View source for 1st Armored Division (United States)

{{Short description|US Army mechanized formation}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Original research|date=January 2020}}
{{Overly detailed|date=March 2020}}
{{Cleanup rewrite|date=January 2020}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = 1st Armored Division
| image = United States Army 1st Armored Division CSIB.svg
| image_size = 150px
| caption = Insignia of the 1st Armored Division
| nickname = ''"Old Ironsides"''<ref name = SUD/>
| motto = ''Iron Soldiers!''
| colors = 
| march = ''Iron Soldier March''
| ceremonial_chief = 
| type = [[Brigade combat team#Armored brigade combat team|Combined arms]]
| size = [[Division (military)#United States|Division]]
| country = {{flagu|United States}}
| branch = {{army|United States}}
| dates = 1940–1946<br>1951–present
| allegiance = 
| command_structure = [[III Armored Corps]]
| current_commander = [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] Curtis D. Taylor
| commander2 = [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]] Alric L. Francis
| commander2_label = Deputy Commanding General - Operations
| commander3 = [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brigadier General]] Paul Krattiger
| commander3_label = Deputy Commander - Support Brigadier General Boardwell
| commander4 = [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|Brigadier]] Andrew Ridland, [[British Army]]
| commander4_label = Deputy Commanding General - Maneuver
| commander5 = Colonel David A. Norris
| commander5_label = Chief of Staff
| commander6 = [[Command sergeant major|CSM]] James L. Light
| commander6_label = Command Sergeant Major
| garrison = 
| battles = {{tree list}}[[World War II]]
**[[Operation Torch]]
**[[Tunisia Campaign]]
***[[Run for Tunis]]
***[[Battle of Sidi Bou Zid|Sidi Bou Zid]]
***[[Battle of Kasserine Pass|Kasserine Pass]]
**[[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]]
***[[Battle of Anzio]]
***{{Tree list/final branch}}[[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy|Operation Grapeshot]]
{{Tree list/end}}
{{Tree list}}[[Gulf War|Persian Gulf War]]
**[[Operation Desert Storm]]
***[[Battle of Phase Line Bullet]]
***[[Battle of Al Busayyah]]
***{{Tree list/final branch}}[[Battle of Medina Ridge]]
{{Tree list/end}}
{{Tree list}}[[War on Terror|Global War on Terrorism]]
**[[War in Afghanistan (2001–14)|War in Afghanistan]]
**[[Iraq War]]
**{{Tree list/final branch}}[[Operation Inherent Resolve]]
{{tree list/end}}
| decorations = [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]]<ref name="US Army HR Unit Awards">{{cite|url=https://www.hrc.army.mil/wcmt-api/sites/default/wcmtfiles/files/16333_0.pdf|title=Army General Orders Unit Awards Index|date=2015-10-13 |publisher=[[US Army]]}}</ref>
| notable_commanders = [[Orlando Ward]]<br />[[Ernest N. Harmon]]
| anniversaries = 
| identification_symbol = [[File:Flag of the United States Army 1st Armored Division.svg|145px|border|center]]
| identification_symbol_label = Flag
| identification_symbol_2 = [[File:1st Armored Division DUI.png|100px|center]]
| identification_symbol_2_label = [[Distinctive unit insignia]]
| identification_symbol_3 = [[File:1st Armored Division CSIB.jpg|100px|center]]
| identification_symbol_3_label = [[Combat Service Identification Badge|Combat service identification badge]]
| identification_symbol_4 = {{Mil Map Symbol
| UNIT SHORT NAME = 1
| PARENT SHORT NAME = III
| UNIT ICON = Military Symbol - Friendly Unit (Solid Light 1.5x1 Frame)- Armour (NATO APP-6).svg
| UNIT SIZE ICON = NATO Map Symbol - Unit Size - Division.svg
| ICON SIZE = 90
}}
| identification_symbol_4_label = [[NATO Joint Military Symbology|NATO Map Symbol]]
}}
{{command structure
|name=1st Armored Division ''"Old Ironsides"''
|date=1942–44
|parent= 1st Armored Division
|subordinate=
* [[1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)|1st Armored Regiment (Light)]]
* [[13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|13th Armored Regiment (Light)]]
* [[6th Infantry Regiment (United States)|6th Armored Infantry Regiment]]
* [[16th Engineer Battalion (United States)|16th Engineer Battalion (Armored)]]
}}
{{command structure
|name=1st Armored Division ''"Old Ironsides"''
|date=1944–46
|parent= 1st Armored Division
|subordinate=
* [[6th Armored Infantry Battalion]]
* [[11th Armored Infantry Battalion]]
* [[14th Armored Infantry Battalion]]
* [[1st Tank Battalion]]
* 4th Tank Battalion
* [[13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|13th Tank Battalion]]
}}

{{Military unit sidebar|title=U.S. Armored Divisions|previous=|next=[[2nd Armored Division (United States)|2nd Armored Division]] (''Inactive'')}}
The '''1st Armored Division''', nicknamed "Old Ironsides",<ref name="SUD">{{cite web|title=Special Unit Designations |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/spdes-123-ra_ar.html |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |date=21 April 2010 |access-date=23 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609010022/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/spdes-123-ra_ar.html |archive-date=9 June 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> is a [[Brigade combat team#Armored Battalion (×2)|combined]] [[Combined arms|arms]] [[division (military)|division]] of the [[United States Army]]. The division is part of [[III Armored Corps]] and operates out of [[Fort Bliss]] in [[El Paso]], [[Texas]]. It was the first armored division of the United States Army to see battle in [[World War II]]. Since World War II, the division has been involved in the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]], [[Persian Gulf War]], [[Iraq]], [[Afghanistan]], and several other operations. The division has also received numerous awards and recognition.

