1st Infantry Division (United States)
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The 1st Infantry Division ( German 1st US Infantry Division ) (Big Red One) is one of the oldest and most traditional large units of the US armed forces . She was stationed in Würzburg until July 6, 2006 . On August 1, 2006, the division took its headquarters in Fort Riley , Kansas . Commanding general was Major General Wayne Grigsby from August 2015 to September 2016 , before being relieved prematurely for undisclosed reasons.
history
First World War
The history of the 1st US Infantry Division began in the course of the First World War . It was erected on May 24, 1917 and organized from June 8 on Governors Island ( New York ) by the first in command, Brigadier General William L. Sibert. The first troops embarked in Hoboken on June 13th and landed in St. Nazaire on June 26th . The division's headquarters landed on June 27 with John "Blackjack" Pershing as the first command of the American Expeditionary Forces in France. The rest of the division followed in quick succession with the exception of the supply train, which did not arrive in France until May 6, 1918. The division was trained in Gondrecourt, the assigned artillery brigade came to Valdahon. On October 21, 1917, parts of the division in the Luneville area came to the front and was assigned to a French unit. On October 23, 1917, east of Bathlemont, the baptism of fire followed and the 16th Infantry Regiment suffered the first losses. On the night of November 30th, the units were withdrawn to Gondrecourt to continue their training. On the night of January 15-16, 1918, she was deployed again at Ansauville and withdrawn to Toul on April 3, 1918 , and then immediately moved by train to Picardy .
On April 25, 1918, the division under General RL Bullard took over a section of the front near Cantigny as a result of the German company Michael near Montdidier . The American attack, which began there on May 28, successfully straightened a frontal projection. The 28th Infantry Regiment (Colonel Hansen Ely) attacked the site and took about 250 German prisoners within 45 minutes. All German counter-attacks in the following two days could be repulsed. The 1st Division remained in the Cantigny Sector until July 7, when it was withdrawn to Dammartin-en-Goële .
On July 15, 1918, the Germans launched a last short-lived offensive on both sides of Reims, and on the 18th the Allies launched their counterattack, in which the 1st Division under General Charles P. Summerall was deployed as part of the French 1st Army . The 1st and 2nd Divisions and the Moroccan Division attacked from July 18 at the Battle of Soissons . In a four-day battle, the troops crossed the road to Chateau-Thierry and occupied Soissons on August 2nd . The 1st Division had lost 8,365 men in this battle, had advanced 11 kilometers and had brought in 3,500 prisoners and 68 cannons. The division was relocated back to the Toul area after being replaced by the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division . On August 7, 1918, she took over a quiet section at Saizerais and stayed there until August 24, when it was withdrawn to Vaucouleurs in preparation for a new offensive .
As part of the now independently organized 1st US Army , she took part in the Battle of St. Mihiel . The new attack began on September 12, 1918 at 5 a.m., and the next morning the connection to the 26th US division in Vigneulles was established. The 1st Division was then relieved by the 42nd Division and withdrawn to Nonsard Wood as a reserve of the IV Corps. On September 20, the 1st Division was relocated to the west for use in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive . She arrived in Nixeville on September 27, from there she marched to Neuvilly, where she replaced the 35th US Division near Very on the night of September 30. In the following eleven days the 1st Division was advancing east of the Airetal without interruption, the places Fleville and Exermont were taken. On the night of October 11, 1918, the new front line ran north of Sommerance to the east when the troops were relieved by the 42nd Division. In this offensive the division had suffered heavy losses (9,194 men), but had advanced about 7 kilometers and had taken 1,400 prisoners and 13 field guns. After these battles the division was transferred to Bar-le-Duc to recover and was placed in the reserve of the V Corps. On the night of November 5 to 6, 1918, it reentered the front line north of the Stonne -Beaumont road and reached the Meuse at Mouzon on November 6 . On the afternoon of November 7th, she reached the heights of Sedan and occupied the city. The French wanted to be the first to move into the city for reasons of prestige and so the division was withdrawn to Buzancy. The casualties since the beginning of October rose to 10,116 soldiers, more than any other division in the Meuse-Argonne operation.
