No. 005-B

OPERATION JOINT ENDEAVOR FACT SHEET December 7, 1995


This fact sheet provides general information on, as well as history and units of the 1st Armored Division, which will provide the bulk of the U.S. forces who will be part of the NATO Implementation Force in Bosnia.

General Information

The 1st Armored Division, nicknamed "Old Ironsides," is headquartered in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. Bad Kreuznach, a city of 40,000 on the Nahe River, lies in the German state of Rheinland Pfalz.

Old Ironsides consists of more than 12,000 "Iron Soldiers." Most of those soldiers serve either in one of the division's six brigades or one of its three separate battalions.

The 1st Brigade Combat Team is headquartered in Kirchgoens. Its maneuver units are 3rd Battalion, 5th Cavalry (Kirchgoens); 2nd Battalion, 67th Armor (Friedberg); and 4th Battalion, 67th Armor (Friedberg).

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team is headquartered in Baumholder. Its maneuver units are 3rd Battalion, 12th Infrantry; 4th Battalion, 12th Infantry; and 2nd Battalion, 68th Armor, all in Baumholder.

The 4th Brigade, headquartered in Hanau, is the division's aviation brigade. Its maneuver units are 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviation (Hanau); 3rd Battalion, 227th Aviation (Hanau); 7th Battalion, 227th Aviation (Hanau) and 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry (Budingen).

Division Support Command (DISCOM) is headquartered in Bad Kreuznach. Its units are 47th Forward Support Battalion (Baumholder); 123rd Main Support Battalion (Dexheim); 127th Aviation Support Battalion (Hanau); and 501st Forward Support Battalion (Friedberg).

The division's Engineer Brigade (DIVENG) is also headquartered in Bad Kreuzuach. Its units are the 23rd Engineer Battalion (Friedberg) and 40th Engineer Battalion (Baumholder).

Division Artillery (DIVARTY) is headquartered in Baumholder. Its 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery is stationed at Kirchgoens, and the 4th Battalion, 29th Field Artilery is located at Baumholder. 'A' Battery, 94th Field Artillery (Baumholder) provides the division with multiple-launch rocker capability. 'C' Battery, 333rd Field Artillery (Baumholder) provides the division with target acquisition capability.

The 5th Battalion, 3rd Air Defense Artillery is headquartered in Wackernheim. This separate battalion provides the division with air defense capability. The 141st Signal Battalion is headquartered in Bad Kreuznach. It provides communication support for the division.

The 501st Military Intelligence Battalion is headquartered in Dexheim. It provides the division with special information through secure channels. Old Ironsides also has the 501st Military Policy Company (Bad Kreuznach) which performs law enforcement and security duties.

Major weapons systems for the division include:

Abrams Tanks -- 201
Bradley Fighting Vehicles -- 235
Apache Attack Helicopters -- 48
Cobra Attack Helicopters -- 8
155mm Howitzers -- 48

History

The First Armored Division is one of the largest and most powerful of the United States combat forces, and is one of V Corps' main fighting forces int he 1990s.

The "Old Ironsides" division was organized at the home of armor and cavalry, Fort Knox, Ky., July 15, 1940, and Maj. Gen. Bruce McGruder as chosen as the first commander of the new division, McGruder gave the division its nickname, "Old Ironsides," after noting similarities between the frigate, the U.S.S. Constitution, with its thick oak hull, and the protection afforded by armored vehicles, McGruder envisioned that the newly formed 1st Armored Division would be as instrumental in land warfare as the "Constitution" was in naval conflicts.

On Nov. 8, 1942, that vision became reality as the 1st Armored Division landed in Algeria and seized the critical port of Oran during World War II. From there, the division moved east and became the first of the allied troops to encounter Rommel and his battle-hardened Afrika Korps.

From Algeria to Rome, Old Ironsides blazed the trail and set standards through a series of victories such as those La Tour, El Guitar, Naples, Anzio, Rome-Arno, and the Po Valley. Once the war was over, the 1st Armored Division assumed occupational duties in Germany near Schwaebish Gmuend, and in 1946, the division was inactivated.

A mere five years later, the division was re-activated at Fort Hood, Texas. In May 1971, the Old Ironsides Division returned to Germany, assuming the mission of the 4th Armored Division and was headquartered in Ansbach. The 20-year presence of the Iron Soldiers and their NATO counterparts helped bring significant changes to Europe, including the downfall of the Iron Curtain, the crumbling of the Berlin Wall, and, finally, the reunification of Germany.

But, just as the torch of liberty began to shine in Eastern Europe, it was extinguished in Kuwait by the Iraqi Army. On Nov. 8, 1990, the 1st Armored Division began its desert experience by joining the allied forces in Kuwait during Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

At 1434 hours on Feb. 24, 1991, Old Ironsides launched its attack on Iraq. In 89 hours of combat, the Iron Soldiers had destroyed 440 enemy tanks, 485 armored personnel carriers, 190 pieces of artillery and 137 air defense artillery pieces.

Through the battles of Desert Storm, the Iron Soldiers defeated numerous Iraqi forces, taking 6,686 prisoners of war and proving to be one of the critical parts in the allied victory.

On Jan. 17, 1992, a new chapter was started in the story of Old Ironsides, when they replaced the 8th Infantry Division (mechanized) units in Germany, and were redesignated as the 1st Armored Division, headquartered at Bad Kreuznach under the command of Maj. Gen. William M. Boice.

Today, the 1st Armored Division, under the command of Maj. Gen. William L. Nash, continues its three-fold mission of training, defense, and deploying from a forward base to support NATO's call. That call has taken division soldiers to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, to Kuwait, to Rwanda, Uganda and Zaire, to Turkey, to Poland, to the Czech Republic and many other locations.

The units of the 1st Armored Division combine to form a combat-ready, highly mobile and lethal fighting force. The division consistently enjoys success by adhering to its goals of training, maintaining, and caring, which make Old Ironsides one of today's Army's premier fighting units, and truly America's Tank Division.

Unit Name Location Abbreviations
Division Headquarters Bad Kreuznach Bde = Brigade
1st Bde Kirch-GoensBn = Battalion
3rd Bn, 5th Cavalry Kirch-GoensSpt = Support
2nd Bn, 67th Armor FriedbergEng = Engineer
4th Bn, 67th Armor FriedbergArty = Artillery
2nd Bde Baumholder
3rd Bn, 12th Infantry Baumholder
4th Bn, 12th Infantry Baumholder
2nd Bn, 68th Armor Baumholder
4th Aviation Bde Hanau
2nd Bn, 227th Aviation Hanau
3rd Bn, 227th Aviation Hanau
7th Bn, 227th Aviation Hanau
1st Sqdn, 1st Cavalry Budingen
Division Support Command Bde Bad Kreuznach
47th Forward Spt Bn Baumholder
123rd Main Spt Bn Dexheim
127th Aviation Spt Bn Hanau
501st Forward Spt Bn Friedberg
Division Engineer Bde Bad Kreuznach
23rd Eng Bn Friedberg
40th Eng Bn Baumholder
Division Artillery Bde Baumholder
2nd Bn, 3rd Field Arty Kirch-Goens
4th Bn, 29th Field Arty Baumholder
A Btry, 94th Field Arty Idar-Oberstein
Other units:
5th Bn, 3rd Air Defense Arty Mainz
141st Signal Bn Bad Kreuznach
501st Military Intelligence Bn Dexheim
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