==Insignia==
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2020}}
The division was nicknamed "Old Ironsides" by its first commander, Major General [[Bruce Magruder]], after he saw a picture of the frigate {{USS|Constitution}}, 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 of the other sub-unit insignias.

In January 1918, the [[Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces|Tank Corps of the United States Army]] was established under Colonel [[Samuel Rockenbach]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Johnson|first=Royal|title=War Expenditures: Hearings Before the Select Committee on Expenditures in the War Department, House of Representatives, Sixty-sixth Congress, First-[third] Session, on War Expenditures|year=1920|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|location=Washington, D.C.|page=1307|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FBLztVDeqrIC&pg=PA1307|access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref> At his direction, First Lieutenant J. P. Wharton designed the original coat of arms: a triangle on a shield surrounded by a wreath and a silver dragon. The triangle itself is an old heraldic element of armorial design known as a pile, representing the head of a spear. There was no shoulder patch in 1918.

The [[7th Cavalry Brigade (United States)|7th Cavalry Brigade (mechanized)]] contributed the other part of the present-day Armor shoulder patch. The brigade formed out of the 1st Cavalry Regiment in Marfa Texas, on 16 January 1933 under General [[Daniel Van Voorhis]], then Colonel of the Cavalry. The 7th Cavalry Brigade included the 13th Cavalry and had been organized specifically to develop the new armored force concept while training in the emerging modern war-fighting tactics.

Colonel George F. Linthwaite (then a newly enlisted Private) joined the 13th Cavalry regiment in 1933. Major General [[Robert W. Grow]] (then a Major and brigade adjutant) was instructed to develop a shoulder patch for the new armored force. Grow announced to the brigade that a contest would be held to design the new Armored force patch. A three-day weekend pass was awarded to the designer of the winning entry.

Linthwaite won the contest: he designed a circular patch, four inches in diameters, with a solid yellow-gold background to symbolize the Cavalry heritage. On the face of the patch, he drew a stylized black tank track with a drive and idler sprockets to symbolize mobility. In the center of the track at a slight diagonal, he placed a single cannon barrel, also in black, to symbolize firepower. Finally, to symbolize the striking power of the new armored force, he added a diagonal lightning bolt in red, extending across the total design and full diameter of the patch.

In 1940, Major General [[Adna R. Chaffee Jr.]] was promoted to lead the newly created Armor Forces which had evolved from the old 7th Cavalry Brigade and were preparing for the looming war in Europe. Chaffee wanted a patch for this new Armored Force. He chose to combine the 7th Brigade patch with the triangle from the World War I crest. The tri-colors, with blue for infantry, red for artillery, and yellow for cavalry – represented the three basic components of the mechanized armed force.  In 1940 the War Department officially designated the now-familiar patch worn by soldiers of all United States Army Armored Divisions.<ref>{{cite book |title=History and Role of Armor |publisher=US Army Armor School |date=April 1974 |location=Fort Knox, KY |pages=back side cover page 'History of the Armor Patch'}}</ref>

== World War II ==
On 15 July 1940, the 1st Armored Division, largely an expanded and reorganized version of the [[7th Cavalry Brigade (United States)|7th Cavalry Brigade]], was activated at [[Fort Knox]] under the command of Major General Bruce Magruder.  The [[1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)|1st Cavalry Regiment]] was re-designated as the 1st Armored Regiment and the [[13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|13th Cavalry Regiment]] was re-designated as the 13th Armored Regiment under the 1st Armored Brigade, 1st Armored Division.<ref name="1st Armored Division: WWII and Beyond Book">{{cite book|last=Worth|first=Greg|title=1st Armored Division: WWII & Beyond|year=2005|publisher=Turner Publishing Company|location=Kentucky|isbn=1-59652-011-6|page=10}}</ref> For more than two years after its activation, the 1st Armored Division trained at [[Fort Knox]] and the division pioneered and developed tank gunnery and strategic armored offensives while increasing from 66 medium-sized tanks to over 600 medium and light armored vehicles.<ref name="1st Armored Division: WWII and Beyond Book" />

=== Training ===
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2020}}
On 15 July 1940 the division was established at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The U.S. Army had never had an armored division before and the troops necessary for this kind of force were drawn from a variety of army posts.

When the organization was completed, the division had tanks, artillery, and infantry as combat forces. In direct support were [[tank destroyer]], maintenance, medical, supply and engineer battalions, but bringing the division up to its full quota of equipment and vehicles was difficult. Although new equipment was received almost daily, the division had only nine outdated [[medium tank]]s primarily armed with guns until March 1941. 
Most of the division attended the Armored Force School at Knox to train in using their newly acquired tanks, [[half-track]]s, and guns.

