The 1st Armored Division —nicknamed the Old Ironsides— is an armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Wiesbaden, Germany. It was the first armored division of the U.S. Army to see battle.

Command and Staff

This division is part of the U.S. V Corps (technically), or is directly subordinate to the 7th US Army, USAREUR (in certain cases). As of July 2004 its command personnel include:

Commander: Brigadier General Martin E. Dempsey
Chief of Staff: Colonel Jackson L. Flake
Command Sergeant Major: Command Sergeant Major Michael Bush

Subunits

HHC (Headquarters): 2 M577 Command Post Carrier

1st Brigade "Forerunners"

HHC: 6 M577 Command Post Carrier

1_36th Infantry "Spartans": 58 M2 BFV

1_37th Armored "Bandits": 58 M_1 Abrams MBT

2_37th Armored "Dukes": 58 M_1 Abrams MBT

2_3rd Field Artillery "Gunners": 18 M109A6 Paladin SP Howitzer & 15 M981 FISTV

16th Engineer Battalion "Catamounts"

501st Forward Support Battalion "Providers"

2nd "Iron" Brigade

HHC: 6 M577 Command Post Carrier

1_6th Infantry "The Regulars": 58 M2 BFV

2_6th Infantry "The Regulars": 58 M2 BFV

1_35th Armored "Conqueror": 58 M_1 Abrams MBT

4_27th Field Artillery "Iron Thunder": 18 M109 Paladin SP Howitzer

40th Engineer Battalion "Battering Rams"

47th Forward Support Battalion "Modern Pioneers"

3rd Brigade "Bulldogs"

HHC: 6 M577 Command Post Carrier

1_41st Infantry: 58 M2 BFV

1_13th Armor: 58 M_1 Abrams MBT

2_70th Armor "Thunderbolts": 58 M_1 Abrams MBT

4_1st Field Artillery

70th Engineer Battalion

125th Forward Support Battalion

C/1_4th Air Defense Artillery

596th Signal Company

4th Brigade "Iron Eagle"

1_1 Cavalry "Blackhawks": 27 M_1 Abrams MBT, 39 M3 CFV, and AH_1 Cobra Assault Helicopter

1_501st Aviation "Flying Dragons": AH_64 Apache Assault Helicopter

2_501st Aviation "Knightmares": UH_60A Black Hawk Utility Helicopter

127th Aviation Support Battalion "Workhorse": 32 UH_60 Black Hawk Utility Helicopter & 19 EH_60 Quick Fix Tactical Electronic Helicopter

69th Chemical Company

Divisional Artillery "Iron Steel"

2_3rd Field Artillery "Gunners": 18 M109A6 Paladin SP Howitzer & 15 M981 FISTV (1st Brigade)

4_27th Field Artillery "Iron Thunder": 18 M109 Paladin SP Howitzer (2nd Brigade)

1_94th Field Artillery (MLRS): 18 M270 MLRS (Unattached)

Divisional Engineers

Above Engineer Units (1st 2nd and 3rd Brigade)

Divisional Support Command

Above Support Battalions (Forward and Aviation Support Battalions)

Divisional Unattached Units

123rd Main Support Battalion

141st Signal Battalion "The Communicators"

1_4th Air Defense Artillery: 24 BFVS & 12 Avenger (Mounted Stingers)

501st Military Police Company

501st Military Intelligence Battalion

Insignia

"Old Ironsides", the nickname of this division, was thought up by its first commander, Major General Bruce R. Magruder, after he saw a picture of the USS Constitution, which was also called "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.

Unit History

This unit's first major battle was in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of Northwest Africa. It became the first American armored division to see combat in World War II. It cut through Vichy French resistance, and eventually led the assault on Erwin Rommel's tank units. After long months of fighting, the battle was won by the Allies.

After the fall of Sicily, this unit, under 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 thelandgings at Anzio, and participated in the liberation of Rome on June 4, 1944. The division continued in combat in the Po Valley until the German forces surrendered on May 2, 1945. In June, the Division moved to Germany as part of the occupation forces. April 1946 saw the Division return to the United States for deactivation.

The Korean War saw the US forces being built up again. As part of that buildup, the 1st Armored Division was reactivated on 7 March 1951 at Fort Hood. It was the first US 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, 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 3rd Brigade deployed to Chicago to restore order, after Martin Luther King'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 there. The Division remained in Germany for the next twenty years, as part of the American forces committed to NATO.

In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. US Army units were despatched to protect Saudi Arabia. Later in the fall, President 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 89 hours, the division moved 250 kilometers, destroyed 768 vehicles, and captured 1,064 prisoners of war, at the cost of 4 dead. It returned to Germany on May 8, 1991. It celebrated with a visit from the Vice President.

In 1995, the division deployed to the Balkans, in Operation Joint Endeavor, as the command element of Task Force Eagle, a powerful, multinational unit. It 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 Germany, with realistic opfor exercises. Some units were deployed into Iraq and other countries in the Middle East for the global War on Terrorism.

The division did not take part in the fighting in Iraq. It was part of the first wave of occupation reinforcements after the main fighting in the campaign was over, in Bagdad. The division was sheduled to return home on march-april 2004, but she had to fight during the spring against Moqtada Al Sadr, mostly in Nadjaf.