1st Infantry Division (United States)

"Big Red One" redirects here. For the motion picture, see The Big Red One. For the video game, see Call of Duty 2: Big Red One.

1st Infantry Division
1st Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	24 May 1917 – present
Country	United States of America
Allegiance	United States Army
Branch	Regular Army
Type	Mechanized infantry
Role	Heavy Mechanized
Size	Division
Part of	Forces Command
Garrison/HQ	Fort Riley, Kansas
Nickname(s)	"The Big Red One" "The Fighting First"
Motto(s)	"No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great—Duty First!"
Colors	Red and Green
March	"The Big Red One Song"
Mascot(s)	Rags (WW I)
Engagements	World War I Western Front World War II Operation Torch Operation Husky Operation Overlord Battle of Hurtgen Forest Battle of the Bulge Vietnam War Tet Offensive Persian Gulf War Operation Desert Storm War on Terror Iraq War Afghanistan War
Commanders
Current commander	Major General William C. Mayville
Notable commanders	Major General Charles Pelot Summerall Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen, Sr. Major General Clarence R. Huebner Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

The 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army is the oldest division in the United States Army. It has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917. It was officially nicknamed the The Big Red One after its shoulder patch and is also nicknamed The Fighting FirstHowever, with typical soldier gallows humor, the division has also received troop monikers of The Big Dead One and The Bloody First as puns on the respective officially-sanctioned nicknames. It is currently based at Fort Riley, Kansas.

World War I

First Division monument on the Meuse-Argonne Battlefield, France.

The First Expeditionary Division, later designated the 1st Infantry Division, was constituted on 24 May 1917, in the Regular Army, and was organized on 8 June 1917, at Fort Jay, on Governors Island in New York harbor under the command of Brigadier General William L. Sibert, from Army units then in service on the U.S.-Mexico border and at various Army posts throughout the United States. The original Table of Organization and Equipment included two organic infantry brigades of two infantry regiments each, one engineer battalion; one signal battalion; one trench mortar battery; one field artillery brigade of three field artillery regiments; one air squadron; and a full division train. The total authorized strength of this TO&E was 18,919 officers and enlisted men. George S. Patton, who served as the first Headquarters commandant for the American Expeditionary Force oversaw much of the arrangements for the movement of the 1st Division to France, and their organization in-country.

The first units sailed from New York City and Hoboken, New Jersey on 14 June 1917. Throughout the remainder of the year, the rest of the division followed, landing at St. Nazaire, France, and Liverpool, England. After a brief stay in rest camps, the troops in England proceeded to France, landing at Le Havre. The last unit arrived in St. Nazaire 22 December. Upon arrival in France, the division, less its artillery, was assembled in the First (Gondrecourt) training area, and the artillery was at Le Valdahon.

On 4 July (Independence Day in the United States), the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry, paraded through the streets of Paris to bolster the sagging French spirits. At Lafayette's tomb, one of General John J. Pershing's staff uttered the famous words, "Lafayette, we are here!" Two days later, 6 July, Headquarters, First Expeditionary Division was redesignated as Headquarters, First Division.

On 8 August 1917, the 1st Division adopted the Square Table of organization and Equipment, which included two organic infantry brigades of two infantry regiments each; one engineer regiment; one signal battalion; one machine gun battalion; one field artillery brigade of three field artillery regiments, and a complete division train. The total authorized strength of this new TO&E was 27,120 officers and enlisted men.

On the morning of 23 October, the first American shell of the war was fired toward German lines by a First Division artillery unit. Two days later, the 2d Battalion of the 16th Infantry suffered the first American casualties of the war.

By April 1918, the Germans had pushed to within 40 miles (64 km) of Paris. In reaction to this thrust, the Big Red One moved into the Picardy Sector to bolster the exhausted French First Army. To the division's front lay the small village of Cantigny, situated on the high ground overlooking a forested countryside. The 28th Infantry Regiment attacked the town, and within 45 minutes captured it along with 250 German soldiers. It was the first American victory of the war. The 28th was thereafter named the "Black Lions of Cantigny".

Soissons was taken by the First Division in July 1918. The Soissons victory was costly—700 men were killed or wounded. (One of them, Private Francis Lupo of Cincinnati, was missing in action for 85 years, until his remains were discovered on the former battlefield in 2003). The First Infantry helped to clear the St. Mihiel salient by fighting continuously from 11–13 September 1918. The last major World War I battle was fought in the Meuse-Argonne Forest. The division advanced seven kilometers and defeated, in whole or part, eight German divisions. The war was over when the Armistice was signed. The division was at Sedan, the farthest American penetration of the war. The division was the first to cross the Rhine into occupied Germany.

The 1st Infantry Division entering Trier, Germany, November 1918.

By the end of the war, the division had suffered 22,668 casualties and boasted five Medal of Honor recipients.

The division's famous dog-mascot was a cairn terrier known as Rags. Rags was adopted by the division in 1918 and remained its mascot until his death in 1936. Rags achieved notoriety and celebrity as a war dog, after saving many lives in the crucial Argonne Campaign by delivering a vital message despite being bombed and gassed.