At Fort Knox, the division participated in the Technicolor [[short subject|short movie]] ''[[The Tanks Are Coming (1941)|The Tanks Are Coming]]'' (as the "First Armored Force"). It deployed to participate in the [[VII Corps (United States)|VII Corps]] Maneuvers on 18 August 1941. Once the maneuvers concluded, the 1st Armored Division then moved on 28 August 1941 and arrived at [[Fort Polk|Camp Polk]] for the [[Second United States Army|Second Army]] [[Louisiana]] Maneuvers on 1 September 1941. They then moved to [[Fort Jackson (South Carolina)|Fort Jackson]] on 30 October 1941 to participate in the [[First United States Army|First Army]] [[Carolina Maneuvers]].

The division returned to Fort Knox on 7 December 1941 but started to prepare for deployment overseas instead of returning to garrison.  Training took on a new intensity. The division was reorganized, and all tanks, both medium and light were put into two armored regiments, the 1st and 13th. A third armored field artillery battalion, the 91st, was formed, and the 701st Tank Destroyer Battalion was organized and attached to the division.

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 Mary}} at the [[New York Port of Embarkation]] at the [[Brooklyn Army Terminal]] on 11 May 1942. They arrived in [[Northern Ireland]] on 16 May 1942 and trained on the moors until they moved on to [[England]] on 29 October 1942. The division was now commanded by Major General [[Orlando Ward]].

=== Combat operations ===
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2020}}
[[File:1st Armored Division Tank, World War II.jpg|thumb|The M5 Stuart tank was used by "Iron Soldiers" during World War II.]]

A volunteer troop of three [[M3 Lee]] crews from the 1st Armored Division commanded by [[Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.]] fought in the [[Battle of Gazala]] under British command in June 1942, becoming the first Americans to engage the Germans on land in the war.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20101014144610/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,795996,00.html "For Services Rendered"], ''Time Magazine'', 1942-07-20.</ref>

Alerted for the invasion were the 1st Battalion of the 1st Armored Regiment, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 13th Armored Regiment, nearly all the 6th Armored Infantry Regiment, the [[27th Field Artillery Regiment|27th Armored Field Artillery]] Battalion, "B" and "C" Companies of the 701st Tank Destroyer Battalion, and detachments of the [[16th Engineer Battalion (United States)|16th Armored Engineer Battalion]], the Supply Battalion, the Maintenance Battalion, 47th Armored Medical Battalion, and the [[141st Signal Battalion (United States)|141st Signal Company]].

The unit's proper first contact with an enemy was as part of the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] invasion of Northwest Africa, [[Operation Torch]], on 8 November 1942. Elements of the division became part of the Northern Task Force and became the first American [[armored division]] to see combat in World War II. [[Combat command|Combat Command]] B (CCB) of the division landed east and west of [[Oran]] under the command of Brigadier General [[Lunsford E. Oliver]] and entered the city on 10 November 1942. On 24 November 1942, CCB moved from [[Tafraoui]], Algeria to [[Bedja]], Tunisia, and raided the [[Djedeida]] airfield the next day and conquered the city on 28 November 1942. CCB moved southwest of [[Tebourba]] on 1 December 1942, engaged with [[Nazi Germany|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 losses 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 Faïd Pass commencing on 30 January 1943, and advanced to [[Sidi Bou Zid]], where it was [[Battle of Sidi Bou Zid|pushed back with heavy tank losses on 14 February 1943]], and had elements isolated on Djebel Lessouda, Djebel Kasaira, and Garet Hadid. Combat Command C (CCC), which was formed on 23 January 1943 to raid [[Sened (town)|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 forced to retreat with heavy losses. The division withdrew from Sbeita on 16 February 1943, but by 21 February 1943 CCB contained the German attack toward [[Tébessa]]. 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 barring the road to [[Gabès]] between 29 March and 1 April 1943. It followed up on the withdrawing German forces on 6 April 1943 and attacked towards [[Mateur]] with CCA on 27 April 1943, which fell after fighting on Hill 315 and Hill 299 on 3 May 1943. The division, now commanded by Major General [[Ernest N. Harmon]], fought the [[Battle for Djebel Achtel]] between 5 and 11 May 1943 and entered Ferryville on 7 May 1943. 
With the British forces taking Tunis and Americans in Bizerte, the Axis 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.

[[File:WWII North Africa.jpg|thumb|Exhibit at the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss museum depicts the type of bivouac site used in North Africa in WWII.  Soldiers slept in cloth tents and carried chests of equipment and stoves.]]

After the [[Allied invasion of Sicily]], the 1st Armored Division, which was part of the [[United States Army North|American Fifth Army]], [[Allied invasion of Italy|invaded mainland Italy]]. It participated in the attack on the [[Winter Line]] in November 1943, flanked the [[Axis powers|Axis]] armies in the [[Battle of Anzio|landings at Anzio]], and passed through the city of Rome and pursued the retreating enemy northward until mid-July 1944. At that point, Harmon was replaced by Major General [[Vernon Prichard]], who led the 1st Armored for the rest of the war. Three days after Prichard took command, the division was reorganized based on experiences in the North Africa Campaign.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Snafu|first=Doc|date=2020-04-10|title=1st Armored Division - WW-2|url=https://eucmh.com/2020/04/10/1st-armored-division-oob-ww-2/|access-date=2021-04-02|website=European Center of Military History|language=en-US}}</ref> The change was drastic: it eliminated the armored and infantry regiments in favor of three separate tank and infantry battalions, disbanded the Supply Battalion, and cut the strength of the division from 14,000 to 10,000. The result of the reorganization was a more flexible and balanced division, with roughly equivalent infantry and tank battalions. These forces could be combined or custom-tailored by the command to meet any situation. The additional infantry strength would prove particularly useful in future campaigns in the largely mountainous combat of the Italian campaign. The division continued in combat to the [[Po (river)|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 ===