The "Fighting First" prepared the way for the American troops on the Western Front, so to speak. Names such as Cantigny, Soissons, and Argonnen are synonyms for the operations of the soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division, who now wear the "BIG RED ONE" badge on their left shoulder. After the armistice, the 1st Division was assigned to the 3rd Army , which was assigned to the occupation army, and marched off to Germany on November 17th. She crossed the Moselle near Wormeldingen and crossed the border on December 1, 1918. The Rhine was crossed on December 13, the division established itself in the eastern bridgehead near Koblenz , where it remained as a crew until August 16, 1919. The division's headquarters were embarked in Brest on August 25, 1919 and returned to New York on September 5, 1919.
Second World War
During World War II , the 1st Infantry Division was the first to arrive in England, the first to fight the enemy in North Africa and Sicily, the first on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and the first to be a German with Aachen Conquered big city.
After the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944, the division under Major General Clarence R. Huebner moved inland as part of the US Corps , thus securing a bridgehead for supply and combat troops. It then advanced further east through France. The division reached the German border in September 1944 and took Aachen the following month . The division then fought in the Hürtgenwald and on the Rur . At the beginning of December, after six months of uninterrupted combat, the division was withdrawn from the front to refresh. With the start of the German Ardennes offensive on December 16, 1944, the division was relocated to the Ardennes front, where it had to face heavy fighting again.
In February 1945, the 1st US Infantry Division broke out of the American bridgehead near Remagen and took part in the encirclement of the Ruhr area before advancing eastward through central Germany. At the end of the war, the “Big Red One” had advanced through all of Germany to western Czechoslovakia. Here she liberated the Falkenau and Zwodau satellite camps in the Sudetenland on May 8, 1945 .
The 1st Infantry Division stayed in Germany until 1955, first as an occupation force, then as an ally of the young Federal Republic in NATO . In 1955, the division was back to Fort Riley ( Kansas installed) before they should come back to Germany in the 1990s.
Vietnam war
In the summer of 1965, the Big Red One was the first division to be dispatched to Vietnam . The soldiers fought the Viet Cong for almost five years , while aid programs were organized for the population of South Vietnam . Internal investigations by the US Army found that between January and October 1969, 14 cases were detectable in the Chơn Thành district in the Bình Phước province in the helicopter squadrons of the 1st US Cavalry Division, the 1st US Infantry Division and the 12th Aviation Group of forest workers and farmers working in the fields and entire villages under fire, killing around 30 people. The crews had obtained the fire permit by deliberately deceiving the operations centers.
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In April 1970, the flags of the 1st Infantry Division were moved back to Fort Riley. Back in Kansas , the Big Red One became a multi-site federation, and the 3rd Brigade was brought up to West Germany. This part of the division was called "1st Infantry Division (FWD)" for the duration of the move forward and was located in the following locations:
- 3rd Brigade in Göppingen with
- Headquarters and headquarters company of the 1st Infantry Division (FWD) in Göppingen
- 3–34th Armor in Boeblingen
- 1–16th Infantry in Boeblingen
- 4-16th Infantry in Göppingen
- 2-5th Field Artillery in Neu-Ulm
- D Btry / 25 Field Arty in Neu-Ulm
- D Comp / 1st Engineers in Boeblingen
- 299th Support Bn in Göppingen
Another “1. Mal “was awarded to the division when a long series of REFORGER exercises began. These exercises demonstrated the US's determination and ability to defend its NATO partners in Western Europe.
Operation Desert Storm
On November 8, 1990, the 1st Infantry Division was placed on alert and in the next two months transferred more than 12,000 soldiers and 7,000 pieces of equipment to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Storm . After the division had led the combat troops into Iraq, the enemy defenses along the Kuwaiti border were broken on February 27, 1991 and the route of retreat for the fleeing Iraqi troops was cut off.
During the following 100 hours the division “stormed” through southern Iraq into Kuwait, with 11 enemy divisions being completely or partially cut off or destroyed. The division fought its way through 260 kilometers of enemy territory, destroying more than 500 enemy tanks and 480 armored personnel carriers. In addition, the division made more than 11,400 prisoners of war - twice as many as any other unit.
Kosovo
Shortly after the unit was moved to Germany, the soldiers of the "Big Red One" took on peacekeeping tasks in Bosnia-Herzegovina . The division moved twice to the Balkans in 1999 , first as part of the "SABER" combat group in Macedonia, then to Kosovo with the "Falcon" NATO combat force on June 10th. This contingent patrolled their sector in Kosovo until June 2000 when the mission was transferred to the 1st Armored Division.
