Combat Team Camp Atlantic Beach Historical Marker

During World War II, the United States needed to reinforce the Atlantic coastline as demonstrated by events near Jacksonville shortly after America declared war on Germany. In April of 1942, a German submarine sank the tanker S.S. Gulfamerica leading some to fear that the coast was vulnerable to a direct attack. People who witnessed the fire from the beach attempted to rescue the survivors, and afterward, residents participated in new security measures. For example, beach barriers were set up and residents used Blackout curtains and hooded headlights so their city could not easily be viewed by passing enemy ships. Additionally, residents were made to carry passes which made them identifiable as persons who lived in the area.

Then, on June 17, 1942, German saboteurs landed at Ponte Vedra Beach in Operation Pastorius. Four days prior, four others had landed on Long Island. In Florida, the group of four men carried with them boxes of explosives, bombs, and money. Edward John Kerling, Herbert Hans Haupt, who was an American citizen, Werner Thiel, and Herman Neubauer walked from their landing site to Jacksonville Beach, before boarding a bus to Jacksonville where two checked into the Mayflower Hotel and the others into the Seminole Hotel. From there, Kerling and Thiel made their way to New York City, and Haupt and Neubauer traveled to Chicago. However, one of the men in the party that had landed on Long Island on June 13 gave the U.S. information on the Florida group’s whereabouts long before they landed in Florida. On June 24, the NYC men were arrested, and on June 27, the Chicago men were arrested. After a secret military trial, all four were executed on August 8, 1942.

After these two events, the United States knew they had to fortify their coastlines. The U.S. Army constructed the 149-acre Combat Team Camp Atlantic Beach, which served as the headquarters of the Harbor Defenses of Jacksonville. Serving as the camp’s anchor unit, the 53rd Coast Artillery Regiment manned four 155-mm long-range guns known as “Long Toms,” flanked by 60-foot observation towers. Land was leased by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which created a rotating infantry, as well as coastal artillery units. Initially, the men slept on wooden platforms in tents. Later, they were housed in small, wooden huts with shutters that held six men per house.

The main camp was located at what is now Selva Lakes, and the gun placements were at present-day Area 7 of Hanna Park. The camp remained in service for 18 months, however, it never had to be put into use during that time. In 1944, it was shut down as the U.S. military began reducing its beach forces. In 2016, a historical marker was erected by the City of Atlantic Beach and the Florida Department of State to mark the location. Combat Team Camp Atlantic Beach now houses the 12-acre Jack Russel Park, one of Atlantic Beach’s most frequented parks.

Because of the war, other developments were made in the area, including the first hospital being founded in a former motel on 1st Ave. South. In 1943, the Casa Marina Hotel was leased to the U.S. government to house immigrant workers, beginning the construction of apartments. In 1943 and in 1947, B.B. McCormick & Sons also constructed apartment buildings, which eventually created affordable housing for civilian and military families.

1. Combat Team Camp Atlantic Beach, Historical Marker Database. Accessed September 28th 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=106306.
2. The World's Finest Beach, 1925-45, Historical Text Archive. Accessed September 28th 2020. http://historicaltextarchive.org/books.php?action=nextchapter&bid=70&cid=4.
3. Beaches/Mayport Historic Neighborhood Tour, Visit Jacksonville. Accessed September 28th 2020. https://www.visitjacksonville.com/travel-tools/local-self-guided-tours/neighborhood-tours/beaches-mayport-historic-neighborhood-tour/#:~:text=Constructed%20by%20the%20U.S.%20Army,Jacksonville%20during%20World%20War%20II.&text=Although%20the%20camp%20never%20saw,beach%20defense%20forces%20in%201944..
4. Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker: Duval, Florida Department of State. Accessed September 28th 2020. http://apps.flheritage.com/markers/markers.cfm?county=duval.