U.S. 1st Armored Division
Encyclopedia
The 1st Armored Division—nicknamed "Old Ironsides"—is a standing armored division
of the United States Army
with base of operations in Fort Bliss
, Texas. It was the first armored division of the U.S. Army to see battle in World War II.
Commander: Major General Major General Dana J.H. Pittard
Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver): Brigadier General Stephen Twitty
Assistant Division Commander (Support): Vacant
Chief of Staff: Colonel Randall C. Lane
Command Sergeant Major: Command Sergeant Major David S. Davenport
Since relocating to Fort Bliss
, Texas, it has been reorganizing under the new modular design. The Division consists of four Brigade Combat Teams and a Combat Aviation Brigade
.
1st Armored Division consists of the following elements:
The division is supported by the 15th Sustainment Brigade
.
, which is also nicknamed "Old Ironsides". The large "1" at the top represents the numerical designation of the division, and the insignia is used as a basis for most other sub-unit insignias. The cannon and tracked vehicle symbols represent the mechanized role of the division.
The three colors, red, yellow, and blue represent the Artillery, Armor, and Infantry Branches respectively, which are the colors of the three original combat arms which, when forged into one, created the field of Armor. This "pyramid of power" was devised by the order of then-Lieutenant Col. George S. Patton, Jr. in Bourg, France in early 1918 during Patton's formation and training of the Tank Corps in support of the American Expeditionary Force
under General John J. Pershing
.
took a cadre
of 175 officers and enlisted men from Fort Eustis to Fort Knox
in February 1932, and established a Provisional Armored Car Platoon. This was based on an earlier effort, but was predicated on a new Cavalry Regiment TO&E (Table of Organization and Equipment) which was published that year. Also published, but never implemented, was a Cavalry Division TO&E which reflected the then unnatural assimilation of machines into the Horse Cavalry.
Van Voorhis's cadre and platoon became the kernel for the 7th Cavalry Brigade, which went active on 1 March 1932 at Fort Knox
. At first, it was nothing more than a headquarters detachment and the Armored Car Platoon.
On 3 January 1933, the 1st Cavalry Regiment was relieved from assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division, and was moved from Fort D.A. Russell
(now Francis E. Warren Air Force Base
) to Fort Knox
. The earlier Mechanized Platoon was incorporated into the new Regimental TO&E, and the result was the 1st Cavalry Regiment [Mechanized], which went active on 16 January 1933.
The new regimental commander was Colonel Van Voorhis, late of the experimental Mechanized Force, while the executive officer was Adna Chaffee
. The Post Commander of Fort Knox was Brigadier General Julian R. Lindsey, another cavalryman. To round out the cavalry nature of the unit, Major Robert W. Grow
was on the Regimental Staff.
Van Voorhis added the 13th Cavalry Regiment
, the 68th Field Artillery Battalion, the 7th Reconnaissance Squadron, the 7th Signal Troop
, the 4th Medical Troop, the 47th Engineer Troop and the 17th Quartermaster Battalion. The 7th Cavalry Brigade was fully formed.
Van Voorhis remained in command until September, 1938, when he was promoted to command the V Corps (United States) at Indianapolis
, Indiana. Chaffee took over from Van Voorhis.
On 7 May 1940, the 7th Cavalry Brigade took part in the Louisiana Maneuvers
at Monroe
, Louisiana that were instrumental in developing the armored division concept. The maneuvers concluded on 27 May 1940, and the brigade returned to Fort Knox on 31 May 1940, and preparations began to expand the brigade into the 1st Armored Division.
On 15 July 1940, 7th Cavalry Brigade was expanded, reorganized, and redesignated as 1st Armored Division. 1st Cavalry Regiment was redesignated as 1st Armored Regiment and 13th Cavalry Regiment was redesignated as 13th Armored Regiment.
The first order of battle for the 1st Armored Division was as follows:
to form the U.S. 4th Armored Division
("Name Enough") at Pine Camp, New York.
The Tanks Are Coming
(as the "First Armored Force"). It deployed to participate in the VII Corps Maneuvers on 18 August 1941. Once the maneuvers concluded, 1st Armored Division then moved on 28 August 1941, and arrived at Camp Polk
for the Second Army Louisiana
Maneuvers on 1 September 1941. They then moved to Fort Jackson on 30 October 1941 to participate in the First Army Carolina Maneuvers. 1st AD then returned to Fort Knox on 7 December 1941, but started to prepare for deployment overseas instead of returning to garrison.
at the New York Port of Embarkation at the Brooklyn Army Terminal
on 11 May 1942. They arrived at Northern Ireland
on 16 May 1942, and trained on the moors until they moved on to England on 29 October 1942.
The unit's first contact with an enemy was as part of the Allied
invasion of Northwest Africa, Operation Torch
, on 8 November 1942. Elements of the division were part of the Northern Task Force and became the first American armored division to see combat in World War II. Combat Command
B (CCB) of the division landed east and west of Oran
, and entered the city on 10 November 1942. On 24 November 1942, CCB moved from Tafaroui, Algeria to Bedja, Tunisia, and raided Djedeida
airfield the next day. Djedeida was finally conquered on 28 November 1942. CCB moved southwest of Tebourba
on 1 December 1942, engaged German
forces on El Guessa Heights on 3 December 1942, but its lines were pierced on 6 December 1942. CCB withdrew to Bedja with heavy equipment loses between 10 and 11 December 1942, and was placed in reserve. CCB next attacked in the Ousseltia Valley on 21 January 1943, and cleared that area until 29 January 1943 when sent to Bou Chebka, and arrived at Maktar
on 14 February 1943. Combat Command A (CCA) fought at Faid Pass commencing on 30 January 1943, and advanced to Sidi Bou Zid
, where it was pushed back with heavy tank loses on 14 February 1943, and had elements isolated on Djebel Lessouda, Djebel Kasaira, and Garet Hadid. Combat Command C (CCC), which had been constituted on 23 January 1943 to raid Sened Station
on 24 January, advanced towards Sbeita, and counterattacked to support CCA in the Sidi Bou Zid
area on 15 February 1943, but was repulsed with heavy loses. The division withdrew from Sbeita on 16 February 1943, but – by 21 February 1943 CCB contained the German attack toward Tebessa
. The German withdrawal allowed the division to recover Kasserine Pass on 26 February 1943 and assemble in reserve. The division moved northeast of Gafsa
on 13 March 1943 and attacked in heavy rains on 17 March 1943 as CCA took Zannouch, but became immobilized by rain the next day. The division drove on Maknassy on 20 March 1943, and fought the Battle of Djebel Naemia on 22–25 March 1943, and then fought to break through positions baring the road to Gabès
between 29 March and 1 April 1943. It began to follow up the withdrawing German forces on 6 April 1943, and attacked towards Mateur
with CCA on 27 April 1943, which fell after hard fighting on Hill 315 and Hill 299 on 3 May 1943. The division fought the Battle for Djebel Achtel between 5 and 11 May 1943, and entered Ferryville on 7 May 1943. The German forces in Tunisia
surrendered between 9 and 13 May 1943. The division was reorganized in French Morocco
, and began arriving in Naples
, Italy on 28 October 1943.
After the fall of Sicily
, the unit, part of the US Fifth Army, invaded mainland Italy
. It took part in the attack on the infamous Winter Line
in November 1943. It then flanked the Axis
armies in the landings at Anzio
, and participated in the liberation of Rome on 4 June 1944. The division continued in combat to the Po Valley until the German forces in Italy surrendered on 2 May 1945. In June, the Division moved to Germany as part of the occupation forces.
, New Jersey
on 25 April 1946.