• Casualties

1. 4,411 Killed in Action
2. 17,201 Wounded in Action
3. 1,056 Missing or Died of Wounds

Order of battle in WWI

Assigned

• 1st Infantry Brigade
  • 16th Infantry
  • 18th Infantry
  • 2nd Machine Gun Battalion
• 2nd Infantry Brigade
  • 26th Infantry
  • 28th Infantry
  • 3rd Machine Gun Battalion
• 1st Field Artillery Brigade
  • 5th Field Artillery (155mm)
  • 6th Field Artillery (75mm)
  • 7th Field Artillery (75mm)
  • 1st Trench Mortar Battery
• Divisional Troops
  • 1st Machine Gun Battalion
  • 1st Engineers
  • 2nd Field Signal Battalion
  • Headquarters Troop
• Trains
  • 1st Train Headquarters and Military Police
  • 1st Ammunition Train
  • 1st Supply Train
  • 1st Engineer Train
  • 1st Sanitary Train (Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals 2, 3, 12, 13)

Attached Units

• en route to France and in 1st (Gondrecourt) Training Area 9 June – 23 September 1917

1. 5th Regt USMC

• Ménil-la-Tour Area 28 February – 3 April 1918

1. 1st Bn 2d Engrs (2d Div)

• Cantigny Sector, at times from 27 April – 7 July 1918

1. Fr 228th FA Regiment (75)
2. Fr 253d FA Regiment(75)
3. 1st and 2d Bns Fr 258th FA Regiment(75)
4. 4th Bn Fr 301st Arty Regiment(155)
5. 1 btry Fr 3d Cl Arty Regiment(155)
6. 3d and 4th Bns Fr 284th Arty Regiment(220)
7. 2d Bn Fr 289th Arty Regiment(220)
8. 1 btry Fr 3d Cl Arty Regiment(220)
9. 6th Bn Fr 289th Arty Regiment (280)
10. 2 btrys Fr TM (58)
11. 1 btry Fr TM (150)
12. 1 btry Fr TM (240)
13. Fr 5th Tank Bn (12 tanks)

• Aisne-Marne Operation, at times from 18–23 July 1918

1. Fr 42d Aero Sq
2. Fr 83d Bln Co
3. Fr 253d FA-Portée (75)
4. Fr 11th and 12th Groups of Tanks

• Saizerais Sector, at times from 8–24 August 1918

1. Fr 258th Aero Sq
2. 6th and 7th Bln Cos
3. 3 btrys Fr 247th FA- Portée

• Preceding and during St-Mihiel Operation, at times from 8–14 September 1918

1. 8th Obsn Sq
2. 9th Bln Co
3. 58th FA Brig and 108th Am Tn (33d Div)
4. 76th FA (3d Div) (75)
5. 2 btrys 44th CA (8")
6. Troops D, F, and H, 2d Cav
7. 2 platoons Co A 1st Gas Regt (8 mortars)
8. 2 bns of Inf (42d Div)
9. 6th Inf Brig (3d Div)
10. 2 cos 51st Pion Inf
11. 7th MG Bn (3d Div)
12. 49 tanks of 1st Tank Brig

• Meuse-Argonne Operation 1–2 October 1918

1. 60th FA Brig
2. 110th Am Tn (35th Div)

• Meuse-Argonne Operation, at times from 1–12 October 1918

1. 1st Aero Sq
2. 2d Bln Co
3. Fr 219th FA (75)
4. Fr 247th FA (6 btrys 75)
5. Fr 5th Bn 282d Arty (220)
6. Provisional Sq 2d Cav
7. Co C 1st Gas Regt
8. Co C 344th Tank Bn, 1st Tank Brigade (16 tanks)
9. Cos B and C 345th Tank Bn, 1st Tank Brigade (16 tanks)

• Meuse-Argonne Operation 7 October 1918

1. 362d Inf (91st Div)

• Meuse-Argonne Operation 8–11 October 1918

1. 181st Inf Brigade (91st Div)

• Coblenz Bridgehead, at times from 18–30 June 1919

1. 14th Bln Co
2. MG elements Fr 2d Cavalry Division

• Coblenz Bridgehead 18–29 June 1919

1. 4th MG Bn (2d Div)

• Coblenz Bridgehead 20–30 June 1919

1. 7th MG Bn (3d Div)

Detached Service

• at Le Valdahon 22 August – 18 October 1917 with 15th (Scottish) Division during the Second Battle of the Aisne 24 July 1918 with US 90th Division

1. 1st FA Brig
2. 1st Am Tn

• with the 15th (Scottish) Division during Aisne-Marne Operation 24 July 1918 in Saizerais (Villers-en-Haye) Sector 24–28 August 1918;
  with 42d Division in Meuse-Argonne Operation 13–31 October 1918;
  with 2nd Division in Meuse-Argonne Operation 1–04 November 1918.

1. 1st Sn Tn

• with III Corps 28 September – 2 October 1918

1. 1st Engineers

• with American Forces in Germany after 9 August 1919.

1. 2d 6th FA
2. Co A 1st Engrs
3. Cos A, B, C, D, 1st Sup Tn
4. F Hosp 13

Commanders and Chiefs of Staff

Chiefs of Staff

1. 8 June 1917 COL Frank W. Coe
2. 23 August 1917 CPT George C. Marshall, Jr. (Acting)
3. 3 September 1917 COL Hanson E. Ely
4. 23 November 1917 LTC Campbell King (Acting)
5. 7 January 1918 LTC Campbell King
6. 7 June 1918 COL Campbell King
7. 23 September 1918 LTC John N. Greely
8. 17 October 1918 COL John N. Greely
9. 7 November 1918 COL Stephen O. Fuqua
10. 17 June 1919 COL William F. Harrell (Acting)
11. 23 June 1919 COL Stephen O. Fuqua
12. 12 July 1919 LTC Paul E. Peabody (Acting)
13. 19 July 1919 COL Stephen O. Fuqua
14. 2 August 1919 LTC Paul E. Peabody (Acting)
15. 9 August 1919 COL Stephen O. Fuqua
16. 19 August 1919 LTC William R. Scott (Acting)
17. 24 August to 5 September 1919 COL Stephen O. Fuqua