In November 2002 the 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armored Regiment transferred to the NATO Task Force Falcon in support of peacekeeping in Kosovo. The 2./63 monitored peace agreements in the eastern sector of the multinational brigade. The battalion helped create a safer climate and supported the transition to civil administration.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
In January 2003 the division prepared for the Iraq war . The soldiers formed the headquarters of the US Forces in Turkey and prepared the attack of the 4th Infantry Division on Iraq from Turkey. When the Turkish government denied access to Iraq across its borders, ARFOR-T broke down its tents and the 4th Infantry Division attacked Iraq from Kuwait.
The division had a more direct role in the Iraq war in March 2003 when the 1st Battalion, 63rd Armored Regiment was relocated to northern Iraq. In the Sunni Triangle, both combat operations by Task Force 1-63 and efforts to restore stability in the region had to be carried out. The 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division moved from Fort Riley, Kansas to Ramadi, Iraq in September 2003 in support of the 82nd Airborne Division .
When Task Force 1-63 returned to Germany in February 2004, the rest of the 1st Infantry Division moved as Task Force Danger to Northern Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II and disbanded the 4th Infantry Division mainly in Salah ad-Din and Diyala Province. Task Force Dagger of the 1st Infantry Division consists of Germany-based units of the Big Red One, along with the North Carolina Army National Guard's 30th "Old Hickory" Tank Brigade , the 2nd Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division from Hawaii and the 264th. pioneer group of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. In September 2004 the 1st Brigade was replaced by units from the 2nd Infantry Division in Ramadi and relocated back to Ft. Riley. In February 2005, the division was replaced by the 42nd Infantry Division of the New York Army National Guard and parts of the 3rd Infantry Division and moved back to Germany.
Until 2006 the locations were as follows:
- Headquarters and headquarters company in Würzburg
- 1st Brigade in Fort Riley ( Kansas )
- 2nd Brigade in Schweinfurt
- 3rd Brigade in Vilseck
- 4th Brigade (Army Aviation) in Katterbach (Ansbach) , Illesheim and Giebelstadt
- DISCOM (support command) in Kitzingen
- DIVENG (pioneers) in Bamberg
- DIVARTY (artillery) in Bamberg
Relocation
On July 6, 2006, the flag was raised in Würzburg, the division deactivated at the German locations and reactivated on August 1 in Fort Riley, Kansas.
Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08
The 2nd "Dagger" Infantry Brigade Combat Team relocated to Iraq from August 2006 to November 2007. The 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment was assigned to the Adhamiya district of Baghdad to contain the violence there. 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment relocated to Ramadi and 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment relocated to Forward Operating Base Falcon in Rasheed District in southwest Baghdad. The headquarters and the headquarters company, the 9th Engineer Battalion, the 1st Battalion, 7th Artillery Regiment, the 299th Supply Battalion and the 57th Telecommunications Company pitched their tents at Camp Liberty east of Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). After returning from Iraq, the "Dagger" Brigade was disbanded on March 16, 2008 and reorganized with personnel and material as the 172nd US Infantry Brigade "Blackhawks" in Schweinfurt and Grafenwoehr .
Parts of the 1st "Devil" Brigade from Fort Riley also moved to Iraq for various operations in the fall of 2006 and consisted of companies from the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry; 1st Battalion, 34th Armor; 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery Regiment; 1st Engineer Battalion; and the D Troop, 4th Cavalry Regiment. In addition, since June 1, the brigade has been in charge of training future Military Transition Teams (MiTTs). After completing their training in Fort Riley, these teams should go to Iraq or Afghanistan , where they will support the establishment of local security forces and lead them in action.
In February 2007 the 4th "Dragon" Infantry Brigade Combat Team moved to southern Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . Under the command of the Multinational Division-Baghdad, the Dragon Brigade operated from Forward Operating Base Falcon for 15 months before returning to Fort Riley, Kansas in April 2008.
Operation Iraqi Freedom 07-09
In autumn 2007 the Combat Aviation Brigade "Demon Brigade" of the 1st Infantry Division was sent to Iraq and was subordinated to the Multinational Division-North in the COB Spiecher in Tikrit. The main part of the Army Aviation Brigade was also stationed in the COB Spiecher, while the 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment and some support elements in the FOB Warrior in Kirkuk received a new area of operation.
