As a part of the symposium marking the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of Camp Bowie in Brownwood, two battles were reenacted at Krueger Hill on Saturday afternoon.

Prior to their reenactment duel, actors portraying the Wehrmacht stopped by the VFW for coffee (pictured above with VFW Post 3278 members).  The Wehrmacht was the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1946.

September 2015 marks the 75th anniversary of the commissioning of Camp Bowie in Brown County, Texas by the United States War Department in 1940. To mark the anniversary, Tarleton State University joined with Howard Payne University and the Brown County Museum of History for a symposium this past week on the Howard Payne campus in Brownwood.

One of the US Army’s largest training facilities in Texas during World War II, the base operated from 1940-1946, and more than a quarter-million soldiers trained at the base. It also housed a German POW camp. In addition to having a major impact on the region, the camp facilities, land and roads have continued to serve the residents and businesses of the area as well as the Texas National Guard and US Army.

The event was coordinated with the opening of a new exhibit at the Brown County Museum of History, “A Tribute to Those Who Served.” The exhibit highlights Camp Bowie, the role of the 36th Division in WWII, area veterans and the regional contribution to the war effort.