More than 1.2 million African-American soldiers served during World War II, making important contributions even though the Armed Forces did not officially desegregate until afterward. Camp Claiborne was home to several African-American units that contributed significantly to the war effort in the European and Pacific theaters. The 761st Tank Battalion, an independent African-American tank battalion known as the Black Panthers, was activated there on April 1, 1942, and trained in M5 Stuart light tanks, learning to maneuver, mount, dismount, and maintain the vehicles' 37-mm main gun and .30-caliber machine guns. In 1944, General George S. Patton requested that the 761st be assigned to his command, and under the Third Army the battalion fought through France, often at the leading edge of the advance, serving 183 days in continuous operations and becoming one of the first American units to reach the Steyr River in Austria in the final days of the war in Europe. The 91st and 93rd Engineer Battalions, attached to Engineer General Service Regiments, helped build the Claiborne-Polk Military Railroad while at Camp Claiborne. After the railroad was completed, the 91st Battalion went to the Pacific Theater to support combat troops and contributed in New Guinea and the Philippines. The 93rd Engineer Battalion left for duty as one of seven engineer regiments constructing the Alaska-Canadian Highway, or ALCAN Highway, across Canada to connect the lower 48 states with Alaska, working in freezing temperatures through the Canadian wilderness, with each battalion assigned 350 miles of highway. Camp Claiborne's Garrison Command, part of the Corp Area 8th Service Command, handled daily operations with civilian counterparts and provided soldiers with housing, food, medical care, transportation, legal assistance, laundry, postal services, and other essential services.