CHIRIACO SUMMIT, Calif. — Situated between the Mojave and Sonoran deserts is a collection of tanks positioned right off Interstate 10 in Chiriaco Summit. They can be found at the General Patton Memorial Museum — the largest collection of tanks in southern California.
General Patton fought in both WWI and WWII. The highly decorated military leader, who moved through the ranks on the back of cavalry horses, later became known as the father of the U.S. tank program.
Museum president Margit Rusche says thousands of men trained under his direction during WWII. The training happened not far from the museum in what’s known as the Desert Training Center.
“It fits all the descriptions of the desert: there's snakes, there's scorpions but during the summer it can be bloody hot... I mean really hot,” said Rusche.
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The Desert Training Center is the largest military reservation in U.S. history. It spans 12 million acres across California, Arizona and Nevada. The Training Center was built to resemble deserts in North Africa, which would be America’s entry point into Europe to fight the Nazis during WWII.
“They really ran up and down this desert in tanks,” said Rusche.
The General Patton Memorial Museum not only features the people and events at the Desert Training Center but many tanks, too. Rusche says this is an interactive museum. You can climb on, and in, many of the armored machines.
“These are some you can go inside of and look,” said Rusche. “We do take people on tours. We can take them in the tank for a short jaunt for a price."
Getting up close and touching these massive machines is a memorable experience that reminds you of the complexities of war.
“We want to preserve the peace through the lessons of the past,” said Rusche.
MORE MILITARY MACHINES ON THE BACKROADS: The American Armory Museum is a hands-on experience where you can touch rocket launchers and climb inside a variety of war machines.