On March 28, 2008, the 3rd "Bulldog" Brigade, 1st Armored Division (HBCT) at Fort Riley was disbanded, while the soldiers and equipment were reorganized as the 2nd "Dagger" Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (HBCT). As of September 30, 2008, the entire brigade moved to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . She was subordinated to the Multinational Division-Baghdad in Camp Liberty and is responsible for security in northwest Baghdad.
Operation Enduring Freedom IX
The 3rd Duke Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Fort Hood, Texas replaced the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Afghanistan in July 2008. In the east of the country, she took over as Task Force Duke in the provinces of Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar and Laghmam as an ISAF peacekeeping force. The staff as well as the support units are stationed in FOB Fenty in Jalalabad . The 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment serves in the highly competitive Kunar Province. The companies of the battalion are distributed along the Pech River in small combat bases / fire bases. In the same area, parts of the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment with their 155 mm howitzers in the FOB Blessing are stationed. In the far east, only 50 kilometers from the border with Pakistan, the 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment in FOB Bostick and FOB Keating are on duty. The 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment was relocated to Kandahar Province in support of the Canadian Armed Forces. It monitors the province of Maywand from the COP terminator.
organization
Since the division structure was changed (Division 86) in 1987, a US infantry division has always been a mechanized infantry division. So there is no longer any difference between an armored division and an infantry division. This also brought changes for the Big Red One, including the introduction of the M1 Abrams main battle tank . Before that, most infantry units “only” had the older M60s . This happened in the course of the army reform . Since then, each US division should have four combat brigades and one army aviation brigade . In the event of an emergency, additional support brigades are assigned to it by higher-level command posts.
The 1st Infantry Division is currently stationed in Fort Riley ( Kansas ) with the following brigades :
- 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team
- 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team
- 1st Artillery Infantry Division
- 1st Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade
- 1st Infantry Division Logistics Brigade
List of commanders
| Surname | Beginning of the appointment | End of appointment |
|---|---|---|
| Major General Wayne Grigsby | August 2015 | September 2016 |
| Major General Paul E. Funk | May 2013 | July 2015 |
| Major General William C. Mayville | May 25, 2011 | May 2013 |
| Major General Vincent K. Brooks | April 15, 2009 | May 25, 2011 |
| Brigadier General Perry L. Wiggins (Interim) | July 17, 2008 | April 15, 2009 |
| Major General Robert E. Durbin | July 2007 | July 2008 |
| Major General Carter F. Ham | August 2006 | July 2007 |
| Major General Kenneth W. Hunzeker | June 2005 | August 2006 |
| Major General John RS Batiste | August 2002 | June 2005 |
| Major General Bantz J. Craddock | September 2000 | August 2002 |
| Major General John P. Abizaid | August 1999 | September 2000 |
| Major General David L. Grange | July 1997 | August 1999 |
| Major General Montgomery C. Meigs | March 1996 | July 1997 |
| Major General Randolph W. House | June 1994 | February 1996 |
| Major General Josue Robles, Jr. | July 1993 | June 1994 |
| Major General William Hartzog | August 1991 | July 1993 |
| Major General Thomas Rhame | July 1989 | August 1991 |
| Major General Gordon R. Sullivan | July 1988 | July 1989 |
| Major General Leonard P. Wishart III. | April 1986 | July 1988 |
| Major General Ronald L. Watts | June 1984 | April 1986 |
| Major General Neal Creighton | December 1982 | June 1984 |
| Major General Edward A. Partain | July 1980 | December 1982 |
| Major General Phillip Kaplan | May 1978 | July 1980 |
| Major General Calvert P. Benedict | May 1976 | May 1978 |
| Major General Marvin D. Fuller | August 1974 | May 1976 |
| Major General GJ Duquemin | January 1973 | August 1974 |
| Major General Edward M. Flanagan, Jr. | January 1971 | December 1972 |
| Major General Robert R. Linvill | April 1970 | January 1971 |
| Brigadier General John Q. Henion (Interim) | March 1970 | April 1970 |
| Major General Albert E. Milloy | August 1969 | February 1970 |
| Major General Orwin C. Talbott | September 1968 | August 1969 |
| Major General Keith L. Ware | February 1968 | September 1968 |
| Major General John H. Hay, Jr. | January 1967 | February 1968 |