The Korean War
saw a buildup in U.S. forces after World War II. As part of that buildup, the 1st Armored Division was reactivated on 7 March 1951 at Fort Hood. It was the first Army unit to receive the new M48 Patton
tank. After a number of years in Texas, the division was moved to Fort Polk
, Louisiana
, in 1956.
The division was deployed to Texas, Florida, and Georgia
, in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis
. During the six week deployment, it received a visit from President John F. Kennedy
. A few units fought in the Vietnam War
, and were returned to the division after the war. The 3d Brigade deployed to Chicago
, Illinois to restore order after Martin Luther King Jr.'s marches. At that time, the division was based in Fort Hood, Texas.
As the Vietnam War wound down, there was a fundamental reorganisation of the Army. As part of this reorganisation, the 1st Armored Division was moved to Germany in 1971. It replaced the 4th Armored Division in the Bavarian city of Ansbach. The Division remained in Ansbach
, with brigade units in the neighboring towns of Bamberg
, Illesheim, Furth (Nuremberg) Katterbach, Crailsheim, Erlangen and Zirndorf
, West Germany for the next twenty years, as part of the American forces committed to NATO.
In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait
. Army units were dispatched to protect Saudi Arabia
. Later in the fall, President George H. W. Bush
made the decision to deploy American heavy forces on a massive scale to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait. The lead unit for this deployment was the VII Corps from Germany. 1st Armored Division was one of four American heavy divisions assigned to VII Corps in theater. In the ground attack of the Gulf War
, the Division led the VII Corps' flank attack on the Iraqis. It had the duty of destroying the elite Iraqi Republican Guard
units. In eighty nine hours, the division moved 250 kilometers, destroyed 768 vehicles, and captured 1,064 prisoners of war
, at the cost of four dead. It returned to Germany on 8 May 1991, and celebrated with a visit from Vice President Dan Quayle
.
On 18 December 1995, under the command of Major General William L. Nash
, the division deployed to northeast Bosnia
as the command element of Task Force Eagle, a powerful, multinational unit intended to keep the peace. (A Russian brigade, initially under the command of Colonel
Aleksandr Ivanovich Lentsov, was part of that effort. An account of the interactions of the Americans and Russians in Bosnia in 1996 may be found in James Nelson's Bosnia Journal.) The 1AD returned in late 1996 to Germany.
In 1999, the unit was once again deployed, this time to Kosovo
, for Operation Allied Force
, and Operation Joint Guardian.
Afterwards, the unit trained heavily in Hohenfels
and Grafenwöhr
Training Areas in Germany, with realistic OPFOR (Opposition Forces) exercises. Some units were deployed into Iraq
and other countries in the Middle East for the global War on Terrorism
.
("All-American"), the 3d Infantry Division
("Rock of the Marne"), and the 101st Airborne Division
("Screaming Eagles") throughout the campaign to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein
. These units spearheaded the U.S assaults in As Samawah and Karbala and later occupied the southern area of Baghdad. The 1-13 Armor battalion followed shortly behind towards the end of March 2003.
In May 2003, the remainder of the division deployed to Iraq and assumed responsibility for Baghdad
, under command of Brigadier General Martin E. Dempsey, and the surrounding areas, relieving the 3d Infantry Division. The division was scheduled to return to Germany in April 2004, but was extended in order to defeat a Shia militia led by Moqtada Al Sadr. During the three month extension Task Force 1–37 AR ("Bandits") fought Al Sadr's forces in Karbala
while Task Force 2–37 AR ("Dukes")along with elements of 2–3 FA (Gunners) fought in Diwaniya, Sadr City
, Al-Kut, and Najaf
. Task Force 1–36 IN ("Spartans") became the CJTF-7 Operational Reserve and conducted operations throughout the theater in support of the 1st Cavalry Division. Forces from the 2d Brigade fought in Kut
. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, the division lost more than 125 soldiers.
The division's 3d (BULLDOG) Brigade deployed to the Iraqi Theatre once again in January 2005 for Operation Iraqi Freedom Three from Fort Riley
, Kansas
, this after only seven months stateside. There, they are attached to the 3d Infantry Division and are the major unit involved with Task Force Baghdad.
2nd Brigade Combat Team, or BCT
, deployed to Kuwait
November 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom IV, spending three months as a theater reserve. Following the Al-Askari Mosque
bombing in February of the following year Task Force 2–6 Infantry was activated from theater reserve status and deployed to Iraq. Three months later, in May 2006, the two remaining brigade task forces in Kuwait deployed to Ramadi, Iraq. In August 2006, 2BCT rear detachment, still in Kuwait, deployed to Baghdad International Airport
.
The division's 1st Brigade Combat Team("Ready First") deployed again to Iraq in January 2006 after months of intensive training in Grafenwöhr and Hohenfels, Germany. Many of the soldiers who fought with units like 1–36 Infantry("Spartans"), 2–37 Armor("Iron Dukes"), and 1–37 ("Bandits") returned to Iraq for a second time. The majority of the Ready First Brigade was deployed to Northern Iraq in Nineveh province concentrating on the city of Tal' Afar. In May 2006 the main force of 1st Brigade received orders to move south to the city of Ramadi in volatile Al Anbar Province. In January 2006 a smaller force, Task Force Spartan, was sent to replace 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and took control of the area surrounding Hit, Iraq in Al-Anbar Province. Task Force Spartan had less than 800 personnel but had an area of responisibility about the size of the state of Rhode Island. There they helped train the Iraqi Army as well as heavy recruiting and training of Iraqi Police units. Strengthening the Iraqi Army and Police units in the area, in addition to much needed anti-insurgent missions laid the foundation for stability in Hit and the surrounding area. August 2006, seven months into their Iraq tour, 1st BCT received news of a forty-six day extension. After nearly fourteen months, Ready First redeployed from Iraq in mid-February 2007 back to their garrisons of Ray Barracks, Friedberg, Germany and Giessen Depot, Giessen, Germany.
In September 2007, the 1st Armored Division Headquarters deployed again to Iraq. The 1st Armored Division conducted a relief in place with the 25th Infantry Division and assumed command of Multi-National Division North, headquartered in Tikrit, Iraq, on 28 October 2007. Multi-National Division North was then composed of five Maneuver Brigade Combat Teams, a Combat Aviation Brigade, a Fires Brigade, and an Engineer Brigade. Multi-National Division North includes the Iraqi provinces of Ninawa, Kirkuk (formerly At Tamin), Salah ad Din, and Diyala along with Dahuk, and As Sulaymaniah. The area also includes the critical cities of Tal Afar, Mosul, Bayji, Tikrit, Kirkuk, Samarra, Balad, Baqubah, Dahuk, and Sulaymaniah. The Division currently commands all Coalition Forces in Northern Iraq. Arbil province remains aligned as a separate Multi-National Division, North-East. The 1st Armored Division has tackled numerous complex problem sets in Northern Iraq applying both lethal and non-lethal means. The area includes ethnic fault lines between Arabs and Kurds, religious fault lines between Sunni and Shia Muslims, numerous tribal regions, and the complexities involving significant Former Regime Elements and the dynamics of energy. The Division conducted RIP/TOA with Headquarters 25th Infantry Division on 8 December 2008 and conducted a successful redployment back to Wiesbaden Army Airfield in Germany.
In April 2008 the 2nd BCT out of Baumholder, Germany deployed to Baghdad Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Brigade conducted 14 months of combat operations and successfully redeployed back to Germany in May 2009. On 30 Jul 2009 the 2nd BCT cased its colors and reflagged to the 170th BCT signifying the start of the Brigade's move to Fort Bliss, Texas.
