The History of Camp Forrest ~ by Michelle Shocklee

 

As the daughter of a World War II veteran, I'm always eager to learn new things about the war and the people who experienced it. As I began to think about the topic for my next book, I knew I wanted to write about the homefront during WWII. So I started to research what was happening in Tennessee during the war, and I came across information about a military installation called Camp Forrest located outside of Tullahoma. Some of the really cool historical tidbits I learned convinced me I'd found the setting for my new book! 

Let's virtually visit Camp Forrest together.

Photo courtesy of US Air Force

Camp Forrest began life as a small National Guard facility called Camp Peay. Camp Peay, named after former Tennessee Governor Austin Peay, was built in 1926 and occupied 1,040 acres of Tennessee farmland. As things heated up in Europe, with Germany invading defenseless countries at an alarming rate, officials in the US military and government knew it was only a matter of time before the United States would be forced into war. 

Soldiers at Camp Forrest (credit unknown)

With that in mind, the government quietly began to prepare. Camp Peay was taken over by the US Army and was expanded to encompass 85,000 acres. Because it was not Army tradition to name military bases for a politician who didn't have a distinguished military background, the camp was renamed after Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, a native of Tennessee whose birthplace was nearby. Unfortunately, Gen. Forrest had a rather tarnished reputation, which didn't please a lot of people, but the name stuck and was used throughout the war. 

After Pearl Harbor was attacked and the United States declared war on Japan, Germany, and Italy, thousands of would-be soldiers soon poured into Camp Forrest for training. The 30,000-plus-acre Spencer Artillery Range was used to train soldiers in heavy artillery. Infantry units practiced maneuvers on the camp's extensive grounds, including a Ranger battalion that practiced rappelling off cliffs. Those same Rangers put their training to use when they scaled the bluffs at Point du Hoc near Omaha Beach in Normandy.

Incoming troops enjoyed use of the amenities found on most military installations of the era: service clubs, guest houses, a library, post exchanges, a post office, hospital facilities, chapels, theaters, 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.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=40256

Yet despite the opportunities for fun and relaxation, the reality of war was always present. From late 1942 to early 1943, 24,000 prisoners of war were held at Camp Forrest. These POWs were members of the German Wehrmacht, with many of them captured in Africa. During that time, the 2,000-bed hospital at Camp Forrest also saw an huge increase in patients as American warriors wounded in Europe were sent home to recuperate.

But why did I choose Camp Forrest as the setting for my new novel All We Thought We Knew? Because of this fascinating fact: 

Beginning in May 1942, Camp Forrest became one of the many Enemy Alien Internment camps that were scattered throughout the country. People with ties to Germany, Japan, and Italy were arrested and detained in internment camps as soon as the US joined the war, with many of them being held for the duration of the war and afterwards. When I read about the many German people who were kept at Camp Forrest against their will, I knew I'd found the topic for my book!

I'll write more about Enemy Aliens in my post next month and tell you about the people who inspired the character of Gunther Schneider! Stay tuned!

Your turn: Are you interested in the history of World War II? Why or why not? Inquiring minds would like to know! 

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Appalachian Song, a 2024 Christy Award Finalist; Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award; and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Award and Selah Award finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two sons and mother-in-law to two beautiful daughters, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW

1942
Ava must put her life back together after her husband is killed at Pearl Harbor. A job at Camp Forrest provides income, but it also puts her in contact with Enemy Aliens interned on the military installation. Can she trust the German medical student whose friendship means more to her than it should?

1969
Mattie ran away from the pain when her brother was killed in Vietnam. Now she’s back in Tullahoma facing another devastating loss. Yet it is the bundle of WWII letters Mama insists she reads that makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/all-we-thought-we-knew/9781496484178