World War II combat survivors of Company B, 124th Infantry Regiment, 31st Infantry Division, at Camp Stoneman in December 1945.

Camp Stoneman was a United States Army facility located in Pittsburg, California. It served as a major troop staging area for and under the command of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation (SFPOE).[1] The camp operated during World War II and the Korean War.

The camp opened May 28, 1942 as a staging point for units deploying to the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II.[2] The camp was named after George Stoneman, a cavalry commander during the American Civil War and Governor of California. It was decommissioned as a military post in 1954.

March 21, 1951, view of Pittsburg, Calif., with Camp Stoneman in the lower left, bordered by Railroad Ave., Contra Costa Canal, and California Street.

The camp had a railroad track across the north side for receiving and shipping men. Late in the war the SFPOE experimented with embarking troops directly aboard a Liberty ship at the camp but that was not successful due to difficulties of large ship navigation to the camp.[1] Next to the track, there were many buildings with loading docks, many of which were still there in 2017 along Bliss Avenue. There were seven barracks areas, each consisting of nine blocks (3 x 3) surrounding a mess hall.

In addition to being a staging area for troops in transit, the Pacific Coast Transportation Corps Officer Training School was located at the camp.[2] The camp also housed prisoners of war with the Italian Service Unit of the 18th Italian Quartermaster Service Company, which was based at the camp.[3]

Units staged at Camp Stoneman

345th Bombardment Group (Air Apaches)

  • 380 Bomb Group (5th Air Force), April 1943.[6]

First Special Service Force, August 30 to September 4, 1943

References

  1. 1 2 Wardlow, Chester (1956). The Technical Services—The Transportation Corps: Movements, Training, And Supply. United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army. pp. 118, 127. LCCN 55060003. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 Wardlow, Chester (1999). The Technical Services—The Transportation Corps: Responsibilities, Organization, And Operations. United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army. p. 124. LCCN 99490905. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  3. ↑ militarymuseum.org, Prisoner of War Camps and Italian Service Units in California
  4. ↑ Stanton, Shelby L. (1991). Wortld War II Order of Battle. New York: Galahad Books. p. 158. ISBN 0-88365-775-9.
  5. ↑ "2d Filipino Battalion (Separate) (Formerly 1st Battalion, 2d Filipino Regiment) Service Summary". history.army.mil. United States Army. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  6. ↑ HortoN, Glenn R (1995). THE BEST IN THE SOUTHWEST - THE 380TH BOMB GROUP IN WORLD WAR II. Savage, MN: Moise Publications. ISBN 0-9645959-0-7.
  • The California State Military Museum
  • The First Special Service Force by Robert D. Burhans March 1947
October 11, 1947, view of Camp Stoneman (rotated horizontal), bordered by Railroad Avenue on west, Contra Costa Canal on the south, and what in 2017 are California Avenue on the north, and Arlington Circle to the east
1945 sketch of Camp Stoneman identifying Railroad Avenue and Bliss Avenue (other streets have new names)
Camp Stoneman Gate 1, at what is now 2527 Railroad Avenue, looking east. The pylon on the left is now one block east, in a park at Harbor Street and Presidio Lane.

38°00′33.5″N 121°53′11.65″W / 38.009306°N 121.8865694°W / 38.009306; -121.8865694

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