West Virginia Maneuver Area
The West Virginia Maneuver Area (WVMA) was a vast, five-county training ground in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia used by the U.S. Army during World War II to train soldiers in low-altitude mountain operations. This area was selected due to its similarity to the mountainous terrain of Italy and other areas within the European Theater of Operations.
Army maneuvers commenced within the WVMA in August 1943 under the command of the 13th Army Corps. The local command was headquartered at Elkins and included a signal battalion, quartermaster detachment, military police unit, a special services company, engineers, ordnance and other support elements.
Training activities were confined to Randolph and four adjacent counties including mostly land of the Monongahela National Forest, but also some private land. Tent cities were erected in Elkins and other local communities to house large numbers of troops; the number swelled to 16,000 by early 1944 as classes cycled though 8-week rotations.
Artillery training utilized a 60,000-acre (240 km2) area in the eastern portion of the WVMA, including parts of Dolly Sods (e.g., Blackbird Knob) and Canaan Valley, for practice firing with 105mm and 155mm howitzers. Notices in the local newspaper warned local hunters and others to avoid this area during maneuvers. Improvised river crossings were conducted at the Blackwater and Dry Fork Rivers, among others.
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