Palen Pass

The Palen Pass Maneuver Area was the largest training zone within the Desert Training Center/California-Arizona Maneuver Area. Many exercises occurred, including the mock battles of Palen Pass and Southern California, which involved two Divisions and supporting units divided into two teams. One team's goal was to move forward through the Palen Pass, while the other team was to prevent passage. This training served to test the various skills and tactics that had been achieved by troops during the 13 weeks of training they received. Upon completion, soldiers were transferred to WWII battlefronts.