Camp Rudder
Encyclopedia
Camp James E. Rudder is host to the third and final phase of a nine week training course, dubbed the "swamp phase", of the U.S. Army Ranger School
. The camp is located on the Eglin Air Force Base reservation, co-located with Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #6 / Biancur Field, approximately fourteen miles northwest of the main Eglin AFB airfield.
The Florida Ranger Camp was established November 15, 1951, by then Major Arthur "Bull" Simons
who was named the Commander of the Amphibious/Jungle Training Committee at Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #7 / Epler Field, which was the initial location of the camp. Colonel Simons was later the commander of the prisoner of war rescue attempt on Son Tay
, North Vietnam. The Florida Ranger Camp remained at Field Seven for 20 years until it was moved to Field Six in January 1970.
The current Camp Rudder was named for Major General
James E. Rudder
, USA in June 1974. MG Rudder commanded the 2d Ranger Battalion when it scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc
, France, during the 1944 D-Day
Normandy invasion.
, AAF Ser. No. 41-18883, c/n 711, on 8 January 1944 at Eglin Field.
Biancur Field, as Eglin AFB Aux Field #6, remains the airfield portion of Camp Rudder and was previously used by the U.S. Navy's Training Squadron 4
(TRARON 4 or VT-4) at nearby Naval Air Station Pensacola
in the early 1960s for strike pilot training. The squadron aircraft were T2J Buckeyes and Biancur was used for Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) touch-and-go landings before student pilots were allowed to land on board the training carrier of the period, the USS Antietam
(CV-36). Meals for the sailors on TAD (Temporary Assigned Duty) at Biancur were supplied by the U.S. Army Rangers at Field 7. With the advent of the more advanced T-2C Buckeye
and TA-4J Skyhawk II
and the retirement of Antietam to be replaced by the aircraft carrier USS Lexington
(CVT-16 / AVT-16), VT-4 shifted FCLP operations to Outlying Field Choctaw
(OLF Choctaw), a Navy airfield formerly known as Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #10, to the west of Camp Rudder. With the Navy's departure, all Biancur Field operations passed over to the Army.
Twenty-four Army Ranger students have died while in training at Camp Rudder, including four who died in a 1955 training accident, two Ranger students who died of hypothermia in January 1977, and another four who died of exposure during cold-weather flooding in February 1995. The 1995 accident was blamed on several factors, including a sudden rise in the water level on Boiling Creek coupled with other unexpected weather changes, such as fog that delayed rescue efforts. Since 1995, more sophisticated measures have been put into place that cast an elaborate, yet invisible, safety net around the students. As students plan ambushes and negotiate swamps, field ambulances are posted minutes away. Evacuation helicopters and rescue boats are on standby and are constantly advised of changing conditions. Before students enter the water, divers check out conditions. An elaborate system to monitor weather and water conditions and depths exists at every step in the exercise.
Ranger School
The United States Army Ranger School is an intense 61-day combat leadership course oriented towards small-unit tactics. It has been called the "toughest combat course in the world" and "is the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer". The course is conducted...
. The camp is located on the Eglin Air Force Base reservation, co-located with Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #6 / Biancur Field, approximately fourteen miles northwest of the main Eglin AFB airfield.
The Florida Ranger Camp was established November 15, 1951, by then Major Arthur "Bull" Simons
Arthur D. Simons
Colonel Arthur D. "Bull" Simons was a US Army Special Forces officer, best known for leading the Son Tay raid, an attempted rescue of American prisoners of war from a North Vietnamese prison at Son Tay.-Early life:Arthur David Simons was born in New York City, moving to Missouri in his youth...
who was named the Commander of the Amphibious/Jungle Training Committee at Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #7 / Epler Field, which was the initial location of the camp. Colonel Simons was later the commander of the prisoner of war rescue attempt on Son Tay
Son Tay
Sơn Tây is an urban district and city in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. It was the capital of Son Tay province before merging with Ha Dong province in 1965...