Commanders 1st Field Artillery Brigade

• 1917

1. 16 August BG Peyton C. March
2. 3 September MG Peyton C. March
3. 7 September MG William S. McNair (ad interim)
4. 24 September MG Peyton C. March
5. 12 October BG Charles H. McKinstry
6. 23 December BG Charles P. Summerall

• 1918

1. 17 July COL Lucius R. Holbrook (ad interim)
2. 16 August COL Henry W. Butner (ad interim)
3. 21 October BG Henry W. Butner

• 1919

1. 31 March COL William H. Dodds, Jr. (ad interim)
2. 21 April COL Thomas W. Hollyday (ad interim)
3. 4 May COL William H. Dodds, Jr. (ad interim)
4. 6 May BG Henry W. Butner
5. 15 May COL Nelson E. Margetts (ad interim)
6. 17 May BG Lesley J. McNair
7. 23 June BG Augustine McIntyre
8. 12 July COL Nelson E. Margetts (ad interim)
9. 16 July BG Augustine McIntyre
10. 21 July COL Nelson E. Margetts (ad interim)
11. 24 July BG Augustine McIntyre
12. 5 August COL Nelson E. Margetts (ad interim)
13. 12 August to 5 September BG Augustine McIntyre

Interwar period

The 1st Division returned to the Continental U.S. in September 1919, demobilized its war-time TO&E at Camp Zachary Taylor at Louisville, Kentucky, and then returned to New York, with its headquarters located at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn.

The First Division Monument located in President's Park, Washington, D.C.

On 7 October 1920, the 1st Division organized under the peacetime TO&E, which included two organic infantry brigades of two infantry regiments each, one engineer regiment; one observation squadron; one field artillery brigade of two Field Artillery Regiments; one Medical Regiment; one Division Quartermaster Train; and a Special Troops Command replacing the remainder of the division Train. The total authorized strength of this TO&E was 19,385. 1st Division was one of three Infantry Divisions and one Cavalry Division that was authorized to remain at full peacetime strength, and it was the only Regular Army division assigned to the Second Corps Area, which also included the 27th Infantry Division of the New York National Guard; the 44th Infantry Division of the New Jersey, New York, and Delaware National Guards; the 21st Cavalry Division of the New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and New Jersey National Guards; and the 77th, 78th, and 98th Infantry Divisions and the 61st Cavalry Division of the Organized Reserves. This was the organization that existed in the Second Corps Area for the duration of the peace period.

1st Division adopted a new peacetime TO&E in preparation for war on 8 January 1940, which included three infantry regiments, one military police company, one engineer battalion, one signal company, one Light Field Artillery Regiment of three Field Artillery Battalions and one Medium Field Artillery Regiment of two Field Artillery Battalions, one Medical Battalion, and one Quartermaster Battalion. The authorized strength of this TO&E was 9,057 officers and enlisted men. 1st Infantry Division reorganized again on 1 November 1940 to a new TO&E, which added a Reconnaissance Troop, and organized the two Field Artillery Regiments into a Division Artillery Command, and beefed up the strength to a total Authorized Strength of 15,245 officers and enlisted men.

World War II

Shortly after the beginning of World War II in Europe, the 1st Division was moved to Fort Benning, Georgia, on 19 November 1939 where it supported the Infantry School as part of American mobilization preparations. It then moved to the Sabine Parish, Louisiana area on 11 May 1940 to participate in the Louisiana Maneuvers. The division next relocated to Fort Hamilton on 5 June 1940, where it spent over six months before moving to Fort Devens, Massachusetts, on 4 February 1941. As part of its training that year, the division participated in both Carolina Maneuvers of October and November before returning to Fort Devens on 6 December, 1941.

A day later, on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and then the United States declared war. The division was ordered to Camp Blanding, Florida, as quickly as trains could be gathered and winter weather permitted, and arrived on 21 February 1942. The division was there reorganized and refurbished with new equipment, being re-designated as the 1st Infantry Division on 15 May 1942. Within a week, the division was returned to its former post at Fort Benning, from where it was expedited on 21 Jun 1942 to Indiantown Gap Military Reservation for wartime overseas deployment final preparation. The division departed New York Port of Embarkation on 1 August 1942, arrived in Beaminster in south-west England about a week later, and departed 22 October 1942 for the combat amphibious assault of North Africa.

As part of II Corps, the division landed in Oran, Algeria on 8 November 1942 as part of Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North-Africa. Elements then took part in combat at Maktar, Tebourba, Medjez el Bab, the Battle of the Kasserine Pass (where American forces were pushed back), Gafsa, El Guettar, Béja, and Mateur, from 21 January 1943 – 9 May 1943, helping secure Tunisia.

In July 1943, it took part in Operation Husky invading Sicily under the command of Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen. It was assigned to the II Corps. It was in Sicily that the 1st saw heavy action when making amphibious landings on Gela, the most fortified German beachhead positions. The 1st then moved up through the center of Sicily, slogging it out through the mountains along with the 45th Infantry Division. In these mountains, the division saw some of the heaviest fighting in the entire Sicilian campaign at the Battle of Troina; some units losing more than half their strength in assaulting the mountain town. On 7 August 1943, command was assumed by Major General Clarence R. Huebner.

