Light Armored Recovery Vehicle
Desert Training Center Memorial
THE DESERT TRAINING CENTER
* CAMP YOUNG * |
Maj. Gen. George S. Patton Jr., U.S. Army, selected Camp Young as headquarters site
for the Desert Training Center in March 1942. Camp Young was the administrative
center for a simulated theater of operations that would eventually extend from
Pomona, CA, to Phoenix, AZ, from Yuma, AZ, to Boulder City, NV, and would include
a network of training facilities at Camps Clipper, Coxcomb, Granite, Ibis, Iron
Mountain and Pilot Knob in California, and Camps Bouse, Horn, Hyder and Laguna
in Arizona.
Between 1942 and 1944, over one million men trained on the surrounding desert and participated in the most realistic war games under the harshest conditions imaginable. In a very important sense, many battles of World War II were won on these desert lands during those maneuvers. This memorial is dedicated to the soldiers of the U.S. Army who participated in these events. The spirit which they displayed generated a spark that spread into every overseas theater in which they served. |
LT. GEN. SAMUEL B.M. YOUNG
JANUARY 9, 1840 - SEPTEMBER 2, 1924 THE DESERT TRAINING CENTER HEADQUARTERS WAS NAMED IN HONOR OF LT. GEN. SAMUEL B.M. YOUNG ON MAY 12, 1942. AS A CAPTAIN HE SERVED WITH DISTINCTION WITH THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC AND LATER WITH THE 8TH CAVALRY ALONG THE MOJAVE ROAD IN CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONA. HE COMMANEDED A BRIGADE DURING THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR IN CUBA AND LATER IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS WHERE HE WAS APPOINTED MILITARY GOVERNOR OF NORTHWEST LUZON. IN 1901 HE WAS NAMED PRESIDENT OF THE WAR COLLEGE BOARD AND WENT ON TO SERVE AS THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE ARMY WAR COLLEGE. IN 1903 HE WAS APPOINTED THE FIRST CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE ARMY, A POSITION HE HELD UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1904. |
Camp Young Airstrip
The Camp Young Airstrip is located just east of the Patton Museum.
CAMP YOUNG AIRSTRIP
CAMP YOUNG - HEADQUARTERS DESERT TRAINING CENTER CALIFORNIA - ARIZONA MANEUVER AREA |
THE CAMP YOUNG AIRSTRIP WAS ESTABLISHED AT THIS SITE IN MARCH 1942 BY ORDER OF GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON. IT WAS USED TO PROVIDE CAMP YOUNG WITH SUPPLIES AND OTHER ESSENTIAL MATERIAL. IT SUPPORTED AIR TRANSPORTATION FOR THE COMMAND STAFF OF THE DESERT TRAINING CENTER. GENERAL PATTON ALSO HAD HIS PERSONAL AIRPLANE STATIONED HERE. THE FIELD WAS 6000' LONG AND 300' WIDE. IT WAS CAPABLE OF HANDLING C-47 SKYTRAINS, C-46 AIR COMMANDOS, AND C-54 SKYMASTERS. THE GENERAL SERVICE AGENCY DEEDED THE STRIP TO THE COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ON JUNE 2, 1948. THIS MONUMENT IS DEDICATED TO THOSE AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHO TRAINED HERE AND WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE VICTORY OVER IMPERIAL JAPAN AND NAZI GERMANY, AND IN ENDING THE HOLOCAUST. |
PLAQUE PLACED BY THE BILLY HOLCOMB CHAPTER OF THE
ANCIENT AND HONORABLE ORDER OF E CLAMPUS VITUS IN COOPERATION WITH THE PATTON MUSEUM VETERANS DAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2001 |
The General Patton Memorial Museum is located about 30 miles east of Indio off Interstate 10. Take the Chiriaco Summit offramp. The museum is on the north side of the freeway. See map. |
Historic Photos of the Desert Training Center
The following photos were donated in memory of Harold Duglin who served as a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army during World War II. The photos below (with the exception of the top-left photo) were taken during the time he was stationed at the Desert Training Center. |
Items of Interest...
Related Links |
Desert Training Center - Bureau of Land Mgmt. |
George S. Patton Memorial Museum |
Battle Tanks |
Home | / | Riverside County | / | see more sites in | Indio | OR | see more | Military Museums |
Copyright © 2002-22 LetsGoSeeIt.com All Rights Reserved |