1945 Pfeiffer Map of the Infantry Replacement Center, Camp Blanding, Florida

This is a WWII era 1945 Don Pfeiffer map of the Infantry Replacement Training Center (IRTC) at Camp Blanding, Florida. The map was issued to help newly arrived soldiers orient themselves as they entered basic training in advance deployment.

A Closer Look

The barracks assigned to each Infantry Training Regiment and its constituent battalions are labeled. Other marked locations include service clubs, post exchanges, chapels, theaters, dispensaries, red cross offices, post offices, and regimental headquarters. Red lines trace bus routes and red squares mark bus stops throughout. The Field House, Telegraph Office, Service Station, and Station Hospital are labeled directly on the map. Large arrows also point the way to Jacksonville and Gainesville.

Camp Blanding and the Infantry Replacement Training Center

Camp Blanding was founded in September 1940 when the Florida National Guard selected the site as for its summer maneuvers. Initially, Camp Blanding trained complete units, eventually 150 over the course of World War II. But, in the summer of 1943, Camp Blanding became an Infantry Replacement Training Center (IRTC). This transition happened because, by that point in the war, nearly every complete unit was either in a combat theater or on its way to a combat theater. This meant that training needed to change to training replacement soldiers for combat casualties. There were fourteen IRTCs in the U.S., and Camp Blanding was the second largest, in terms of acreage (over 125,000) and training capacity (nearly 61,000 soldiers).

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Sergeant Don Pfeiffer and published with the 'IRTC Handbook. Camp Blanding Florida' in 1945. There are at least two editions of the map since the present example states 'map revised 29 Jan 45'. We note a single cataloged example, part of the collection of the Touchton Map Library at the Tampa Bay History Center.