Into the Jaws of Death: A Coast Guard-manned LCVP from the USS Samuel Chase disembarks Company E, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment assaulting Omaha Beach on the morning of 6 June 1944.

When that campaign was over, the division returned to England 5 November 1943 to prepare for the eventual Normandy invasion. It was one of the two divisions that landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day , with some of the division's units suffering 30 percent casualties in the first hour of the assault, and secured Formigny and Caumont in the beachhead by the end of the day. The division followed up the Saint-Lô break-through with an attack on Marigny, 27 July 1944, and then drove across France in a continuous offensive, reaching the German border at Aachen in September. The division laid siege to Aachen, taking the city after a a direct assault on 21 October 1944. The First then attacked east of Aachen through the Hurtgen Forest, driving to the Rur, and was moved to a rear area 7 December 1944 for refitting and rest following 6 months of combat. When the German Wacht Am Rhein offensive (commonly called the Battle of the Bulge) was launched on 16 December 1944., the division was quickly moved to the Ardennes front. Fighting continuously from 17 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, the division helped to blunt and reverse the German offensive. Thereupon, the division attacked and again breached the Siegfried Line, fought across the Ruhr, 23 February 1945, and drove on to the Rhine, crossing at the Remagen bridgehead, 15–16 March. The division broke out of the bridgehead, took part in the encirclement of the Ruhr Pocket, captured Paderborn, pushed through the Harz Mountains, and was in Czechoslovakia, fighting at Kinsperk, Sangerberg, and Mnichov when the war in Europe ended. Sixteen members of the division were awarded the Medal of Honor.

World War II – casualties

Killed in Action: 3,616
Wounded in Action: 15,208
Died of Wounds: 664

Wartime commanders

MG Norman Cota: Mar 1941 – Jun 1942
MG Donald C. Cubbison: Jun 1942 – Jul 1942
MG Terry de la Mesa Allen, Sr.: Jun 1942 – Jul 1943
MG Clarence R. Huebner: Jul 1943 – Dec 1944
MG Clift Andrus: Dec 1944 – VE Day

Order of battle 1944–1945

1st Infantry Division – Order of Battle 1944–1945

HQs & HQs Co 1st Infantry Division
HQs & HQs Battery Division Artillery
Headquarters Special Troops
Military Police Platoon
1st Cav Recon Squadron
1st CIC Detachment
1st Engineer Combat Battalion
1st Medical Battalion
1st Quartermaster Company
1st Signal Corps Company
5th Field Artillery Battalion (155-MM)
7th Field Artillery Battalion (105-MM)
16th Infantry Regiment
18th Infantry Regiment
26th Infantry Regiment
32nd Field Artillery Battalion (105-MM)
33rd Field Artillery Battalion (105-MM)
701st OD Light Maint Company
745th Tank Battalion – at : 6 June 1944 – 8 May 1945
634th Tank Destroyer Battalion – at : 1 August 1944 – 2 May 1945
635th Tank Destroyer Battalion – at : 7 June 1944 – 30 September 1944
703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion – at : 18 December 1944 – 31 December 1944
103rd AAAA-W Battalion – at : 16 June 1944 – 7 February 1945
103rd AAAA-W Battalion – at : 24 February 1945 – 8 May 1945

From newly-captured town, members of the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, cross the Weser River in assault boats to take Furstenberg. 8 April 1945.

Assignments in the European and North African theaters

1. 1 February 1943: II Corps, British First Army, 18th Army Group
2. July 1943: US II Corps, U.S. Seventh Army, 15th Army Group
3. 1 November 1943: US First Army.

1. 6 November 1943: VII Corps.
2. 2 February 1944: V Corps, First Army, British 21st Army Group
3. 14 July 1944: US First Army.
4. 15 July 1944: VII Corps.
5. 1 August 1944: VII Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group.
6. 16 December 1944: V Corps.
7. 20 December 1944: Attached, with the entire First Army, to the British 21st Army Group.
8. 26 January 1945: XVIII Airborne Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group.
9. 12 February 1945: III Corps.
10. 8 March 1945: VII Corps.
11. 27 April 1945: VIII Corps.
12. 30 April 1945: V Corps.
13. 6 May 1945: United States Third Army, 12th Army Group.

Cold War

Korean War

During the Korean War, the Big Red One was assigned to occupation duty in Germany, while acting as a strategic deterrent against Soviet designs on Europe. 1st Infantry Division troops secured the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials and later transported seven convicted Nazi war criminals to Spandau Prison in Berlin.

In 1955 the division colors left Germany and were relocated to Fort Riley, Kansas.

1950s–1970s

Following its return from Germany, the 1st Infantry Division established headquarters at Fort Riley, Kansas. Its troops reorganized and trained for war at Fort Riley and at other posts. In 1962 and 1963, four 1st Infantry Division Pentomic battle groups (2nd Battle Group, 12th Infantry; 1st Battle Group, 13th Infantry; 1st Battle Group, 28th Infantry; and 2nd Battle Group, 26th Infantry) rotated, in turn, to West Berlin, Germany to augment the U.S. Army's Berlin Brigade during an international crisis initiated by construction of the Berlin Wall. These "Long Thrust Operations" were the most significant deployments conducted by 1st Infantry Division troops during the Cold War, placing Big Red One troops in confrontation with hostile communist forces. While the bulk of the division was stationed at Fort Riley, its 3rd Brigade, a mixture of cavalry and infantry, was forward-deployed and stationed in the Stuttgart region of Germany.