*Total battle casualties: 7,096<ref name="Nonbattle Deaths 1953">Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch, Office of the Adjutant General, 1 June 1953)</ref>
*Killed in action: 1,194<ref name="Nonbattle Deaths 1953"/>
*Wounded in action: 5,168<ref name="Nonbattle Deaths 1953"/>
*Missing in action: 216<ref name="Nonbattle Deaths 1953"/>
*Prisoner of war: 518<ref name="Nonbattle Deaths 1953"/>

During the war, the Old Ironsides division captured 41 towns and cities and 108,740 prisoners.  722 division soldiers were awarded the [[Silver Star]] and another 908 received the [[Bronze Star Medal]].  The division received 5,478 [[Purple Heart]]s. Two division soldiers were awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] during World War II: [[Nicholas Minue|Private Nicholas Minue]] and Second Lieutenant [[Thomas Weldon Fowler]].

The 1st Armored Division flag returned to the New York Port of Embarkation on 24 April 1946 and was deactivated at [[Camp Kilmer]], [[New Jersey]] on 25 April 1946. The component headquarters and units which remained in Germany were retasked and renamed as a component of the [[United States Constabulary]].

== Cold War ==
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2020}}
As part of the [[Korean War]] buildup of American forces, the 1st Armored Division was reactivated at [[Fort Hood]], Texas on 7 March 1951. The division became one of the first divisions in the Army [[Desegregation in the United States|to integrate black soldiers throughout the ranks]], and was also the only combat-ready armored division in the continental United States and the first to receive the [[M48 Patton]] tank.
Training for nuclear war became a major theme in the mid-1950s.  The 1st Armored Division participated in tests of the "Atomic Field Army" at Fort Hood and in Operation Sagebrush, the largest joint maneuver conducted since World War II.  The 1st Armored Division moved to its new base of operations at Fort Polk, Louisiana after completing the exercise in February 1956.<ref name="MIlitary.com 1AD">{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.military.com/HomePage/TitleHistories/1,10982,100079%7C965958,00.html|publisher=Military.com|access-date=22 September 2013}}</ref>

=== Cuba ===
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2020}}
At the end of the 1950s, the Army's focus on a nuclear battlefield waned and it experienced years of reduced budgets.  The 1st Armored Division reverted into a training cadre for new inductees after being reduced in size and moved back to Fort Hood.

In 1962, the 1st Armored Division was brought back to full strength and reorganized.  Brigades replaced combat commands and the division's aviation assets doubled. Intense training followed the reorganization.  In October 1962 the 1st Armored Division was declared combat-ready just before the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]]. The division deployed from Fort Hood, Texas to [[Fort Stewart]] in response to the Soviet stationing of missiles in Cuba.  The entire operation took 18 days.<ref name="MIlitary.com 1AD" />

In the following six weeks, the 1st Armored Division conducted live-fire training and amphibious exercises on the Georgia and Florida coasts. One highlight was a visit from President John F. Kennedy on 26 November 1962. Shortly thereafter, tensions eased and the division returned to Ft. Hood.

=== Vietnam ===
Although the 1st Armored Division did not participate as a division in the Vietnam War, there were two units, Company A, [[501st Aviation Regiment (United States)|501st Aviation]] and 1st Squadron, [[1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)|1st Cavalry Regiment]], that served in Vietnam.  Both earned [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]]s, and 1-1 Cavalry received two [[Valorous Unit Award]]s and three [[Gallantry Cross (South Vietnam)|Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry]].  Neither unit was officially detached from the 1st Armored Division thus veterans of both units may wear the division's patch as a [[combat patch]]. In 1967 the [[198th Infantry Brigade (United States)|198th Infantry Brigade]] was formed from three of the division's infantry battalions and deployed from Fort Hood to Vietnam.  After the war, two of the three battalions, 1-[[6th Infantry Regiment (United States)|6 Infantry]] and 1-[[52nd Infantry Regiment (United States)|52 Infantry]], returned to the 1st Armored Division.

In early April 1968, when rioting broke out in many American cities following the [[assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.]], the 3rd Brigade was deployed on 6 April to assist in restoring order during [[1968 Chicago riots|rioting in Chicago]].<ref name="Scheips">{{cite book |last=Scheips |first=Paul |title=The Role of Federal Military Forces in Domestic Disorders, 1945-1992 |publisher=US Army Center of Military History|year=2005 |isbn=9781517253783 |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/030/30-20/CMH_Pub_30-20.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150920132904/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/030/30-20/CMH_Pub_30-20.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 September 2015}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|309}}

=== West Germany ===
{{See also|CENTAG wartime structure in 1989#1st Armored Division}}
[[File:1st US Armored Division 1989.png|thumb|right|1st Armored Division structure 1989 (click to enlarge)]]

{{unreferenced section|date=January 2020}}
In the early 1970s, American forces withdrew from Vietnam and the Army was heavily restructured. The 1st Armored Division was rumored to be on the list of units to be deactivated. Veterans of the division organized a letter-writing campaign to "save" the 1st Armored Division.