In May 2009 the 4th HBCT out of Fort Bliss, Texas deployed to Southern Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Brigade will be used as a Advise and Assist Brigade in order to train Iraqi Security Forces.
On 14 July 2009 the Department of Defense announced that Headquarters 1st Armored Division and the 1st HBCT would return to Iraq in late 2009 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
1st Armored Division Headquarters deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in November 2009 serving as United States Division – Center
In December 2010 the 1st Armored Division redeployed from Baghdad, Iraq after 12 months of serving as United States Division – Center
or BRAC commission decided to move the 1st Armored Division to Fort Bliss, Texas
no later than 2012. As part of the current Army-wide transformation, several division units will be inactivated or converted to other units. As the complete move to Bliss will take place after 2008, the effect of the Iraq War and the projected troop surge is unknown.
The division's colors were officially moved from Germany to Fort Bliss beginning on 13 May 2011.
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
with base of operations in Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
, Texas. It was the first armored division of the U.S. Army to see battle in World War II.
Command Structure
As of May 2011 the division command group consist of:Commander: Major General Major General Dana J.H. Pittard
Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver): Brigadier General Stephen Twitty
Assistant Division Commander (Support): Vacant
Chief of Staff: Colonel Randall C. Lane
Command Sergeant Major: Command Sergeant Major David S. Davenport
Current Structure
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
, Texas, it has been reorganizing under the new modular design. The Division consists of four Brigade Combat Teams and a Combat Aviation Brigade
Combat Aviation Brigade
A Combat Aviation Brigade is a multi-functional brigade-sized unit in the United States Army that fields military helicopters, offering a combination of attack helicopters , reconnaissance helicopters , medium-lift helicopters , heavy-lift helicopters , and MEDEVAC capability.- History :Combat...
.
1st Armored Division consists of the following elements:
- Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion "Gladiator"
- 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team "Ready First" (Unit under reformation)
- 4th Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment17th Infantry Regiment (United States)The 17th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army infantry regiment. While the 17th Infantry Regiment was organized on January 11, 1812, it was consolidated with the 3rd Infantry due to extremely heavy losses at Frenchtown, and lost its identity two years later until May 3, 1861, when it was...
- 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment36th Infantry Regiment (United States)The 36th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army infantry regiment.-Lineage:The 36th Infantry was formed on 1 July 1916 at Brownsville, Texas from elements of the 4th Infantry, 26th Infantry and 28th Infantry...
- 3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment41st Infantry Regiment (United States)The U.S. 41st Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army. Its 1st Battalion is currently assigned to the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division...
- Company F (Anti-Tank), 51st Infantry Regiment51st Infantry Regiment (United States)The 51st Infantry Regiment is a Regiment of the United States Army first established in 1917.-History:Company F is currently serving as the anti-tank element of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. Company F is operating the M1134 Anti-Tank variant of the basic Stryker system...
(activated 16 January 2011) - 6th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment3rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment is an Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1907-History:The 3rd Field Artillery Regiment was first activated in 1907 from numbered companies of artillery...
- 501st Brigade Support Battalion
- 4th Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment
- 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team "Heavy Metal"
- 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment
- 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment35th Armor Regiment (United States)The 35th Armor Regiment is a Regiment of the United States Army first established in 1941.-Distinctive Unit Insignia:* DescriptionA Silver color and metal enamel device 1 1/8 inches in height overall blazoned as follows: Vert, an armadillo passant Argent, langued Gules...
- 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment
- 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment27th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)The 27th Field Artillery Regiment is an Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army. first Constituted in 1918 in the National Army -History:...
- 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion-Unit Crest:Description: A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Per pale Sable and Gules with stylized folds Sanguine; in the first three lightning flashes conjoined and radiating from base point Or; in the second a stylized...
- 47th Brigade Support Battalion
- NOTE: 2/1 AD is currently attached to TRADOC's Brigade Modernization CommandBrigade Modernization CommandThe Brigade Modernization Command is the new name for the Future Force Integration Directorate, under The U.S. Army's Training and Doctrine Command and the Army Capabilities Integration Center...
and is a non-deploying unit.
- NOTE: 2/1 AD is currently attached to TRADOC's Brigade Modernization Command
- 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team "Bulldogs"
- 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment41st Infantry Regiment (United States)The U.S. 41st Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army. Its 1st Battalion is currently assigned to the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division...
- 2nd Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment5th Infantry Regiment (United States)The 5th Infantry Regiment is the third-oldest infantry regiment of the United States Army, tracing its origins to 1808...
- 1st Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)The 13th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. The 1st and 2nd Squadrons are currently stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas as part of the 1st Armored Division.-Service History:...
- 4th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment1st Field Artillery Regiment (United States)The 1st Field Artillery Regiment is an Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army first formed in 1907.-History:The 1st Field Artillery Regiment was first activated in 1907 from numbered companies of artillery...
- 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion
- 125th Brigade Support Battalion
- 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment
- 4th Heavy Brigade Combat Team "Highlanders"
- 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment
- 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment77th Armor Regiment (United States)The 77th Armor is an armored regiment of the United States Army. The 77th Armor Regiment is part of the U.S. Army Regimental System with only a single battalion, the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, and is therefore classified as both a single battalion, and the remainder of the Regiment itself...
- 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)The 13th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. The 1st and 2nd Squadrons are currently stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas as part of the 1st Armored Division.-Service History:...
- 2nd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)29th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)The 29th Field Artillery Regiment is an Field Artillery regiment of the United States Army. first Constituted in 1918 in the National Army -Lineage:...
- 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion
- 123rd Brigade Support Battalion
- Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division "Iron Eagle"
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company
- 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment
- 2nd Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment
- 3rd Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment
- 4th Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment
- 127th Aviation Support Battalion
The division is supported by the 15th Sustainment Brigade
15th Sustainment Brigade (United States)
The 15th Sustainment Brigade is a sustainment brigade of the United States Army based at Fort Bliss, Texas. It provides logistics support to other units of the United States Army, and is subordinate to the 13th Sustainment Command...
.
Insignia
The division was nicknamed "Old Ironsides", by its first commander, Major General Bruce R. Magruder, after he saw a picture of the frigate USS ConstitutionUSS Constitution
USS Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world's oldest floating commissioned naval vessel...
, which is also nicknamed "Old Ironsides". The large "1" at the top represents the numerical designation of the division, and the insignia is used as a basis for most other sub-unit insignias. The cannon and tracked vehicle symbols represent the mechanized role of the division.
The three colors, red, yellow, and blue represent the Artillery, Armor, and Infantry Branches respectively, which are the colors of the three original combat arms which, when forged into one, created the field of Armor. This "pyramid of power" was devised by the order of then-Lieutenant Col. George S. Patton, Jr. in Bourg, France in early 1918 during Patton's formation and training of the Tank Corps in support of the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
under General John J. Pershing
John J. Pershing
John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
.
Origins
Col. Daniel Van VoorhisDaniel Van Voorhis
Daniel Van Voorhis was a United States Army Lieutenant General and was noteworthy for his assignments as commander of V Corps and the Caribbean Defense Command, as well as his efforts in creating the Army's modern Armor branch.-Early life:...
took a cadre
En cadre
En cadre or cadre is a French expression originally denoting either the complement of commissioned officers of a regiment or the permanent skeleton establishment of a unit, around which the unit could be built if needed...
of 175 officers and enlisted men from Fort Eustis to Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
in February 1932, and established a Provisional Armored Car Platoon. This was based on an earlier effort, but was predicated on a new Cavalry Regiment TO&E (Table of Organization and Equipment) which was published that year. Also published, but never implemented, was a Cavalry Division TO&E which reflected the then unnatural assimilation of machines into the Horse Cavalry.