Vietnam

The division fought in the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1970. Arriving in July 1965, the division began combat operations within two weeks. By the end of 1965 the division had participated in three major operations: Hump, M242 Bushmaster (Bushmaster I) and Bushmaster II, under the command of MG Jonathan O. Seaman.

In 1966, the division took part in Operation Marauder, Operation Crimp II, and Operation Rolling Stone, all in the early part of the year. In March, MG William E. DePuy took command. In June and July the division took part in the battles of Ap Tau O, Srok Dong and Minh Thanh Road. In November 1966, the division participated in Operation Attleboro.

1967 saw the division in Operation Cedar Falls, Operation Junction City, Operation Manhattan, and Operation Shenandoah II. MG John H. Hay assumed command in February. On 17 October 1967, the 1st I.D suffered heavy casualties at the Battle of Ong Thanh with 58 killed.

The division involved in the Tet Offensive of 1968, securing the massive Tan Son Nhut Air Base. In March, MG Keith L. Ware took command. That same month the division took part in Operation Quyet Thang ("Resolve to Win" and in April the division participated in the largest operation of the Vietnam War, Operation Toan Thang ("Certain Victory"). On 13 September, the division Commander, Maj. Gen. Ware, was killed in action when his command helicopter was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire. MG Orwin C. Talbott moved up from his position of Assistant Division Commander to assume command of the division.

In the first half of 1969, The Big Red One conducted reconnaissance-in-force and ambush operations, including a multi-divisional operation, Atlas Wedge. The last part of the year saw the division take part in Dong Tien ("Progress Together") operations. These operations were intended to assist South Vietnamese forces to take a more active role in combat. In August, MG A. E. Milloy took command of the 1st I.D. while the division took part in battles along National Highway 13, known as "Thunder Road" to the end of the year.

In January 1970 it was announced that the division would return to Fort Riley. 11 members of the division were awarded the Medal of Honor.

During its involvement in the Vietnam war, the division lost 6,146 killed in action, with a further 16,019 wounded. Twenty of its number were taken as prisoners-of-war.

Commanders

1. MG Jonathan O. Seaman (February 1964)
2. MG William E. DePuy (March 1966)
3. MG John H. Hay, Jr. (January 1967)
4. MG Keith L. Ware (February 1968)
5. MG Orwin C. Talbott (September 1968)
6. MG Albert E. Milloy (August 1969)

Modern era

First Gulf War

The division, commanded by Major General Thomas G. Rhame, also participated in Operation Desert Storm. The division's two maneuver brigades from Ft. Riley were rounded out by the addition of two tank battalions (2nd and 3rd of the 66th Armor Reg.), an infantry battalion (1–41st Infantry Regiment), and a field artillery battalion (4-3 FA) from 2nd Armored Division (Forward) in Germany. It was responsible for the initial breach of the Iraqi defenses, consequently rolling over the Iraqi 26th Infantry Division and taking 2,600 prisoners of war. The Big Red One continued with the subsequent 260-kilometre (160 mi) long assault on enemy-held territory over 100 hours, engaging eleven Iraqi divisions, destroying 550 enemy tanks, 480 armored personnel carriers and taking 11,400 prisoners. By the early morning of 28 February 1991, the division had taken position along the "Highway of Death", preventing any Iraqi retreat. The division's First squadron, fourth cavalry regiment, (1/4 CAV) was then tasked with securing town of Safwan, and the airfield there where the Iraqis were later forced to sign the surrender agreement. Iraq, which was to be the site for the permanent cease-fire negotiations.

There was also the "bulldozer assault", wherein the 1st & 2nd brigades from the 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) used mine plows mounted on tanks and combat earthmovers to bury Iraqi soldiers defending the fortified "Saddam Line." While approximately 2,000 of the troops surrendered, escaping burial, one newspaper story reported that the U.S. commanders estimated thousands of Iraqi soldiers had been buried alive during the two-day assault 24–25 February 1991.

In 1996 the division colors were relocated to the German city of Würzburg.

Balkans

Captured equipment from 1st ID soldier on display in Belgrade museum

2nd (Dagger) Brigade Combat Team deployed to Bosnia as part of IFOR (and subsequent SFOR) from October 1996 to April 1997. 2nd Brigade was replaced by element from 3rd Brigade and the division's aviation brigade. Units from the 1st (Devil) Brigade Combat Team also deployed to Bosnia as part of SFOR6 ("Operation Joint Forge") from August 1999 to April 2000.

Kosovo, 1999-2BDE/1st Div

Elements of the division, to include personnel and units from the 2nd, 3rd and aviation brigades, served in Kosovo. During the Kosovo War three soldiers were captured by Serbian forces but were later released after peace talks.

Units of the 1st Infantry Division served in Kosovo as part of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) 1A and KFOR 1B from June 1999 to June 2000, then again for KFOR 4A and 4B from May 2002 to July 2003.

2003 Deployments to Iraq

One battalion of the 3rd (Duke) Brigade, 1–63 Armor, deployed to Kirkuk, Iraq from their base in Rose Barracks, Germany, during the first-ever deployment of the USAREUR (United States Army Europe) Immediate Ready Task Force (IRTF) in March 2003, in support of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. The battalion redeployed to Europe with the 173rd in March 2004.