As part of the Army's post-Vietnam reorganization, the 1st Armored Division was moved to [[West Germany]] in 1971 and replaced the [[4th Armored Division (United States)|4th Armored Division]] in the Bavarian city of [[Ansbach]]. The Division headquarters remained in Ansbach, with brigade units in the neighboring towns of [[Bamberg]], [[Illesheim]], [[Fürth]] ([[Nuremberg]]), [[Schwabach]], [[Katterbach Kaserne|Katterbach]], [[Crailsheim]], [[Erlangen]] and [[Zirndorf]] for the next twenty years, as part of [[VII Corps (United States)|VII Corps]], itself part of [[NATO]]'s [[Allied Force Command Heidelberg|Central Army Group]].

1st Battalion, [[51st Infantry Regiment (United States)|51st Infantry]] (Mech), at Crailsheim, part of the 1st Brigade, was deactivated on 16 June 1984 as a result of the division's conversion to the Division 86 force structure. Under the Division 86 structure, each heavy division decreased by one infantry battalion, while remaining infantry battalions gained one additional rifle company.

On 16 April 1986, the Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division, was activated in Germany.

In April 1987, 6th Battalion, [[43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment|43rd Air Defense Artillery]] (Patriot) moved to a newly built Urlas Kaserne (located near Bismarck & Katterbach Kaserne) assigned to the 1st Armored Division.

On 16 November 1987, the 501st Combat Aviation Battalion was deactivated and re-flagged as 2nd Battalion, [[1st Aviation Regiment (United States)|1st Aviation Regiment]] at [[Katterbach Kaserne]], Federal Republic of Germany, under the 1st Armored Division.

== Persian Gulf War ==
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2020}}
In August 1990, [[Iraq]] [[Invasion of Kuwait|invaded Kuwait]].  On 8 November 1990, the 1st Armored Division was alerted for deployment to the Middle East to provide an offensive option should Saddam refuse to withdraw from Kuwait. This alert changed the division's focus, from "building down" in Europe to "building up" in Southwest Asia.

Division leaders and soldiers began focusing on planning, training and unit deployment. Planning focused on the challenge of logistics, as the division had to be shipped to [[Saudi Arabia]] in a logical order to support the buildup for combat operations.

Commanders and their staff rapidly integrated new equipment into their units to be deployed to the Persian Gulf region.  The division also prepared to receive new units: 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division replaced 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division. Round-out units such as the 312th Support Center [[Rear Area Operations Center|Rear Area Operations Center (RAOC)]] composed of Reservists from throughout Germany, also joined the division. Other units, such as the [[19th Engineer Battalion|19th]] and 54th Engineer Battalions, the 218th Military Police Company, and the 7th Support Group, joined the 1st Armored Division in Kuwait.

Units concentrated on preparing vehicles for overseas movement while undergoing individual and unit training, including gunnery, in the few weeks available before deployment. The division qualified 355 tanks and 300 Bradley crews on Tables VII and VIII, conducted division artillery howitzer section gunnery, fired modified Vulcan Table VIII and qualified Stinger and Chaparral crews. Battle drill rehearsals and wargaming seminars were also part of the rigorous training agenda.

The division transported equipment by rail, wheeled convoy, and rotary-wing self-deployment. These movements unavoidably occurred on short notice or in bad weather, and posed challenges to coordination and logistics. The first trains departed for port the last week of November 1990 and continued to so until the second week of December 1990. Within two months 17,400 soldiers and 7,050 pieces of equipment were moved to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield/Storm.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=UnitHistoryDetail&type=UnitHistory&ID=287 |title= Unit History Detail |access-date=30 December 2018 }}</ref>

=== Battle damage assessment ===
* 25 Feb: 2 tanks, 25 [[Armoured personnel carrier|Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs)]], 9 artillery pieces, 14 Air Defense Artillery (ADA) systems, 48 trucks, 314 [[Prisoner of war|Enemy Prisoner of War (EPW)]]
* 26 Feb: 112 tanks, 82 APCs, 2 artillery pieces, 2 ADA systems, 94 trucks, 545 EPW
* 27 Feb: 186 tanks, 127 APCs, 66 artillery pieces, 5 ADA systems, 118 trucks, 839 EPW
* 28 Feb: 41 tanks, 60 APCs, 15 artillery pieces, 11 ADA systems, 244 trucks, 281 EPW
* 1–12 Mar: 99 tanks, 191 APCs, 98 artillery pieces, 105 ADA systems, 879 trucks, 4,707 EPW
* Total: 440 tanks, 485 APCs, 190 artillery pieces, 137 ADA systems, 1,383 trucks, 6,686 EPW<ref name="triumph">{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/triumphindesertc00davi | url-access=registration | title=Triumph in the Desert | publisher=Random House | last=David | first=Peter | year=1991 | location=New York | isbn=978-0-679-40722-5}}</ref>

Four division soldiers were [[killed in action]] and 52 [[wounded in action]] during the Gulf War<ref name="triumph"/>{{rp|232}}

== The Balkans ==
{{unreferenced section|date=January 2020}}
[[File:OJE.jpg|thumb|right|Sticker Handed out to Division Staff prior to Mountain Eagle 1995]]
On 18 December 1995, under the command of Major General [[William L. Nash]], the division deployed to northeastern [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]] as the command and major troop contributing element of [[Task Force Eagle]], a peace enforcement, multinational unit. The 1st Armored Division returned in late 1996 to Germany.