Van Voorhis's cadre and platoon became the kernel for the 7th Cavalry Brigade, which went active on 1 March 1932 at Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
. At first, it was nothing more than a headquarters detachment and the Armored Car Platoon.
On 3 January 1933, the 1st Cavalry Regiment was relieved from assignment to the 1st Cavalry Division, and was moved from Fort D.A. Russell
Fort D.A. Russell (Wyoming)
Fort D. A. Russell, also known as Fort Francis E. Warren, Francis E. Warren Air Force Base and Fort David A. Russell, was a post and base of operations for the United States Army, and later the Air Force, located in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The fort had been established in 1867 to protect workers for the...
(now Francis E. Warren Air Force Base
Francis E. Warren Air Force Base
Francis E. Warren Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately west of Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is one of three strategic missile bases in the United States. It is named in honor of Francis E. Warren....
) to Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
. The earlier Mechanized Platoon was incorporated into the new Regimental TO&E, and the result was the 1st Cavalry Regiment [Mechanized], which went active on 16 January 1933.
The new regimental commander was Colonel Van Voorhis, late of the experimental Mechanized Force, while the executive officer was Adna Chaffee
Adna R. Chaffee, Jr.
Adna Romanza Chaffee, Jr. was a major general in the United States Army, called the "Father of the Armored Force" for his role in developing the U.S. Army's tank forces.-Early years:...
. The Post Commander of Fort Knox was Brigadier General Julian R. Lindsey, another cavalryman. To round out the cavalry nature of the unit, Major Robert W. Grow
Robert W. Grow
Robert W. Grow was an US Army general during World War II. He was the commander the U.S. 6th Armored Division on the Western Front, fighting during the battles of Normandy and of the Bulge....
was on the Regimental Staff.
Van Voorhis added the 13th Cavalry Regiment
13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)
The 13th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. The 1st and 2nd Squadrons are currently stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas as part of the 1st Armored Division.-Service History:...
, the 68th Field Artillery Battalion, the 7th Reconnaissance Squadron, the 7th Signal Troop
7th Signal Troop
141st Signal Battalion is a United States battalion which deploys to install, operate and maintain C4I systems in support of 1st Armored Division operations, major subordinate commands and attached units as required.-History:...
, the 4th Medical Troop, the 47th Engineer Troop and the 17th Quartermaster Battalion. The 7th Cavalry Brigade was fully formed.
Van Voorhis remained in command until September, 1938, when he was promoted to command the V Corps (United States) at Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana. Chaffee took over from Van Voorhis.
On 7 May 1940, the 7th Cavalry Brigade took part in the Louisiana Maneuvers
Louisiana Maneuvers
The Louisiana Maneuvers were a series of military exercises held all over north and west-central Louisiana, including Fort Polk, Camp Claiborne and Camp Livingston, in August and September 1941...
at Monroe
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
, Louisiana that were instrumental in developing the armored division concept. The maneuvers concluded on 27 May 1940, and the brigade returned to Fort Knox on 31 May 1940, and preparations began to expand the brigade into the 1st Armored Division.
On 15 July 1940, 7th Cavalry Brigade was expanded, reorganized, and redesignated as 1st Armored Division. 1st Cavalry Regiment was redesignated as 1st Armored Regiment and 13th Cavalry Regiment was redesignated as 13th Armored Regiment.
The first order of battle for the 1st Armored Division was as follows:
- HHC, 1st Armored Division
- HHC, 1st Armored Brigade
- 1st Armored Regiment (Light)
- 13th Armored Regiment (Light)13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)The 13th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. The 1st and 2nd Squadrons are currently stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas as part of the 1st Armored Division.-Service History:...
- 69th Armored Regiment (Medium)
- 68th Armored Field Artillery Regiment
- 6th Armored Infantry RegimentU.S. 6th Infantry RegimentThe 6th Infantry Regiment was formed in 1812. Its most famous commander was Zachary Taylor, later the twelfth President of the United States. The Motto, "Regulars, By God!" derives from the Battle of Chippawa, in which British general Riall noticed that the approaching regiment had on the uniforms...
- 27th Field Artillery Battalion (Armored)
- 16th Engineer Battalion (Armored)16th Engineer Battalion (United States)The 16th Engineer Battalion is a Combat Engineer Battalion in the United States Army, first establishedn in 1935-Lineage:*Constituted 11 December 1935 in the Regular Army as the 16th Engineer Regiment...
- 81st Armored Reconnaissance Squadron
- 13th Quartermaster Battalion (Armored)
- 19th Ordnance Battalion (Armored)
- 47th Medical Battalion (Armored)
- 141st Signal Company (Armored)
- HHC, 1st Armored Brigade
Formation of 4th Armored Division
On 15 April 1941 the 1st AD sent a cadreEn cadre
En cadre or cadre is a French expression originally denoting either the complement of commissioned officers of a regiment or the permanent skeleton establishment of a unit, around which the unit could be built if needed...
to form the U.S. 4th Armored Division
U.S. 4th Armored Division
The 4th Armored Division of the United States Army was an armored division that compiled a distinguished career in the European theater of World War II. Unlike many other World War II U.S. armored divisions, the 4th never adopted an official divisional nickname or slogan...
("Name Enough") at Pine Camp, New York.
Commanders
- MG Bruce Magruder (July 1940 – March 1942),
- MG Orlando WardOrlando WardOrlando Ward was a career United States Army Officer. During World War II, as a Major General, he commanded the U.S. 1st Armored Division during Operation Torch...
(March 1942 – April 1943), - MG Ernest N. HarmonErnest N. HarmonErnest Nason Harmon was a United States Army general. He is best known for his actions in reorganizing U.S. II Corps after the debacle at the Battle of the Kasserine Pass in North Africa during World War II....
(April 1943 – July 1944), - MG Vernon PrichardVernon PrichardVernon Edwin "Prich" Prichard was an American football quarterback and military officer. He played college football with Army and was selected as a first-team All-American in 1914. He became a career officer in the U.S. Army and rose to the rank of Major General...
(July 1944 – September 1945), - MG Roderick R. Allen (September 1945 – January 1946),
- MG Hobart R. GayHobart R. GayLieutenant General Hobart Raymond Gay , nicknamed "Hap", was a United States Army general.-Early military career:...
(February 1946 to inactivation).
Training
After completing its organization and equipping, 1st Armored Division trained at Fort Knox, where it participated in the Technicolor short movieShort subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
The Tanks Are Coming
The Tanks Are Coming (1941)
The Tanks Are Coming is a 1941 Technicolor short movie. It is primarily a recruitment movie, but can also be regarded as a propaganda movie or a documentary with some light relief...
(as the "First Armored Force"). It deployed to participate in the VII Corps Maneuvers on 18 August 1941. Once the maneuvers concluded, 1st Armored Division then moved on 28 August 1941, and arrived at Camp Polk
Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
for the Second Army Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
Maneuvers on 1 September 1941. They then moved to Fort Jackson on 30 October 1941 to participate in the First Army Carolina Maneuvers. 1st AD then returned to Fort Knox on 7 December 1941, but started to prepare for deployment overseas instead of returning to garrison.
Service
The 1st Armored Division was ordered to Fort Dix on 11 April 1942 to await their deployment overseas. The division's port call required them to board the RMS Queen MaryRMS Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line...
at the New York Port of Embarkation at the Brooklyn Army Terminal
Brooklyn Army Terminal
The Brooklyn Army Terminal is large complex of piers, docks, warehouses, cranes, rail sidings and cargo loading equipment on between 58th and 63rd Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. During World War II, the terminal was responsible for shipment of 85% of army equipment and personnel overseas;...
on 11 May 1942. They arrived at Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
on 16 May 1942, and trained on the moors until they moved on to England on 29 October 1942.