The 1st (Devil) Brigade, 1st Infantry Division deployed from Fort Riley, Kansas in September 2003 to provide support to the 82nd Airborne Division in the city of Ramadi, Iraq. In February 2004, the Division deployed to Iraq, where it conducted a relief in place of the 4th Infantry Division, primarily in Salah ad-Din and Diyala provinces, with the Division headquarters being located on Forward Operating Base Danger, near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. Task Force Danger, as the Division was called during OIF2, also had a light infantry brigade from the 25th Infantry Division, another brigade the 30th Armored Brigade (Enhanced) (Separate) "Old Hickory" of the North Carolina National Guard, and the 264th Engineer Group of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. In September 2004, the 1st Brigade was replaced by elements from the 2nd Infantry Division in Ramadi and redeployed to Ft. Riley. In February 2005, the division was replaced by the 42d Infantry Division, New York National Guard, and elements of the 3rd Infantry Division and returned to its home in Germany.

1st Infantry Division rebasing to CONUS

In July 2006 the division was withdrawn from Germany back to Fort Riley in CONUS, leaving only 2nd (Dagger) Brigade in Schweinfurt, Germany until 28 March 2008 when the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division reflagged as the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division. Currently there are three maneuver (1st, 2nd and 4th BDE), one CAB and one sustainment brigade are based at Fort Riley, Kan., with one brigade (3rd BDE) based out of Ft Knox, KY.

Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08

The 2nd "Dagger" Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq from mid-August 2006 to late November 2007. 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment was the first to embark and was sent to the Adhamiya district of Baghdad to assist in suppressing the widespread sectarian violence. The 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment was deployed to Ramadi and the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment was sent to Forward Operating Base Falcon in the Al Rashid district of southwest Baghdad. HQ and HQ Company 2BCT, 1st ID, 9th Engineer BN, 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 299th Support Battalion, and 57th Signal Company were all (Dagger) units occupying Camp Liberty, a sprawling encampment of 30,000+ military and DoD civilians located just east of Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). 2nd plt 1st Military Police Company was located at FOB(Forward Operating Base) Justice.

Elements from Fort Riley's 1st (Devil) Brigade deployed in the fall of 2006 to other area of operations in Iraq. Units include companies from the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry; 1st Battalion, 34th Armor; 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery; 1st Engineer Battalion; and D Troop, 4th Cavalry.

Transition Team training mission

State-side training for the Military Transition Teams (MiTTs) is located at Fort Riley, Kansas. Training began 1 June 2006. Some of the units such as the 18th Infantry Regiment, the 26th Infantry Regiment, and the 16th Infantry Regiment have already gone into Afghanistan along with some reconnaissance units. Those units have been in the Kunar Province since mid 2006. As of fall 2009 the transition team training mission has moved to Fort Polk, and the 1st Brigade has transitioned into a combat ready force with possible plans to deploy in the next few years.

2007 Deployments to Iraq

Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team conduct security operations in Baghdad, Iraq in March 2007

In February 2007, the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team deployed to southern Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. the second unit tasked with the "surge" announced earlier in the year by President Bush. The main force of the Brigade under Col "Ricky" Gibbs. 2nd Bn 16th Infantry was put under operational control of 2nd Brigade 2nd Infantry Division, and located at FOB Rustamiyah (Featured in the Book "the Good Soldiers" by Washington Post reporter David Finkel)

In the fall of 2007, the Combat Aviation Brigade (Demon Brigade), 1st Infantry Division deployed to Iraq and was placed under the command of Multinational Division – North located at COB Spiecher. The majority of the CAB is stationed at COB Spiecher, with the 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment and some supporting elements stationed at FOB Warrior.

Afghanistan 2008-09

In June and July 2008, 3rd Brigade deployed to Eastern Afghanistan under the command of CJTF-101, relieving the 173rd Airborne Brigade and taking control of the Kunar, Nuristan, Nangarhar, and Laghman provinces. One of the brigades infantry battalions, 2-2, was tasked out down South in the Kandahar province outside of the brigade command. Main focuses of the brigade and PRT was to protect population centers such as Jalalabad and Asadabad and help develop the local economy through the construction of roads, and provide security while doing so. The brigade returned to Ft. Hood, Texas in July 2009 after a year of combat in which they recorded over 1000 firefights, over 1000 enemy killed, over 500 bombs dropped, 26,000 rounds of artillery fire and over 400 purple hearts awarded, giving them the highest casualty rate of any Army or Marine Corps unit during their year-long tour.

Iraq 2008-09

In October 2008, the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team deployed to northwest Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During this deployment soldiers of the 1st CAB 18th Infantry Regiment were located on FOB justice, The 1st CAB 63rd Armor was located in Mah-Muh-Diyah, the 1st Battalion 7th Field Artillery was located on Prosperity, and the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion located in the victory base complex. The most notable events which occurred during this time were the Iraqi elections, the SOFA (status of forces agreement) and "Bloody Wednesday" 19 August 2009 coordinated bombing of the finance ministry and the foreign ministry, with rocket attacks in the green zone. The bombings resulted in 101 dead and over 560 wounded.

Iraq 2009-10

4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Dragons) deployed in August 2009 as one of the last combat units to be deployed to Iraq.

Iraq 2010–11

1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team headquarters with the BSB deployed to Kirkuk, Iraq in October 2010 as part of the 1-1 Advise and Assist task force. 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in November 2010 in an advise and assist role. 1–5 FA battalion will deploy to Iraq in late spring 2011.

Afghanistan 2011–12

From 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1–16 IN (CAB) and 4-4 CAV deployed to Afghanistan in the winter of 2011, with 2–34 AR (CAB) later deploying in the spring of 2011. 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team deployed to Khost and Paktya provinces in Eastern Afghanistan in January 2011. 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment was once again detached from the brigade and deployed to Ghazni province under Polish command. The 3/1 BSTB is by far the worst unit of them all.