In 1999, the unit deployed to [[Kosovo]] for [[Operation Allied Force]] and [[Operation Joint Guardian]]. The unit trained heavily afterwards in the [[Hohenfels, Bavaria|Hohenfels]] and [[Grafenwöhr]] Training Areas in Germany, with realistic [[Opposing Force|Opposing Force (OPFOR)]] exercises.

In 2000, the 1st Armored Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team trained at the [[Grafenwoehr Training Area]] (GTA). In February 2000, 1st Armored Division Headquarters announced the closure of military facilities in [[Bad Kreuznach]] and its subsequent move to [[Lucius D. Clay Kaserne|Wiesbaden]] scheduled for June 2001. The 1st Armored Division trained at HTA and GTA in three separate exercises in March 2001. Ready First participated in Mountain Guardian III at Hohenfels as a mission rehearsal exercise for Kosovo.

The 1st Armored Division's command and control elements conducted a warfighter exercise in the GTA between 21 March and 17 April 2001. The 1st Armored Division took command of Task Force Falcon in Kosovo as Brigadier General Randal Tieszen accepted the colors from 1st Infantry Division's Brigadier General [[Ricardo Sanchez]]. The 1st Armored Division celebrated its 60th birthday at home and abroad in Kosovo on 15 July 2001. Major General [[George W. Casey, Jr.]] traveled to Boston Harbor in August 2001, where he connected with Commander Bill Foster of the historic warship {{USS|Constitution}}.

== Global war on terrorism ==
=== Iraq ===
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2020}}
In the months building up to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, two [[battalion]]s of the 1st Armored Division's 3rd Brigade were deployed to support [[Iraq War|Operation Iraqi Freedom]]. The 2–[[70th Armor Regiment|70 Armor]] and 1–[[41st Infantry Regiment (United States)|41 Infantry]] battalion task forces augmented the [[82nd Airborne Division]], the [[3rd Infantry Division (United States)|3rd Infantry Division]], and the [[101st Airborne Division]] 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 1st Battalion, 13th Armor followed shortly behind towards the end of March 2003.

In May 2003, the division deployed to Iraq and assumed responsibility for [[Baghdad]], under command of Major General [[Ricardo Sanchez]], relieving the 3d Infantry Division. The 1st Brigade, under Colonel [[Michael S. Tucker]] and after July 2003 under Colonel [[Peter Mansoor]], assumed responsibility for the [[Al-Rusafa, Iraq|Rusafa]] and [[Adhamiya]] districts of central Baghdad.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Вaghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq|last=Mansoor|first=Peter R.|publisher=[[Yale University Press]]|year=2008|isbn=9780300140699 |location=New Haven and London|ref={{sfnRef|Mansooor}}|page=21}}</ref> The division was scheduled to return to Germany in April 2004 but was extended in country an additional 3 months in order to oppose an uprising of Shia militia led by Moqtada Al Sadr. During the extension Task Force 1–37 Armor ("Bandits") fought Sadr's forces in [[Karbala]] while Task Force 2–37 Armor ("Dukes") along with elements of 2–3 Field Artillery ("Gunners") fought in [[Diwaniya]], [[Sadr City]], [[Al-Kut]], and [[Najaf]]. Task Force 1–36 Infantry ("Spartans") became the [[Combined Joint Task Force 7]] Operational Reserve and conducted operations along Route Irish from Baghdad International Airport to the Green Zone in support of the 1st Cavalry Division. Forces from the 2d Brigade fought in [[Kut]]. During its 15-month deployment, the division lost 133 soldiers.

==== Ready First ====
The division's 1st Brigade deployed again to Iraq in January 2006 under the command of Colonel [[Sean MacFarland|Sean B. MacFarland]] 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") during the invasion of Iraq returned for a second tour. Most of the 1st BCT was initially deployed to Northern Iraq in [[Nineveh Governorate|Nineveh province]] concentrating on the city of Tal' Afar. In May 2006, the main force of the 1st Brigade received orders to move south to the city of Ramadi in volatile Al Anbar Province.<ref name="Michaels2010">{{cite book|last=Michaels|first=Jim|title=A Chance in Hell: The Men Who Triumphed Over Iraq's Deadliest City and Turned the Tide of War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b_M80NRlBeIC&pg=PA89|year=2010|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=978-1-4299-5051-0}}</ref>

[[File:Tank in Ramadi.jpg|thumb|1st BCT employed tanks in the city of Ramadi to push out Al Qaeda in Iraq.]]

Since 2003, Al Anbar served as a base of operations for the Sunni insurgency and al Qaeda.  Ramadi, its capital, had neither a government nor a police force when the brigade arrived.  Most military strategists inside and outside of the Bush administration believed that the war in Anbar had already concluded unsuccessfully.  Al Qaeda in Iraq publicly announced Ramadi as the capital of their new caliphate and the city alone averaged more than twenty attacks per day; the province was statistically the most dangerous location in the country, and the insurgency enjoyed free rein throughout much of the province.<ref name="Filkins">{{cite news|last=Filkins|first=Dexter|title=U.S. hands back security of Anbar Province|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/01/world/africa/01iht-iraq.4.15798614.html?_r=0|access-date=18 September 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=1 September 2008}}</ref>

==== Ramadi ====
When the 1st Brigade arrived in Ramadi in June 2006 with more than 70 M1 Abrams tanks and 84 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, many locals believed the brigade was preparing for a Fallujah-style block-by-block clearing assault on the city and many insurgents fled the city.  Following Colonel H.R. McMaster's "Clear, Hold, Build" strategy, the brigade developed a plan to isolate the insurgents, deny them sanctuary, and build Iraqi security forces.

