Military camp

A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent military base, for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large campsites.^[1]

This article is about bivouacs. For permanent locations, see military base. For training boot camp, see military recruit training.

In the British Army, Commonwealth armies, the United States Marine Corps, and other military forces, permanent military bases are also called camps, including Tidworth Camp,^[2] Blandford Camp, Bulford Camp, and Devil's Tower Camp of the British Army; and Camp Lejeune and Camp Geiger of the United States Marine Corps.

Background[edit]

Historically, army camps referred to large field camps of military troops that could include several thousand people. In the Middle Ages, camp followers (i.e. wives, prostitutes , sutlers, laundresses, craftsmen, blacksmiths, squires, etc.) were also integrated into the camps. The composition varied, depending on whether it was a mercenary army with a few leaders, or large armies with many nobles and knights, such as those of the Crusades.

Other uses[edit]

The term "bivouac" also has non-military uses. In the Rhineland carnival tradition, "bivouac" refers to an open-air carnival, usually organized by a carnival society. A well-known example is the "Funkenbiwak" organized by the Rote Funken carnival society, which takes place on the Neumarkt square in Cologne.^[6]