Wood soldiers? WWII Barracks ID

[NDT]

The upper Texas coast was scattered with barracks buildings from Camp Wallace in Hitchcock, TX, an antiaircraft training base. These buildings were moved all over the place and used as classrooms at schools. I think this might be one, what do ya'll think? The wood windows seem so high up. The building looks to be 30' x 80'.

 

[Piper Cub]

Could be one. I'll have to find the pictures I have of my uncle's house in Minnesota. Their house burned down when he was a kid so his father went and made a deal to buy half of a WWII barrack. It's still out on the farm now and is in pretty good shape since it was being lived in until a couple years ago. It's been updated to make it more livable but it still looks like a barrack. None of the boards on it are over 4 ft long since they didn't want to waste good wood on barracks.

 

[gunboy1656]

Looks like a classroom or chow hall we used to use. The barracks were normally 2 stories. The color pic are building still at Ft Indiantown Gap

 

[combat32]

The Windows and the eaves sure have the look.

 

[NDT]

Here is a pic of a single story building I found online. Window spacing is different, but the unusual height placement (for a civi structure) is the same.

 

[CARNAC]

I think Ft Dix (maybe Ft McCoy) museum has a display on how the WWII buildings were made/assembled. It's kinda like the Liberty and Victory Ships, quite a remarkable bit construction history.

First ones I stayed in were at Ft Story, VA in 1985. Last ones I stayed in were at Ft Indiantown Gap around 2009. I remember when FTIG was burning them down. Helped clean out the old FTIG hospital which was nothing but building after building like this.

 

[MWMULES]

If you want to know more look up series 700 buildings which will cover 1937-1940, and series 800 buildings for 41-44. This one even has a lot of the drawings http://www.denix.osd.mil/cr/upload/LRM91-0018.PDF Way down around page 396 there are are over 150 pages of drawings of the various styles.
If you have a PU at Ft Riley a few blocks west of the DRMO there is still a Huge 800 field house which is now the recycling center.

 

[NDT]

So the covid mess has opened up some rare free time. Today I visited the abandoned Camp Wallace antiaircraft training base in Hitchcock, TX. I was last at this off limits parts of the old base some 40 years ago when camping with the boy scouts. We found this “swimming pool” back then. Well subsequent research led me to believe that this was not a swimming pool at all, rather the foundation of the base theater. Sure enough, today I found rows of screws in the slab where seats were attached. So cool. Couldn’t find any dog tags like I did back then.

 

[Guyfang]

Looks like a classroom or chow hall we used to use. The barracks were normally 2 stories. The color pic are building still at Ft Indiantown Gap

Spent a lot of time in these two models. BCT in 1972, in the right side picture, Ft. Ord. Then WOC school in APG, 1985, in the left picture. Then in Ft Lewis, 1980, the right side picture. I bet I could sketch out a floor plan. They were fire traps. In the winter, at Ft. Ord we still had diesel fired heaters. Had to have a Fire Guard all night.

 

[frank8003]

Barracks better than tent.

 

[Guyfang]

Interesting plans. The bld type 700 heating system schematic is spot on. We had to clean it out in one of the two buildings I had as a Platoon Sgt. Had about an inch of dust in it. Then the Post Engineers came in and put a steel box around the heater thermostats. Cant allow the troops to regulate the heat, you know. So many of my troops complained about the cold, that I went in and stuck a needle in the contol cable at the thermostat. Did that about 10 times until I hit the right two wire. Presto! On came the heater. When the building was warm enough, you pulled out the needle.

 

[papabear]

Interesting plans. The bld type 700 heating system schematic is spot on. We had to clean it out in one of the two buildings I had as a Platoon Sgt. Had about an inch of dust in it. Then the Post Engineers came in and put a steel box around the heater thermostats. Cant allow the troops to regulate the heat, you know. So many of my troops complained about the cold, that I went in and stuck a needle in the contol cable at the thermostat. Did that about 10 times until I hit the right two wire. Presto! On came the heater. When the building was warm enough, you pulled out the needle.

I was in WWII barracks in basic training starting in Jan 72 - I thought I remembered the heat being coal fired and controlled by civilians? Heck...I don't know...

Then it was off to Camp AP Hill Virginia for advanced training....again WWII barracks.

Next time I LIVED in WWII barracks was 1983-1985 as a Drill Sergeant at Fort Benning, Georgia.

 

[Guyfang]

I was in WWII barracks in basic training starting in Jan 72 - I thought I remembered the heat being coal fired and controlled by civilians? Heck...I don't know...

Then it was off to Camp AP Hill Virginia for advanced training....again WWII barracks.

Next time I LIVED in WWII barracks was 1983-1985 as a Drill Sergeant at Fort Benning, Georgia.

When I "adjusted" the heater control, was in 1980 in Ft. Lewis. The heaters had be upgraded to diesel. But the coal room was still there, and dirty, just like it was when in operation. So dirty, we only used it to store bikes. When I was in WOC, in 1985, it was so hot in APG, that we kept the windows open ALL the time. No heater needed. The Lady's in our class had the NCO rooms, and we of the unwashed masses had the open bays. If you did not wear good RAYBAN's, you could not look at our floor. Would have made a blind man blink.

 

[frank8003]

You guys so young.........................
It was 1940's barracks Fort Dix, 1968.
We were all there because TET wasted so many.
Newark was still on fire................
It was the bayonet practice at the very end of the approach lights I remember more.
141 130 119 and real heavy stuff on final final right above US, right overhead, I mean a few feet, while We learned what it is they taught.
That place very busy 1968.

 

[wilber]

Harmony Church 1982. Sad I never got back to see the battalion before they tore it all down.

I hated almost every minute, but I'm sure glad I did it!!

 

[hndrsonj]

The WW2 barracks we have at the surplus store is pretty cool, It is bolted together in sections (maybe 5-6'). They came from FE Warren AFB in the late 40's.

 

[Jericho]

Looks like a classroom or chow hall we used to use. The barracks were normally 2 stories. The color pic are building still at Ft Indiantown Gap

those were called MOB Barracks in 1976 the USAF was still using them I went to Basic training in one

 

[papabear]

Harmony Church 1982. Sad I never got back to see the battalion before they tore it all down.

I hated almost every minute, but I'm sure glad I did it!!

I was a Drill Sergeant in E-4-2 on Harmony Church 1983-1985. Drove out there several years ago and pretty much all of it was gone.

 

[CARNAC]

We have the last pre-WW2 building still standing (for now) at Camp Zama. It's slated for demo. We also have the Emperors bunker . I snap pictures when I get my chance to go in there....probably nothing in there anyway.

 

[Guyfang]

You never know! I have been in some bunkers here, that had some art work on the walls, that was still quite presentable.