The 1st Brigade moved into some of Ramadi's dangerous neighborhoods and built four of what would eventually become eighteen combat outposts starting in July 2006. The soldiers brought the territory under control and inflicted many casualties on the insurgents. On 24 July, the Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) launched a counterattack, initiating 24 assaults, each with about 100 fighters, on American positions. The insurgents failed in all of their attacks and lost about 30 men.<ref name="USA Today, An Army colonel's gamble pays off in Iraq">{{cite news|last=Michaels|first=Jim|title=An Army colonel's gamble pays off in Iraq|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2007-04-30-ramadi-colonel_N.htm|access-date=18 September 2013|newspaper=USA Today|date=1 May 2007}}</ref>

==== Independence Day ====
Simultaneous with combat operations, the brigade worked on the "hold" portion of clear, hold, build. Lieutenant Colonel Tony Deane, commander of Task Force 1-35 Armor, approached Sheik Abdul Sattar Bezia al-Rishawi of the Abu Risha tribe in an attempt to recruit his tribesmen to the police force.

[[File:Pic of ramadi.jpg|thumb|left|Downtown Ramadi in 2006]]

In his book ''A Chance in Hell'' that focuses on the operation in Al Anbar, Jim Michaels wrote that the US had a flawed view on civil government which ignored the tribal history of Iraq. "The tribal system embraced elements of democracy. The sheik may not be elected," wrote Michaels," but nor is he born into his job.  Sheiks are generally selected by a group of elders[...] Throughout history, ignoring the tribes [in Iraq] has never been a smart move.  Sheiks have wielded power for thousands of years and survived countless efforts to blunt their influence in the name of modernity."<ref name="Michaels2010"/>{{rp|89}}

To facilitate Sheik Sittar, Colonel MacFarland's deputy, Lieutenant Colonel Jim Lechner, and his police implementation officer, Marine Major Teddy Gates, changed the location for Iraqi Police (IP) recruiting. They wanted a more secure location close to Sattar's house, as this would enable them to build a police station north of the Euphrates River in an area where many potential recruits lived. 
Having already had his father and three brothers killed by AQI, Sattar appreciated the idea. The residents' response was overwhelming by standing in line to serve as IPs at the next recruiting drive.

In August, the new Jazeera police station north of the river, manned mostly by Abu Ali Jassim tribe members, was attacked and the sheikh of the tribe was killed. AQI hid the sheikh's body so it was not found for several days, a violation of Islam's strict burial rules that call for interment within 24 hours.

The attack on the station killed several IPs and created many burn casualties. MacFarland offered to evacuate the police to Camp Blue Diamond, an American Army camp outside of Ramadi, while they repaired the station. But the Iraqis refused to abandon their post and instead put their flag back up and resumed patrolling that same day.<ref>{{cite book|last=Silverman|first=Michael|title=Awakening Victory: How Iraqi Tribes and American Troops Reclaimed Al Anbar and Defeated Al Qaeda in Iraq|year=2011|publisher=Casemate Publishers|location=Havertown, PA}}</ref>

==== Awakening ====
With the locals outraged by AQI's disregard of Islamic funeral laws, the charismatic Sattar stepped forward to continue the push toward working with the Americans.<ref name="proceedings">{{cite journal | url=http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2008-04/ramadi-caliphate-capitalism | title=Ramadi From the Caliphate to Capitalism | author=Lubin, Andrew | journal=Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute |date=April 2008  | volume=134 | issue=4 | pages=1,262}}</ref> On 9 September 2006, he organized a tribal council, attended by more than 50 sheiks as well as MacFarland, where he officially declared an "Anbar Awakening". It would convene an Awakening Council dedicated to driving the AQI out of Ramadi and establish rule of law and local governance.  The Anbar Awakening was realized with Sittar as its leader.  McFarland, speaking later about the meeting, said, "I told them that I now knew what it was like to be in Independence Hall on 4 July 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed." 
While attacks remained high through October 2006, the Awakening and Sittar's influence began to spread. The AQI, realized it was losing its influence over the citizens and launched a counterattack on the Sufia tribal area on 25 November.  The attack was intended to terrorize and insult the Sufia tribe, though with the 1st BCT's M1A1 tanks reinforcing tribal defenders, the AQI was repelled and the relationship between the Sufia tribe and the 1st Armored Division improved.

By early 2007, the combination of tribal engagement and combat outposts was defeating AQI's in Ramadi and throughout the province. President [[George W. Bush]], in his 23 January 2007 State of the Union speech referred to Al Anbar as a place "where al Qaeda terrorists have gathered and local forces have begun showing a willingness to fight them."<ref name="sotu">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/23/washington/23bush-transcript.html?pagewanted=print&_r=0 | title=Text and audio: transcript of President Bush's State of the Union address | work=The New York Times | date=23 January 2007}}</ref>

==== "The Gettysburg of this war" ====
By February 2007, contact with insurgents dropped almost 70 percent in number since June 2006 as well as decreasing in complexity and effect.  By the summer of 2007, fighting in Al Anbar was mostly over.  Frederick Kagan, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, called Al Anbar "the Gettysburg of this war, to the extent that counterinsurgencies can have such turning points," writing "Progress in Anbar and throughout the Sunni community has depended heavily on a skillful balance between military force and political efforts at the local level."<ref name="Kagan">{{cite web|last=Kagan|first=Frederick|title=The Gettysburg of This War|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/222007/gettysburg-war/frederick-w-kagan|work=National Review Online|access-date=18 September 2013}}</ref>

The tactics, techniques, and procedures used by 1st BCT were groundbreaking at the time but came to serve as the philosophical basis for the surge in Iraq.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ricks|first=Thomas|title=The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008|year=2009|publisher=The Penguin Press|isbn=978-1-59420-197-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/gamblegeneraldav00rick_0}}</ref> In nine months, 85 soldiers, sailors, and Marines were killed, and over 500 were wounded.

