Camp Forrest

Camp Forrest, located in Tullahoma, Tennessee, was one of the U.S. Army's largest training bases during World War II. It was an active army post between 1941 and 1946.

The camp, named after Civil War cavalry Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, was originally named Camp Peay. Camp Peay was named after the Tennessee Governor Austin Peay and built in Tullahoma as a National Guard Camp in 1926. Camp Peay covered 1,040 acres (4.2 km²). Camp Forrest covered 85,000 acres (340 km²) located just beyond the old Camp Peay.

The camp was a training area for infantry, artillery, engineer, signal organizations, and cooks. It also served as a hospital center and temporary encampment area for troops during maneuvers. Major General George Patton brought his 2nd Armored Division from Fort Benning, Georgia for maneuvers.

William Northern Field, an air training base, was an addition used as a training site for crews of four-engined B-24 bombers of the Army Air Forces.

Incoming troops had amenities typical of military installations of the era; these included service clubs, guest houses, a library, post exchanges, a post office, hospital facilities, a chapel, theater, and barracks buildings. The camp was also home to Red Cross and Army Emergency Relief facilities. Recreation facilities included swimming, archery, tennis, a sports arena and a nine-hole golf course.

Camp Forrest officially became a prisoner of war camp on May 12, 1942. The camp housed Italian and German POWs. Prisoners became laborers at Camp Forrest in the hospitals and on farms in the local community. The camp also held Japanese, German and Italian American civilians who were arrested at the outbreak of the war under a program called "Alien Enemy Control." Many of these internees were incarcerated without legal process. Official government documents made available in the late 1990s indicate that over 25,000 "alien enemies" were held at various locations throughout the United States. Camp Forrest's population was over 700, of whom approximately 200 were of Japanese ancestry. German internees at Camp Forrest published a newsletter titled The Latrine. In 1943, Camp Forrest internees were transferred to other internment camps to make room for actual POWs captured on the field of battle.

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