The unit's first contact with an enemy was as part of the Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
invasion of Northwest Africa, Operation Torch
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
, on 8 November 1942. Elements of the division were part of the Northern Task Force and became the first American armored division to see combat in World War II. Combat Command
Combat command
A Combat Command was a combined-arms military organization of comparable size to a brigade or regiment employed by armored forces of the U.S. Army from 1942 until 1963...
B (CCB) of the division landed east and west of Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, and entered the city on 10 November 1942. On 24 November 1942, CCB moved from Tafaroui, Algeria to Bedja, Tunisia, and raided Djedeida
Djedeida
Djedeida is a town and commune in the Manouba Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 40,327.-References:...
airfield the next day. Djedeida was finally conquered on 28 November 1942. CCB moved southwest of Tebourba
Tebourba
Tebourba is a town in Tunisia, located about 20 miles from the capital Tunis.-Thuburbo Minus:Historically Thuburbo Minus was a settlement in Africa Proconsularis, located at present-day Tebourba. Thuburbo Minus is mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary, 44, and the Tabula Peutinger...
on 1 December 1942, engaged German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
forces on El Guessa Heights on 3 December 1942, but its lines were pierced on 6 December 1942. CCB withdrew to Bedja with heavy equipment loses between 10 and 11 December 1942, and was placed in reserve. CCB next attacked in the Ousseltia Valley on 21 January 1943, and cleared that area until 29 January 1943 when sent to Bou Chebka, and arrived at Maktar
Maktar
Maktar , or Makthar, is a town and Roman site in Siliana Governorate, Tunisia, located at . It is 140 km southwest of Tunis and 60 km southeast of El Kef. The population in 2004 was 12,942....
on 14 February 1943. Combat Command A (CCA) fought at Faid Pass commencing on 30 January 1943, and advanced to Sidi Bou Zid
Sidi Bou Zid
Sidi Bouzid , sometimes called Sidi Bou Zid or Sīdī Bū Zayd, is a city in Tunisia and is the capital of Sidi Bouzid Governorate in the centre of the country...
, where it was pushed back with heavy tank loses on 14 February 1943, and had elements isolated on Djebel Lessouda, Djebel Kasaira, and Garet Hadid. Combat Command C (CCC), which had been constituted on 23 January 1943 to raid Sened Station
Sened (town)
Sened is a commune and small town in central Tunisia in Gafsa Governorate, and is also the name of the extinct Berber language that was spoken there and at the nearby town of Tmagourt until the mid-twentieth century. At the 2004 census it had a population of 8,931. In 1911, the whole town spoke...
on 24 January, advanced towards Sbeita, and counterattacked to support CCA in the Sidi Bou Zid
Sidi Bou Zid
Sidi Bouzid , sometimes called Sidi Bou Zid or Sīdī Bū Zayd, is a city in Tunisia and is the capital of Sidi Bouzid Governorate in the centre of the country...
area on 15 February 1943, but was repulsed with heavy loses. The division withdrew from Sbeita on 16 February 1943, but – by 21 February 1943 CCB contained the German attack toward Tebessa
Tébessa
Tébessa is the capital city of Tébessa Province, Algeria, 20 kilometers west from the border with Tunisia. Nearby is also a phosphate mine. The city is famous for the traditional Algerian carpets in the region, and is home to over 161,440 people.-History:...
. The German withdrawal allowed the division to recover Kasserine Pass on 26 February 1943 and assemble in reserve. The division moved northeast of Gafsa
Gafsa
Gafsa is the capital of Gafsa Governorate of Tunisia. Its name was appropriated by archaeologists for the Mesolithic Capsian culture. With a population of 84,676, it is the 9th Tunisian city.-Overview:...
on 13 March 1943 and attacked in heavy rains on 17 March 1943 as CCA took Zannouch, but became immobilized by rain the next day. The division drove on Maknassy on 20 March 1943, and fought the Battle of Djebel Naemia on 22–25 March 1943, and then fought to break through positions baring the road to Gabès
Gabès
Gabès , also spelt Cabès, Cabes, Kabes, Gabbs and Gaps, the ancient Tacape, is the capital city of the Gabès Governorate, a province of Tunisia. It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès. With a population of 116,323 it is the 6th largest Tunisian city.-History:Strabo refers to Tacape as an...
between 29 March and 1 April 1943. It began to follow up the withdrawing German forces on 6 April 1943, and attacked towards Mateur
Mateur
Mateur is a town in northern Tunisia. It is located at around , close to the Lac Ichkeul National Park.- Overview :Located in the southwest of the governorate of Bizerte, Mateur is the county seat of a delegation of 57,562 inhabitants while its town counts 44,345 inhabitants divided in 8315...
with CCA on 27 April 1943, which fell after hard fighting on Hill 315 and Hill 299 on 3 May 1943. The division fought the Battle for Djebel Achtel between 5 and 11 May 1943, and entered Ferryville on 7 May 1943. The German forces in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
surrendered between 9 and 13 May 1943. The division was reorganized in French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
, and began arriving in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy on 28 October 1943.
After the fall of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, the unit, part of the US Fifth Army, invaded mainland Italy
Allied invasion of Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied landing on mainland Italy on September 3, 1943, by General Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group during the Second World War. The operation followed the successful invasion of Sicily during the Italian Campaign...
. It took part in the attack on the infamous Winter Line
Winter Line
The Winter Line was a series of German military fortifications in Italy, constructed during World War II by Organisation Todt. The primary Gustav Line ran across Italy from just north of where the Garigliano River flows into the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west, through the Apennine Mountains to the...
in November 1943. It then flanked the Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
armies in the landings at Anzio
Operation Shingle
Operation Shingle , during the Italian Campaign of World War II, was an Allied amphibious landing against Axis forces in the area of Anzio and Nettuno, Italy. The operation was commanded by Major General John P. Lucas and was intended to outflank German forces of the Winter Line and enable an...
, and participated in the liberation of Rome on 4 June 1944. The division continued in combat to the Po Valley until the German forces in Italy surrendered on 2 May 1945. In June, the Division moved to Germany as part of the occupation forces.
Casualties
- KIA (Killed in Action): 1,194
- WIA (Wounded in Action): 5,168
- DOW (Died of Wounds): 234
Inactivation
1st Armored Division returned to the New York Port of Embarkation on 24 April 1946, and was inactivated at Camp KilmerCamp Kilmer
Camp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
on 25 April 1946.
Post World War II
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
saw a buildup in U.S. forces after World War II. As part of that buildup, the 1st Armored Division was reactivated on 7 March 1951 at Fort Hood. It was the first Army unit to receive the new M48 Patton
M48 Patton
The M48 Patton is a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the third and final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle It was a...
tank. After a number of years in Texas, the division was moved to Fort Polk
Fort Polk
Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, in 1956.
The division was deployed to Texas, Florida, and Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
. During the six week deployment, it received a visit from President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. A few units fought in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and were returned to the division after the war. The 3d Brigade deployed to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois to restore order after Martin Luther King Jr.'s marches. At that time, the division was based in Fort Hood, Texas.
As the Vietnam War wound down, there was a fundamental reorganisation of the Army. As part of this reorganisation, the 1st Armored Division was moved to Germany in 1971. It replaced the 4th Armored Division in the Bavarian city of Ansbach. The Division remained in Ansbach
Ansbach
Ansbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
, with brigade units in the neighboring towns of Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
, Illesheim, Furth (Nuremberg) Katterbach, Crailsheim, Erlangen and Zirndorf
Zirndorf
Zirndorf is a town, which is part of the district of Fürth. It is located in northern Bavaria, Germany in the Regierungsbezirk of Middle Franconia.-Neighbouring municipalities:...
