Camp Huckstep

Coordinates: 30°07′50″N 31°31′18″E / 30.13060°N 31.52171°E / 30.13060; 31.52171 Camp Huckstep is a large military base in Egypt, bordering Cairo International Airport on the east. The name "Huckstep" was given in 1943 and is still used by Egyptians today. It has an area of approximately 12 by 12 kilometers.

History

During World War II, the camp was used by Allied forces at least as early as 1941.[1] In 1943, the camp was the largest military supply depot in the Middle East, including among other things a 1100-bed hospital and a US-run radio station.[2] At the same time, it functioned as an air base.[3]

When Russell Benjamin Huckstep (a US soldier born in 1906 in Iowa) was killed in a plane crash over North Africa in 1943, the camp was renamed after him.[4]

Later, the camp was used by the Egyptian Armed Forces and other Egyptian government bodies. In 1948, the camp was used to intern Jews who were arrested for their alleged support of Zionism.[5] It is estimated that a total of 600 Jews were held there.[3] It has also been used for many other prisoners, including Communists, Muslim Brotherhood members, and others, such as Palestinian writer Mohamed Ali Eltaher.

Currently, the camp houses a recruitment center for soldiers from the greater Cairo region, a prison, and other facilities.[6]

References

  1. ↑ BEAMnewsroom@newsandtribune.com, AMANDA. "BEAM: The women of World War II".
  2. ↑ "Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, The Near East and Africa, Volume VIII - Office of the Historian".
  3. 1 2 "A Short History of The Exodus Of Jews From Egypt".
  4. ↑ "MAJ Russell Benjamin "Huck" Huckstep (1905 - 1943) - Find A Grave Memorial".
  5. ↑ http://www.hsje.org/Egypt/HUCKSTEP_Report.PDF
  6. ↑ Arabic version of this article
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