, North Vietnam. The Florida Ranger Camp remained at Field Seven for 20 years until it was moved to Field Six in January 1970.
The current Camp Rudder was named for Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
James E. Rudder
James Earl Rudder
James Earl Rudder was a United States Army Major General, Texas Land Commissioner, and President of Texas A&M University.-Early life:...
, USA in June 1974. MG Rudder commanded the 2d Ranger Battalion when it scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc
Pointe du Hoc is a clifftop location on the coast of Normandy in northern France. It lies 4 miles west of Omaha Beach, and stands on 100 ft tall cliffs overlooking the sea...
, France, during the 1944 D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
Normandy invasion.
History
Biancur Field, Eglin Auxiliary Field #6, was named for 1st Lt Andrew Biancur, USAAF, a test pilot of the Medium Bombardment Section of the 1st Proving Ground Group, killed in crash of a prototype YP-61-NO Black WidowP-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
, AAF Ser. No. 41-18883, c/n 711, on 8 January 1944 at Eglin Field.
Biancur Field, as Eglin AFB Aux Field #6, remains the airfield portion of Camp Rudder and was previously used by the U.S. Navy's Training Squadron 4
Training Squadron 4
-General information:*Primary and Intermediate flight school for USN and USMC Naval Flight Officers and USAF Weapon Systems Officers .*The squadron's radio callsign is Buck.-History:...
(TRARON 4 or VT-4) at nearby Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola , "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United States Navy base located next to Warrington, Florida, a community southwest of the Pensacola city limits...
in the early 1960s for strike pilot training. The squadron aircraft were T2J Buckeyes and Biancur was used for Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) touch-and-go landings before student pilots were allowed to land on board the training carrier of the period, the USS Antietam
USS Antietam (CV-36)
USS Antietam was one of 24 s built during and shortly after World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was the second US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for the American Civil War Battle of Antietam . Antietam was commissioned in January 1945, too late to actively serve in World...
(CV-36). Meals for the sailors on TAD (Temporary Assigned Duty) at Biancur were supplied by the U.S. Army Rangers at Field 7. With the advent of the more advanced T-2C Buckeye
T-2 Buckeye
|-See also:-External links:*****...
and TA-4J Skyhawk II
A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a carrier-capable ground-attack aircraft designed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The delta winged, single-engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated the A4D...
and the retirement of Antietam to be replaced by the aircraft carrier USS Lexington
USS Lexington
USS Lexington may refer to one of many actual or fictional vessels:In the United States Navy:, a brigantine acquired in 1776 and captured in 1777, a sloop in commission from 1826 to 1830 and from 1831 to 1855, a timberclad gunboat in commission from 1861 to 1865, an aircraft carrier commissioned in...
(CVT-16 / AVT-16), VT-4 shifted FCLP operations to Outlying Field Choctaw
Outlying Field Choctaw
Outlying Field Choctaw is the United States Navy's designation for an auxiliary airfield that was originally constructed during World War II as Eglin Field Auxiliary Field # 10.-History:...
(OLF Choctaw), a Navy airfield formerly known as Eglin AFB Auxiliary Field #10, to the west of Camp Rudder. With the Navy's departure, all Biancur Field operations passed over to the Army.
Twenty-four Army Ranger students have died while in training at Camp Rudder, including four who died in a 1955 training accident, two Ranger students who died of hypothermia in January 1977, and another four who died of exposure during cold-weather flooding in February 1995. The 1995 accident was blamed on several factors, including a sudden rise in the water level on Boiling Creek coupled with other unexpected weather changes, such as fog that delayed rescue efforts. Since 1995, more sophisticated measures have been put into place that cast an elaborate, yet invisible, safety net around the students. As students plan ambushes and negotiate swamps, field ambulances are posted minutes away. Evacuation helicopters and rescue boats are on standby and are constantly advised of changing conditions. Before students enter the water, divers check out conditions. An elaborate system to monitor weather and water conditions and depths exists at every step in the exercise.