, West Germany for the next twenty years, as part of the American forces committed to NATO.
In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait
Invasion of Kuwait
The Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, was a major conflict between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait, which resulted in the seven-month long Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, which subsequently led to direct military intervention by United States-led forces in the Gulf...
. Army units were dispatched to protect Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. Later in the fall, President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
made the decision to deploy American heavy forces on a massive scale to eject the Iraqis from Kuwait. The lead unit for this deployment was the VII Corps from Germany. 1st Armored Division was one of four American heavy divisions assigned to VII Corps in theater. In the ground attack of the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, the Division led the VII Corps' flank attack on the Iraqis. It had the duty of destroying the elite Iraqi Republican Guard
Iraqi Republican Guard
The Iraqi Republican Guard was a branch of the Iraqi military during the presidency of Saddam Hussein. It later became the Republican Guard Corps, and then the Republican Guard Forces Command with its expansion into two corps....
units. In eighty nine hours, the division moved 250 kilometers, destroyed 768 vehicles, and captured 1,064 prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, at the cost of four dead. It returned to Germany on 8 May 1991, and celebrated with a visit from Vice President Dan Quayle
Dan Quayle
James Danforth "Dan" Quayle served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush . He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana....
.
On 18 December 1995, under the command of Major General William L. Nash
William L. Nash
William L. Nash is a retired U.S. Army Major General who commanded the 1st Armored Division of the United States Army when it went to Bosnia in 1995 for a year as a peacekeeping operation. A Russian brigade, initially under the command of Colonel Aleksandr Ivanovich Lentsov, was part of that effort...
, the division deployed to northeast Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
as the command element of Task Force Eagle, a powerful, multinational unit intended to keep the peace. (A Russian brigade, initially under the command of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Aleksandr Ivanovich Lentsov, was part of that effort. An account of the interactions of the Americans and Russians in Bosnia in 1996 may be found in James Nelson's Bosnia Journal.) The 1AD returned in late 1996 to Germany.
In 1999, the unit was once again deployed, this time to Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, for Operation Allied Force
Operation Allied Force
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
, and Operation Joint Guardian.
Afterwards, the unit trained heavily in Hohenfels
Hohenfels, Bavaria
Hohenfels is a municipality in the district of Neumarkt in the region of Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, Germany. The town is host to the United States Army Garrison Hohenfels, which operates the Joint Multinational Readiness Center for training NATO armed forces....
and Grafenwöhr
Grafenwöhr
Grafenwöhr is a town in the district Neustadt , in the region of the Upper Palatinate in eastern Bavaria, Germany. It is widely known for the United States Army military installation and training area, called Grafenwöhr Training Area, located directly south and west of the town.- Early History:The...
Training Areas in Germany, with realistic OPFOR (Opposition Forces) exercises. Some units were deployed into Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and other countries in the Middle East for the global War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
In the build-up in the months prior the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, two battalions of the 1st Armored Division's 3d Brigade were deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 2–70 Armor and 1–41 Infantry battalion task forces augmented the 82nd Airborne DivisionU.S. 82nd Airborne Division
The 82nd Airborne Division is an active airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute landing operations. Based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the 82nd Airborne Division is the primary fighting arm of the XVIII Airborne Corps....
("All-American"), the 3d Infantry Division
U.S. 3d Infantry Division
The 3rd Infantry Division is a United States Army infantry division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia. It is a direct subordinate unit of the XVIII Airborne Corps and U.S. Army Forces Command...
("Rock of the Marne"), and the 101st Airborne Division
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
("Screaming Eagles") throughout the campaign to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
. These units spearheaded the U.S assaults in As Samawah and Karbala and later occupied the southern area of Baghdad. The 1-13 Armor battalion followed shortly behind towards the end of March 2003.
In May 2003, the remainder of the division deployed to Iraq and assumed responsibility for Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, under command of Brigadier General Martin E. Dempsey, and the surrounding areas, relieving the 3d Infantry Division. The division was scheduled to return to Germany in April 2004, but was extended in order to defeat a Shia militia led by Moqtada Al Sadr. During the three month extension Task Force 1–37 AR ("Bandits") fought Al Sadr's forces in Karbala
Karbala
Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
while Task Force 2–37 AR ("Dukes")along with elements of 2–3 FA (Gunners) fought in Diwaniya, Sadr City
Sadr City
Sadr City is a suburb district of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It was built in 1959 by Prime Minister Abdul Karim Qassim and later unofficially renamed Sadr City after deceased Shia leader Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr....
, Al-Kut, and Najaf
Najaf
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
. Task Force 1–36 IN ("Spartans") became the CJTF-7 Operational Reserve and conducted operations throughout the theater in support of the 1st Cavalry Division. Forces from the 2d Brigade fought in Kut
Kut
Al-Kūt is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about 160 kilometres south east of Baghdad. the estimated population is about 374,000 people...
. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, the division lost more than 125 soldiers.
The division's 3d (BULLDOG) Brigade deployed to the Iraqi Theatre once again in January 2005 for Operation Iraqi Freedom Three from Fort Riley
Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, this after only seven months stateside. There, they are attached to the 3d Infantry Division and are the major unit involved with Task Force Baghdad.
2nd Brigade Combat Team, or BCT
Brigade combat team
The brigade combat team is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the US Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade, and its attached support and fire units. A brigade combat team is generally commanded by a colonel , but in rare instances it is commanded by...
, deployed to Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
November 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom IV, spending three months as a theater reserve. Following the Al-Askari Mosque
Al-Askari Mosque
Al ‘Askarī Mosque or the ‘Askariyya Mosque/Shrine is a Shī‘ah Muslim holy site located in the Iraqi city of Sāmarrā from Baghdad. It is one of the most important Shī‘ah mosques in the world, built in 944...
bombing in February of the following year Task Force 2–6 Infantry was activated from theater reserve status and deployed to Iraq. Three months later, in May 2006, the two remaining brigade task forces in Kuwait deployed to Ramadi, Iraq. In August 2006, 2BCT rear detachment, still in Kuwait, deployed to Baghdad International Airport
Baghdad International Airport
Baghdad International Airport, originally Saddam International Airport, , BIAP is Iraq's largest airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate...
.
The division's 1st Brigade Combat Team("Ready First") deployed again to Iraq in January 2006 after months of intensive training in Grafenwöhr and Hohenfels, Germany. Many of the soldiers who fought with units like 1–36 Infantry("Spartans"), 2–37 Armor("Iron Dukes"), and 1–37 ("Bandits") returned to Iraq for a second time. The majority of the Ready First Brigade was deployed to Northern Iraq in Nineveh province concentrating on the city of Tal' Afar. In May 2006 the main force of 1st Brigade received orders to move south to the city of Ramadi in volatile Al Anbar Province. In January 2006 a smaller force, Task Force Spartan, was sent to replace 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and took control of the area surrounding Hit, Iraq in Al-Anbar Province. Task Force Spartan had less than 800 personnel but had an area of responisibility about the size of the state of Rhode Island. There they helped train the Iraqi Army as well as heavy recruiting and training of Iraqi Police units. Strengthening the Iraqi Army and Police units in the area, in addition to much needed anti-insurgent missions laid the foundation for stability in Hit and the surrounding area. August 2006, seven months into their Iraq tour, 1st BCT received news of a forty-six day extension. After nearly fourteen months, Ready First redeployed from Iraq in mid-February 2007 back to their garrisons of Ray Barracks, Friedberg, Germany and Giessen Depot, Giessen, Germany.
