Camp Fannin was one of numerous military bases expanded or established throughout Texas during World War II. Originally planned as an Air Corps installation, its construction began in late 1942. Named in honor of Texas revolutionary hero James Walker Fannin, Jr., the camp opened in the spring of 1943 and was formally dedicated in September. Its main purpose was as an Infantry Replacement Training Center, and at peak operation as many as 35,000 to 40,000 men were trained every four months to replace troops killed, wounded, or recalled from the war's battlefronts. In addition to the infantry training center, the camp included a German prisoner of war facility from 1943 to 1946 and a Women's Army Corps installation in 1944. It had a tremendous impact on the local economy, employing about 3,000 civilian workers and giving rise to numerous new businesses catering to the military trade. Many of its facilities were later acquired by business interests and are still in use. Soldiers stationed there, as well as at least one former German prisoner, returned to East Texas to settle after the war.