Italian POWs at Camp Butner during World War II

Camp Butner was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

installation in

Butner, North Carolina Butner is a town in Granville County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,397 as of the 2020 census. Butner was managed by the state of North Carolina from 1947 through 2007. History The area eventually comprising the town of ...

, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was named after Army

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and North Carolina native

Henry W. Butner Henry Wolfe Butner (April 6, 1875 – March 13, 1937) was a United States Army general (United States), general in World War I and onetime commanding officer of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Fort Bragg (1928–29). A native of North Carolina, Butn ...

. Part of it was used as a POW camp for

German prisoners of war in the United States Members of the German military were interned as prisoners of war in the United States during World War I and World War II. In all, 425,000 German prisoners lived in 700 camps throughout the United States during World War II. World War I Hostili ...

and this site eventually became the

Federal Correctional Complex, Butner The Federal Correctional Complex, Butner (FCC Butner) is a United States federal prison complex for men near Butner, North Carolina. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. FCC Butner ...

. The camp site was chosen in the late summer of 1941 to have a major training area, built with construction starting in January 1942. In just 6 short months, over 1,700 buildings were constructed. There were enough beds in the enlisted barracks alone to accommodate over 35,000 soldiers. Several major US Army divisions used the camp as a staging area during the war, to assemble and organize prior to being deployed to both the European and Pacific theaters. Divisions like the 35th Infantry Division, 78th Infantry Division, and 89th Infantry Division came to Camp Butner prior to heading to Europe. After the war, the camp was used as a major facility for the demobilization and inactivation of Army units returning from combat. Among the units inactivated at the camp were the 3d Infantry Regiment and the 4th Infantry Division. The Camp was also the location of the Battalion Surgeon's Assistant school and had a convalescent hospital for wounded troops that operated much like Walter Reed does today.

Today

Camp Butner Training Center is currently under North Carolina Army National Guard ownership.army.mil
Camp Butner Training Center Web site Since 2005 it has played host to the Civilian Marksmanship Program's Eastern Junior Highpower Clinic & Championship, taught by the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

Mobile Marksmanship Unit. Its 1000-yard range, designated Range 4, is frequently host to a variety of shooting matches, including those sponsored by the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), and the

National Rifle Association of America The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...

(NRA). The CMP's Eastern Games and Creedmoor Cup are held annually at Camp Butner, lasting two weeks. A museum dedicated to the soldiers, civilians and prisoners of war who called the camp home from 1942 to 1946, operated by the

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

nonprofit Camp Butner Society, is currently housed in the sports arena on 24th Street that was built with the rest of the camp in 1942. The Society has the last remaining wooden structure of its type original to Camp Butner that will eventually house the museum but will require extensive funding and restoration before that can occur.

References

External links

Camp Butner Society
Military installations in North Carolina World War II prisoner-of-war camps in the United States United States home front during World War II Buildings and structures in Granville County, North Carolina 1942 establishments in North Carolina 1946 disestablishments in North Carolina {{US-army-stub