In September 2007, the 1st Armored Division Headquarters deployed again to Iraq. The 1st Armored Division conducted a relief in place with the 25th Infantry Division and assumed command of Multi-National Division North, headquartered in Tikrit, Iraq, on 28 October 2007. Multi-National Division North was then composed of five Maneuver Brigade Combat Teams, a Combat Aviation Brigade, a Fires Brigade, and an Engineer Brigade. Multi-National Division North includes the Iraqi provinces of Ninawa, Kirkuk (formerly At Tamin), Salah ad Din, and Diyala along with Dahuk, and As Sulaymaniah. The area also includes the critical cities of Tal Afar, Mosul, Bayji, Tikrit, Kirkuk, Samarra, Balad, Baqubah, Dahuk, and Sulaymaniah. The Division currently commands all Coalition Forces in Northern Iraq. Arbil province remains aligned as a separate Multi-National Division, North-East. The 1st Armored Division has tackled numerous complex problem sets in Northern Iraq applying both lethal and non-lethal means. The area includes ethnic fault lines between Arabs and Kurds, religious fault lines between Sunni and Shia Muslims, numerous tribal regions, and the complexities involving significant Former Regime Elements and the dynamics of energy. The Division conducted RIP/TOA with Headquarters 25th Infantry Division on 8 December 2008 and conducted a successful redployment back to Wiesbaden Army Airfield in Germany.
In April 2008 the 2nd BCT out of Baumholder, Germany deployed to Baghdad Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Brigade conducted 14 months of combat operations and successfully redeployed back to Germany in May 2009. On 30 Jul 2009 the 2nd BCT cased its colors and reflagged to the 170th BCT signifying the start of the Brigade's move to Fort Bliss, Texas.
In May 2009 the 4th HBCT out of Fort Bliss, Texas deployed to Southern Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Brigade will be used as a Advise and Assist Brigade in order to train Iraqi Security Forces.
On 14 July 2009 the Department of Defense announced that Headquarters 1st Armored Division and the 1st HBCT would return to Iraq in late 2009 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
1st Armored Division Headquarters deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in November 2009 serving as United States Division – Center
In December 2010 the 1st Armored Division redeployed from Baghdad, Iraq after 12 months of serving as United States Division – Center
Move to Fort Bliss
In 2005 the Base Realignment and ClosureBase Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
or BRAC commission decided to move the 1st Armored Division to Fort Bliss, Texas
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
no later than 2012. As part of the current Army-wide transformation, several division units will be inactivated or converted to other units. As the complete move to Bliss will take place after 2008, the effect of the Iraq War and the projected troop surge is unknown.
- Division Headquarters: The division headquarters, currently serving in Iraq, is planned to relocate to Fort Bliss in 2011.
- 1st Brigade: The 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division cased its colors at Friedberg, Germany on 20 April 2007, ending 62 years of military presence in Germany. 1st Brigade reactivated and uncased its colors on 27 October 2008.
- 2d Brigade: 2d Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Baumholder, Germany, remained assigned to USAREUR until 15 July 2009, when it was reflagged as the separate 170th Infantry Brigade170th Infantry Brigade (United States)The of the United States Army was reestablished 15 July 2009 at US Army Garrison Baumholder in Germany as part of the Grow the Army plan. The 170th Infantry Brigade was formed by reflagging the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division. The soldiers and equipment will remain in place but the 2d Brigade...
. It is scheduled to relocate to the U.S. in 2012. As part of the Grow the Army Plan announced 19 Dec 2007, the 170th is one of two Infantry Brigades to be activated and retained in Germany until 2012 and 2013. The other Brigade is the 172nd Infantry Brigade in SchweinfurtSchweinfurtSchweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
, Germany, which reflagged from 2d Brigade, 1st Infantry Division on 16 March 2008. In 2010, the U.S. Army attached 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division to the BMC, assigning it the evaluation mission previously held by the 5th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, AETF. The 2/1 AD has been given the mission of validating the operational relevancy of solutions and developing doctrine prior to fielding to deploying forces. It is an HBCT tasked organized that is equipped to replicate heavy, light and Stryker formations. 2/1 AD evaluates all network capability solution candidates and other Army Modernization capability candidates in a full spectrum operational environment at Fort Bliss, Texas and White Sands Missile Range. This unique Army mission supports adaptive evaluation of capability candidates, unit organizational design and operational concepts. The brigade provides immediate feedback that permits TRADOC to assess modernization concepts, identify implications, and enables the Army Test and Evaluation Command to assess the technical performance of materiel technologies. - 3d Brigade: On 28 March 2008, the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division (HBCT) inactivated at Fort Riley and reflagged as 2d (Dagger) Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (HBCT). The 3rd Brigade was reactivated as an Infantry Brigade Combat Team on 2 July 2009 at Fort Bliss.
- 4th Brigade: On 4 March 2008, 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division activated at Fort Bliss as a HBCT and reflagged from the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
- 5th Brigade: In 2007, a new unit, 5th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, activated at Fort Bliss as an Army Evaluation Task Force. 5th BCT tested the Future Force WarriorFuture Force WarriorFuture Force Warrior is a United States military advanced technology demonstration project that is part of the Future Combat Systems project. The FFW project seeks to create a lightweight, fully integrated infantryman combat system. It is one technology demonstration project in a series of...
system. Fifth BDE 1 AD evaluated multiple types of Spin Out Equipment and prepared them for fielding to the rest of the Army. 5th Brigade was deactivated in 2010. - Aviation Brigade: The Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division inactivated on 7 June 2006 at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, Hanau, Germany and relocated to Fort Riley, Kansas to reflag as the modular Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. The Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th ID has been reflagged to CAB, 1st AD.
- Engineer Brigade: The Engineer Brigade, 1st Armored Division, the last of its kind in the Army, cased its colors and inactivated at Giessen, Germany on 26 April 2007.
- Division Artillery: Division Artillery, 1st Armored Division cased its colors and inactivated at Baumholder, Germany on 1 May 2007. The 1st AD DIVARTY was the last standing Division Artillery unit in the Army.
The division's colors were officially moved from Germany to Fort Bliss beginning on 13 May 2011.
Lineage
- Note: HHCHeadquarters and Headquarters CompanyIn United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC...
denotes a Headquarters and Headquarters CompanyHeadquarters and Headquarters CompanyIn United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC...
.
HHC, 1st Armored Division
- Constituted 16 January 1932 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized)
- Headquarters activated 1 March 1932 at Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, Kentucky; Headquarters Troop activated in December 1934 at Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, Kentucky - Reorganized and redesignated 15 July 1940 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Armored Division
- Inactivated 25 April 1946 at Camp KilmerCamp KilmerCamp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New Jersey - Activated 7 March 1951 at Fort Hood, Texas
HHC, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division
- Organized 1 January 1942 in the Regular Army at Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, Kentucky, as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, Combat Command A, 1st Armored Division - Reorganized and redesignated 20 July 1944 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Combat Command A, 1st Armored Division
- Converted and redesignated 1 May 1946 as Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3d Constabulary Regiment, and relieved from assignment to the 1st Armored Division
- Inactivated 20 September 1947 in Germany
- Converted and redesignated 27 February 1951 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Combat Command A, 1st Armored Division
- Activated 7 March 1951 at Fort Hood, Texas
- Reorganized and redesignated 3 February 1962 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division
HHC, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division
- Organized 1 January 1942 in the Regular Army at Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, Kentucky, as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, Combat Command B, 1st Armored Division - Reorganized and redesignated 20 July 1944 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Combat Command B, 1st Armored Division
- Inactivated 9 April 1946 at Camp KilmerCamp KilmerCamp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New Jersey - Activated 7 March 1951 at Fort Hood, Texas
- Inactivated 23 December 1957 at Fort PolkFort PolkFort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
, Louisiana - Redesignated 3 February 1962 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2d Brigade, 1st Armored Division, and activated at Fort Hood, Texas
HHC, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division
- Constituted 27 June 1944 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, Reserve Command, 1st Armored Division
- Activated 20 July 1944 in Italy
- Inactivated 25 April 1946 at Camp KilmerCamp KilmerCamp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New Jersey - Redesignated 27 February 1951 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Reserve Command, 1st Armored Division
- Activated 7 March 1951 at Fort Hood, Texas
- Reorganized and redesignated 26 June 1954 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Combat Command C, 1st Armored Division
- Inactivated 23 December 1957 at Fort PolkFort PolkFort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, approximately 7 miles east of Leesville, Louisiana and 20 miles north of DeRidder, Louisiana....