| Major General William E. DePuy | March 1966 | December 1966 |
| Major General Jonathan O. Seaman | February 1964 | March 1966 |
| Major General Arthur W. Oberbeck | January 1963 | January 1964 |
| Major General John F. Ruggles | August 1961 | January 1963 |
| Brigadier General William B. Kunzig (Interim) | July 1961 | August 1961 |
| Brigadier General John A. Berry, Jr. (Interim) | May 1961 | July 1961 |
| Major General Theodore W. Parker | February 1960 | May 1961 |
| Brigadier General John A. Seitz (Interim) | January 1960 | February 1960 |
| Major General Harvey H. Fischer | December 1958 | January 1960 |
| Brigadier General Forrest Caraway (Interim) | October 1958 | December 1958 |
| Major General David H. Buchanan | April 1957 | October 1958 |
| Major General Willis S. Matthews | January 1956 | April 1957 |
| Major General Guy S. Meloy, Jr. | June 1954 | December 1955 |
| Major General Charles T. Lanham | January 1953 | June 1954 |
| Major General Thomas S. Timberman | July 1951 | December 1952 |
| Major General John E. Dahlquist | September 1949 | July 1951 |
| Brigadier General Ralph J. Canine (Interim) | May 1949 | September 1949 |
| Major General Frank W. Milburn | June 1946 | May 1949 |
| Major General Clift Andrus | December 1944 | May 1946 |
| Major General Clarence R. Huebner | August 1943 | December 1944 |
| Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen | May 1942 | August 1943 |
| Major General Donald Cubbison | January 1941 | May 1942 |
| Major General Karl Truesdell | October 1940 | December 1940 |
| Major General Walter C. Short | October 1938 | September 1940 |
| Brigadier General Laurence Halstead (Interim) | December 1937 | January 1938 |
| Colonel William P. Ennis (Interim) | November 1937 | December 1937 |
| Brigadier General Perry L. Miles (Interim) | October 1936 | October 1937 |
| Major General Stanley H. Ford | March 1936 | October 1936 |
| Major General Frank Parker | February 1936 | March 1936 |
| Brigadier General Charles D. Roberts | November 1935 | February 1936 |
| Brigadier General Lucius R. Holbrook | October 1930 | November 1935 |
| Major General Briant H. Wells | March 1930 | September 1930 |
| Brigadier General William P. Jackson | January 1930 | March 1930 |
| Brigadier General Hugh A. Drum | September 1927 | January 1930 |
| Major General Fox Conner | May 1927 | September 1927 |
| Brigadier General Hugh A. Drum | May 1926 | May 1927 |
| Brigadier General Frank Parker | January 1926 | May 1926 |
| Brigadier General Preston Brown | July 1925 | January 1926 |
| Brigadier General William S. Graves | December 1922 | July 1925 |
| Major General Harry C. Hale | February 1922 | December 1922 |
| Major General Charles T. Menoher | November 1921 | January 1922 |
| Major General David C. Shanks | July 1921 | November 1921 |
| Major General Charles P. Summerall | October 1919 | June 1921 |
| Major General Edward F. McGlachlin | November 1918 | September 1919 |
| Brigadier General Frank Parker | October 1918 | November 1918 |
| Major General Charles P. Summerall | July 1918 | October 1918 |
| Major General Robert Lee Bullard | December 1917 | July 1918 |
| Major General William L. Sibert | June 1917 | December 1917 |
References
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Thomas Gibbons-Neff: "Two Army generals have been relieved of their duties" Washington Post, September 23, 2016
- ↑ http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10006132
- ^ National Archives, Record Group 472, Box 124, Folder: Case # 69-65
- ↑ Deployment Ceremony . 1id.army.mil. September 26, 2008. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ↑ Big Red One unveils its colors in Northeastern Afghanistan . 1id.army.mil. February 8, 2008. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment assumes responsibility in Regional Command-South . 1id.army.mil. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
- ^ Andrew Feickert: US Army's Modular Redesign: Issues for Congress. (PDF; 118 kB) Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, May 5, 2006, accessed September 20, 2007 .
Divisions 1st Armored Division | 1st Cavalry Division | 1st Infantry Division | 2nd Infantry Division | 3rd Infantry Division | 4th Infantry Division
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10th Mountain Division |
25th Infantry Division | 82nd Airborne Division | 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
Other associations 2nd Cavalry Regiment | 3rd Cavalry Regiment | 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment | 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team
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Special Operations Forces 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) | 75th Ranger Regiment (Airborne) | 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta (Airborne)
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