Camp Huckstep is a large military base in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

, 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

Photographs by Brigadier Sidney Smith Wellcome L0023570

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, the camp was used by Allied forces at least as early as 1941. In 1943, the camp was the largest military supply depot in the Middle East, including among other things an 1100-bed hospital and a US-run radio station. At the same time, it functioned as an air base. Dad camp Huckstep Egypt 1944

When Russell Benjamin Huckstep (a US soldier born in 1906 in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

) was killed in a plane crash over North Africa in 1943, the camp was renamed after him Later, the camp was used by the

Egyptian Armed Forces The Egyptian Armed Forces ( arz, القُوّات المُسَلَّحَة المِصْرِيَّة, alquwwat almusalahat almisria) are the military forces of the Arab Republic of Egypt. They consist of the Egyptian Army, Egyptian Navy, Egyptia ...

and other Egyptian government bodies. It has been used for many prisoners, including Communists, Muslim Brotherhood members, and others, such as

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

writer Mohamed Ali Eltaher. On September 23, 2021, The base was renamed the

Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Mohamed Hussein Tantawi Soliman ( ar, محمد حسين طنطاوي سليمان, ; 31 October 1935 – 21 September 2021) was an Egyptian field marshal and politician. He was the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces and, as chairman ...

military base in honor of the late Egyptian commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces, in recognition of his achievements.https://www.youm7.com/story/2021/9/21/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B3%D9%89-%D8%A5%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%AD%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%B7%D9%86%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%89-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%83%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A8/5468441 1949 - Huckstep Guards

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

References

{{reflist World War II sites in Egypt Internment camps