, Louisiana - Redesignated 3 February 1962 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3d Brigade, 1st Armored Division, and activated at Fort Hood, Texas
- Inactivated 15 April 1995 at Fort LewisFort LewisJoint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
, Washington - Activated 16 February 1996 at Fort RileyFort RileyFort Riley is a United States Army installation located in Northeast Kansas, on the Kansas River, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 100,656 acres in Geary and Riley counties and includes two census-designated places: Fort Riley North and Fort...
, Kansas - Inactivated 28 March 2008 at Fort Riley, Kansas
HHB, 1st Armored Division Artillery
- Constituted 15 July 1940 in the Regular Army as the Artillery Section, Headquarters, 1st Armored Division, and activated at Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, Kentucky - Redesignated 15 November 1940 as the Artillery Section, Division Headquarters, 1st Armored Division
- Reorganized and redesignated 1 March 1942 as Headquarters, Division Artillery Command, Headquarters, 1st Armored Division
- Consolidated 20 July 1944 with the Service Company, 1st Armored Division (less Military Police Platoon) (constituted 1 January 1942 in the Regular Army and activated 8 January 1942 at Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, Kentucky), and consolidated unit reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, Division Artillery, 1st Armored Division - Inactivated 18 April 1946 at New York Port of Embarkation, New York
- Activated 7 March 1951 at Fort Hood, Texas
- Reorganized and redesignated 1 July 1955 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Armored Division Artillery
- Inactivated 23 December 1957 at Fort Polk, Louisiana
- Activated 3 February 1962 at Fort Hood, Texas
- Inactivated 1 May 2007 at Smith Barracks, Baumholder, Germany
HHC, 1st Armored Division Support Command
- Constituted 1 January 1942 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st Armored Division Trains
- Activated 10 January 1942 at Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, Kentucky - Reorganized and redesignated 24 January 1942 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Armored Division Trains
- Inactivated 25 April 1946 at Camp KilmerCamp KilmerCamp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New Jersey - Activated 7 March 1951 at Fort Hood, Texas
- Reorganized and redesignated 15 February 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st Armored Division Trains
- Consolidated 3 February 1962 with the 1st Armored Division Band (organized in 1943) and consolidated unit reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters, Headquarters and Band, 1st Armored Division Support Command
- Reorganized and redesignated 15 April 1968 as Headquarters, Headquarters Company and Band, 1st Armored Division Support Command
- Reorganized and redesignated 21 August 1972 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Armored Division Support Command (Band element concurrently withdrawn – hereafter separate lineage)
- Inactivated 15 August 2008 at Wiesbaden Army Airfield, Wiesbaden, Germany
HHC, Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division
- Constituted 16 April 1986 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, and activated in Germany.
Campaign participation credit
- World War II:
- TunisiaTunisia CampaignThe Tunisia Campaign was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces. The Allies consisted of British Imperial Forces, including Polish and Greek contingents, with American and French corps...
; - Naples-Foggia;
- Rome-Arno;
- AnzioOperation ShingleOperation Shingle , during the Italian Campaign of World War II, was an Allied amphibious landing against Axis forces in the area of Anzio and Nettuno, Italy. The operation was commanded by Major General John P. Lucas and was intended to outflank German forces of the Winter Line and enable an...
; - North Apennines;
- Po ValleySpring 1945 offensive in ItalyThe Spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the Allied attack by Fifth United States Army and British 8th Army into the Lombardy Plain which started on 6 April 1945 and ended on 2 May with the surrender of German forces in Italy....
- Southwest AsiaGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
:
- Southwest Asia
- Defense of Saudi ArabiaGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
; - Liberation and Defense of KuwaitGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
; - Cease-FireGulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
- Global War on Terrorism
- Operation Iraqi Freedom; May 2003 – July 2004 (Baghdad,Najaf,Karbala)
- Operation Iraqi Freedom; Oct 2007 – Dec 2008 (Tikrit)
- Operation Iraqi Freedom; Dec 2009 – Dec 2010 (Baghdad, Al Anbar)
Decorations
- Meritorious Unit CommendationMeritorious Unit CommendationThe Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
(Army) for SOUTHWEST ASIA - Army Superior Unit Award for 1995–1996
- Valorous Unit AwardValorous Unit AwardThe Valorous Unit Award is the second highest unit decoration which may be bestowed upon a U.S. Army unit and is considered the unit equivalent of the Silver Star...
For Operation Iraqi Freedom I - Presidential Unit Citation For Operation Iraqi Freedom I
- Joint Meritorious Unit AwardJoint Meritorious Unit AwardThe Joint Meritorious Unit Award is a military award that was established on June 4, 1981 by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982...
For Operation Iraqi Freedom I - Meritorious Unit CommendationMeritorious Unit CommendationThe Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
(Army) for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM 07-09 - Meritorious Unit CommendationMeritorious Unit CommendationThe Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
(Army) for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM 10-11/ Operation NEW DAWN
Campaign participation credit
- World War II:
- Tunisia;
- Naples-Foggia;
- Anzio;
- Rome-Arno;
- North Apennines;
- Po Valley
Decorations
- Army Superior Unit Award for 1995–1996
- Presidential Unit Citation for Operation Iraqi Freedom
- Joint Meritorious Unit Award for Operation Iraqi Freedom
- Valorous Unit Citation for Operation Iraqi Freedom
- Navy Unit Commendation for Operation Iraqi Freedom
Campaign participation credit
- World War II:
- Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead);
- Tunisia;
- Naples-Foggia;
- Anzio;
- Rome-Arno;
- North Apennines;
- Po Valley
- Southwest Asia:
- Defense of Saudi Arabia;
- Liberation and Defense of Kuwait;
- Cease-Fire
Decorations
- Presidential Unit Citation for OIF 1 (2003–2004)
- Army Superior Unit Award for 1995–1996
Campaign participation credit
- World War II:
- Rome-Arno;
- North Apennines;
- Po Valley
- Southwest Asia:
- Defense of Saudi Arabia;
- Liberation and Defense of Kuwait;
- Cease-Fire
Decorations
- Valorous Unit Award for IRAQ-KUWAIT
- Valorous Unit Award for Operation Iraqi Freedom
Campaign participation credit
- World War II:
- Tunisia;
- Naples-Foggia;
- Rome-Arno;
- Anzio;
- North Apennines;
- Po Valley
- Southwest Asia:
- Defense of Saudi Arabia;
- Liberation and Defense of Kuwait
Campaign participation credit
- World War II:
- Tunisia;
- Naples-Foggia;
- Rome-Arno;
- North Apennines;
- Po Valley
- Southwest Asia:
- Defense of Saudi Arabia;
- Liberation and Defense of Kuwait;
- Cease-Fire
Campaign participation credit
- Southwest Asia:
- Defense of Saudi Arabia;
- Liberation and Defense of Kuwait;
- Cease-Fire