Insignia

The Shoulder Sleeve Insignia (SSI) worn on a unit member's Army Dress Uniform

The insignia of the 1st Infantry Division originated in World War I. There are two theories as to how the idea of the patch came about.

The first theory states that the 1st Division supply trucks were manufactured in England. To make sure the 1st Division's trucks were not confused with other allies, the drivers would paint a huge "1" on the side of each truck. Later, the division engineers would go even farther and put a red number one on their sleeves.

A second theory also exists. In this theory, a general of the division decided the unit should have a shoulder insignia. He decided to cut a red numeral "1" from his flannel underwear. When he showed his prototype to his men, one lieutenant said, "the general's underwear is showing!" Offended, the general challenged the young lieutenant to come up with something better. So, the young officer cut a piece of gray cloth from the uniform of a captured soldier, and placed the red "1" on top.

Current structure

1st Infantry Division Order of Battle

1st Infantry Division consists of the following elements:

• Division Special Troops Battalion
• 1st Brigade Combat Team (Heavy) "Devil Brigade"
  • 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion "Defiant"
  • 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment "Pale Riders"
  • 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment "Dreadnaughts"
  • 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment "Iron Rangers"
  • 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment
  • 101st Brigade Support Battalion

• 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Heavy) "Dagger Brigade"
  • 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion "Griffins"
  • 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment
  • 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment "Dragons"
  • 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment Vanguards
  • 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment First Lightning
  • 299th Brigade Support Battalion "Lifeline

• 3rd Brigade Combat Team (Infantry) "Duke Brigade" at Fort Knox, Kentucky
  • 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion
  • 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment
  • 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment
  • 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment
  • 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment
  • 201st Brigade Support Battalion

• 4th Brigade Combat Team (Infantry) "Dragon Brigade"
  • 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion
  • 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment
  • 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment
  • 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment
  • 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment
  • 701st Brigade Support Battalion

• Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division "Demon Brigade"
  • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
  • 1st Battalion (Attack), 1st Aviation with 24 AH-64D Apache Longbow
  • 1st Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment with 24 OH-58 Kiowa
  • 2nd Battalion (General Support), 1st Aviation Regiment with 8 UH-60L/M Black Hawk, 10 CH-47D Chinook and 10 HH-60L/M Black Hawk
  • 3rd Battalion (Assault), 1st Aviation Regiment with 30 UH-60M Black Hawk
  • 601st Aviation Support Battalion
• 75th Fires Brigade "Diamond Brigade" at Fort Sill, Oklahoma
  • 1st Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment "Copperheads", firing Paladin.
  • 2nd battalion, 18th Field Artillery Regiment, firing MLRS.
  • 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment "Red Dragons", firing MLRS.
  • 100th Brigade Support Battalion.

The division is supported by the 1st Sustainment Brigade at Fort Riley.

Honors

Campaign participation credit

• World War I:

1. Montdidier-Noyon
2. Aisne-Marne
3. St. Mihiel
4. Meuse-Argonne
5. Lorraine 1917
6. Lorraine 1918
7. Picardy 1918

• World War II:

1. Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead)
2. Tunisia
3. Sicily (with arrowhead)
4. Normandy (with arrowhead)
5. Northern France
6. Rhineland
7. Ardennes-Alsace
8. Central Europe

• Vietnam:

1. Defense
2. Counteroffensive
3. Counteroffensive, Phase II
4. Counteroffensive, Phase III
5. Tet Counteroffensive
6. Counteroffensive, Phase IV
7. Counteroffensive, Phase V
8. Counteroffensive, Phase VI
9. Tet 69/Counteroffensive
10. Summer-Fall 1969
11. Winter-Spring 1970

• Southwest Asia:

1. Defense of Saudi Arabia
2. Liberation and Defense of Kuwait
3. Cease-Fire

• Global War on Terrorism

1. Operation Iraqi Freedom II
2. Operation Iraqi Freedom VI-VIII
3. Operation Iraqi Freedom VIII-IX
4. Operation Enduring Freedom 08-09

Decorations

1. Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for VIETNAM 1968
2. Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for SOUTHWEST ASIA
3. Army Superior Unit Award for 1997
4. French Croix de guerre with Palm, World War II for KASSERINE
5. French Croix de guerre with Palm, World War II for NORMANDY
6. French Croix de guerre, World War II, Fourragere
7. Belgian Fourragere 1940
8. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at MONS
9. Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for action at EUPEN-MALMEDY
10. Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1965–1968
11. Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class for VIETNAM 1965–1970

