US WWII army training camp
The Camp Laguna was a sub camp of the US Army, Desert Training Center in Riverside County, California. The main headquarters for the Desert Training Center was Camp Young, this is where General Patton's 3rd Armored Division was stationed. Camp Laguna is miles northeast of Yuma, Arizona, off of U.S. Route 95. Trained at Camp Laguna were the 3rd Armored Divisions the 9th Armored Divisions, the 79th Infantry Divisions, 80th Infantry Divisions and 8th Infantry Division. The camp is named after the nearby town of Laguna, Yuma County, Arizona on the Colorado River. Camp Laguna was first World War II training camp built in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, it trained thousands of troop for war. Most of the land that was Camp Laguna is now part of the vast Yuma Proving Ground.
Camp Laguna was built in April 1942. The Desert Training Center was built to prepare troops to do battle in North Africa to fight the Nazis during World War II. At the camp's railway station were two large stone columns marking the entrance to the camp. When completed the camp had shower buildings, latrines, wooden tent frames, water storage tanks and water treatment plant. The camp was closed in April 1944.
Laguna Army Airfield.
The Laguna Army Airfield (LGF) was built about 2 miles north of Camp Laguna. The army built the Laguna Army Airfield landing strip to support Camp Laguna's training activities. The runway was used for small planes, like the L-4 Piper Aircraft so the vast training grounds could be watched from the air. The runway was long enough for large planes to be used in training exercises also. It was one of many Arizona World War II Army Airfields. The Laguna Army Airfield is still in use today.
Yuma Test Branch.
Yuma Test Branch was built in 1943 northwest of Camp Laguna, in what is now the Yuma Proving Ground. The Yuma Test Branch, also called the Italians at the Yuma Test Branch, was built to test mobile bridge building equipment. The site is near the Colorado River, thus was ideal for testing mobile combat bridges, amphibious vehicles, and boats. Many Italian soldiers who became prisoners of war after the North African campaign turned and supported the United States in the Italian Service Units. These Italian were used at the Yuma Test Branch to help build the test combat bridges from 1944 to 1945. The Yuma Test Branch site was closed in 1949. In 1951 the site reopened as the Yuma Test Station. The site was renamed the Yuma Proving Ground in 1962.
Wahner E. Brooks Historical Exhibit.
At the place of the former Camp Laguna, now the grounds of Yuma Proving Ground is the Wahner E. Brooks Historical Exhibit. The exhibit has items on display from World War II and the Yuma Test Branch to present day equipment. The displays include: 
The Yuma Visitor Center offers addition information about Camp Laguna, Yuma Proving Ground and the surrounding areas.
The US Army has a museums that also showcases the history of Camp Laguna, Yuma Proving Ground and the surrounding areas at the: Yuma Proving Ground Heritage Center.
Historical Markers.
Marker at the Camp Laguna (Wahner E. Brooks Historical Exhibit) site reads:
Marker at the Italians at the Yuma Test Branch site reads:
Wahner E. Brooks Historical Exhibit and Camp Laguna.
The following are the images of the historic structures in Wahner E. Brooks Historical Exhibit, Camp Laguna and its surrounding areas.
References.
 ;templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" / ;