Commanding generals

MG William L. Sibert June–December 1917 MG Robert L. Bullard December 1917 – July 1918 MG Charles P. Summerall July–October 1918 BG Frank Parker October–November 1918 MG Edward F. McGlachlin November 1918 – September 1919 MG Charles P. Summerall October 1919 – June 1921 MG David C. Shanks July–November 1921 MG Charles T. Menoher November 1921 – January 1922 MG Harry C. Hale February–December 1922 BG William S. Graves December 1922 – July 1925 BG Preston Brown July 1925 – January 1926 BG Frank Parker January–May 1926 BG Hugh A. Drum May 1926 – May 1927 MG Fox Conner May–September 1927 BG Hugh A. Drum September 1927 – January 1930 BG William P. Jackson January–March 1930 MG Briant H. Wells March–September 1930 BG Lucius R. Holbrook October 1930 – November 1935 BG Charles D. Roberts November 1935 – February 1936 MG Frank Parker February–March 1936 MG Stanley H. Ford March–October 1936 BG Perry L. Miles October 1936 – October 1937 COL William P. Ennis November–December 1937 BG Laurence Halstead December 1937 – January 1938 MG Walter C. Short October 1938 – September 1940 MG Karl Truesdell October–December 1940 MG Donald Cubbison January 1941 – May 1942 MG Terry Allen May 1942 – August 1943 MG Clarence R. Huebner August 1943 – December 1944 MG Clift Andrus December 1944 – May 1946 MG Frank W. Milburn June 1946 – May 1949 BG Ralph J. Canine May–September 1949 MG John E. Dahlquist September 1949 – July 1951 MG Thomas S. Timberman July 1951 – December 1952 MG Charles T. Lanham January 1953 – June 1954 MG Guy S. Meloy, Jr. June 1954 – December 1955 MG Willis S. Matthews January 1956 – April 1957 MG David H. Buchanan April 1957 – October 1958 BG Forrest Caraway October 1958 – December 1958 MG Harvey H. Fischer December 1958 – January 1960

BG John A. Seitz January 1960 – February 1960 MG Theodore W. Parker February 1960 – May 1961 BG John A. Berry, Jr. May 1961 – June 1961 BG William B. Kunzig July 1961 – August 1961 MG John F. Ruggles August 1961 – January 1963 MG Arthur W. Oberbeck January 1963 – January 1964 MG Jonathan O. Seaman February 1964 – March 1966 MG William E. DePuy March 1966 – December 1966 MG John H. Hay, Jr. January 1967 – February 1968 MG Keith L. Ware February–September 1968 MG Orwin C. Talbott September 1968 – August 1969 MG Albert E. Milloy August 1969 – February 1970 BG John Q. Henion March 1970 – April 1970 MG Robert R. Linvill April 1970 – January 1971 MG Edward M. Flanagan, Jr. January 1971 – December 1972 MG G. J. Duquemin January 1973 – August 1974 MG Marvin D. Fuller August 1974 – May 1976 MG Calvert P. Benedict May 1976 – May 1978 MG Phillip Kaplan May 1978 – July 1980 MG Edward A. Partain July 1980 – December 1982 MG Neal Creighton December 1982 – June 1984 MG Ronald L. Watts June 1984 – April 1986 MG Leonard P. Wishart III April 1986 – July 1988 MG Gordon R. Sullivan July 1988 – July 1989 MG Thomas Rhame July 1989 – August 1991 MG William W. Hartzog August 1991 – July 1993 MG Josue Robles, Jr. July 1993 – June 1994 MG Randolph W. House June 1994 – February 1996 MG Montgomery Meigs March 1996 – July 1997 MG David L. Grange August 1997 – August 1999 MG John P. Abizaid August 1999 – September 2000 MG Bantz J. Craddock September 2000 – August 2002 MG John R.S. Batiste August 2002 – June 2005 MG Kenneth W. Hunzeker June 2005 – August 2006 MG Carter F. Ham August 2006 – August 2007 MG Robert E. Durbin July 2007 – July 2008 BG Perry L. Wiggins July 2008 – March 2009 MG Danger Main March 2009 – April 2009 MG Vincent K. Brooks April 2009 – May 2011 MG William C. Mayville May 2011 - Present

See also

• The Big Red One (1980), a movie about the division's experiences in World War II written by Samuel Fuller who served in the division during World War II.
• Cantigny, the former estate of Col. Robert R. McCormick, is where the 1st Infantry Division Museum is located. The museum showcases the history of the 1st Infantry Division, from their involvement in World War I to the present, along with several tanks situated outside the museum dating from World War I to the present.
• First Division Monument
• Iraq Assistance Group, a former joint command coordinating the coalition military transition team mission in Iraq which was formed from the 1st Infantry Division.

Notes

Notes

Citations

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from 1st Infantry Division Honors. United States Army Center of Military History.

Further reading

• Rohan, John Rags, The Dog Who Went to War, , Diggory Press, ISBN 978-1-84685-364-7
• Gantter, Raymond Roll Me Over, An Infantryman's World War II, , Ivy Books, ISBN 0-8041-1605-9
• Stanton, Shelby, Vietnam Order of Battle: A Complete Illustrated Reference to the U.S. Army and Allied Ground Forces in Vietnam, 1961-1973, Stackpole Books 2006 ISBN 0811700712
• Stanton, Shelby, World War II Order of Battle: An Encyclopedic Reference to U.S. Army Ground Forces from Battalion through Division, 1939-1946 (Revised Edition, 2006), Stackpole Books ISBN 978-0811701570

External links

• Official 1st Infantry Division website
• Society of the First Infantry Division
• Duty First: The 1st Infantry Division's award-winning quarterly magazine
• GlobalSecurity.org page on 1ID
• The First! The Story of the 1st Infantry Division (WWII divisional history booklet, 1945)
• Echoes of War: Stories from the Big Red One Interactive PBS documentary about the 1st Infantry Div.
• Raw Combat Footage DVD of the 1st Infantry Division June and July 1944.
• Raw Combat Footage DVD of the 1st Infantry Division from August to November 1944.
• 1st Infantry Division Living History Group – Germany
• Cantigny First Division Oral Histories, includes freely accessible video oral history interviews with veterans of the U.S. Army's First Infantry Division