==== Division Headquarters redeploys ====
In September 2007, amid a national debate about troop levels in Iraq and, more broadly, about the US strategy in Iraq, the 1st Armored Division Headquarters was re-deployed to Iraq. General [[David Petraeus]]' [[Iraq War troop surge of 2007|surge strategy]] was in effect, with major counterinsurgency operations across the country. "This is a pivotal and historic time for the 1st AD, for the forces in Iraq and for the nation," said Brig. Gen. James C. Boozer, a deputy commanding general for 1st AD at the time of the division's deployment.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.stripes.com/news/1st-armored-division-preparing-for-iraq-deployment-1.68446 | title=1st Armored Division preparing for Iraq deployment | work=Stars and Stripes | date=4 September 2007 | author=Dougherty, Kevin}}</ref> The division began its deployment the same day Petraeus delivered his [[Report to Congress on the Situation in Iraq]], concluding that "the military objectives of the surge are, in large measure, being met."

The division, commanded by then-Major General Mark Hertling, 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, just as MacFarland's Anbar Awakening was pushing AQI out of Anbar. At the time in northern Iraq, enemy attacks averaged 1,800 a month, the Iraqis had little trust in their central government, and the unemployment rate was high.

Hertling assumed responsibility for all Coalition forces in Northern Iraq.  Multi-National Division North was composed of five maneuver brigade combat teams, a combat aviation brigade, a fires brigade, and an engineer brigade. The division had responsibility includes the Iraqi provinces of Ninawa, Kirkuk (formerly at Tamin), Salah ad Din, and Diyala along with Dahuk, and As Sulaymaniyah. The area included the critical cities of Tal Afar, Mosul, Bayji, Tikrit, Kirkuk, Samarra, Balad, Baqubah, Dahuk, and Sulaymaniah.  Arbil province remained aligned as a separate Multi-National Division, North-East. The division area of operations included 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.

The 1st Armored Division immediately applied a mix of lethal and non-lethal counterinsurgency tactics, as maneuver battalions partnered with State Department officials and provincial reconstruction teams.  Commanders applied a focused lethality, protecting the Iraqi population while killing insurgents in large volumes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Millham|first=Matt|title=Hertling: Iraq making progress, needs more work|url=http://www.stripes.com/news/hertling-iraq-making-progress-needs-more-work-1.86179|publisher=Stars and Stripes|access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref>

The division transferred responsibility to Headquarters 25th Infantry Division on 8 December 2008 and returned to Wiesbaden Army Airfield (later renamed [[Lucius D. Clay Kaserne]]) in Germany.<ref>{{cite web|last=Nye |first=Alisha |title=Wainwright's 1-25th SBCT takes over Iraq battlespace |url=http://www.usarak.army.mil/AlaskaPost/Archives2008/081107/Nov07Story2.asp |access-date=21 September 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926111625/http://www.usarak.army.mil/AlaskaPost/Archives2008/081107/Nov07Story2.asp |archive-date=26 September 2013 }}</ref>

On 17 April 2013, US Secretary of Defense [[Chuck Hagel]] announced the deployment of elements of the 1st Armored Division headquarters to [[Jordan]] in response to the [[Syrian Civil War|crisis in Syria]]. The elements from the 1st Armored Division joined forces in Jordan and provided command and control in cooperation with Jordan forces, which was used to establish a joint task force headquarters that provided command and control for [[chemical weapons]] response, [[humanitarian assistance]] efforts, and stability operations. The 1st Armored Division planners in Jordan are facilitating the exchange of information with the [[Jordanian Armed Forces]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Starr|first=Barbara|title=U.S. military to step up presence in Jordan in light of Syria civil war|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/17/world/us-jordan-troops-order/index.html|work=News|publisher=CNN|access-date=21 September 2013}}</ref>

=== Move to Fort Bliss ===
In 2005, the [[Base Realignment and Closure]] (BRAC) commission decided to move the 1st Armored Division to [[Fort Bliss|Fort Bliss, Texas]] no later than 2012. As part of then Army-wide transformation, several division units were deactivated or converted to other units. The 1st Armored Division officially [[Casing of the Colors|uncased its colors]] at Fort Bliss on 13 May 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rfct.1ad.army.mil/home.htm |title="Ready First" Combat Team ends more than 60-year Germany run |access-date=10 May 2008 |first=Alfredo |last=Jimenez |date=3 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413123933/http://www.rfct.1ad.army.mil/home.htm |archive-date=13 April 2008 }}</ref> 1st Brigade reactivated and uncased its colors on 27 October 2008.<ref name="bliss active">It deployed as of 19 November 2010 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The brigade returned home in Nov 2010,
{{cite web
 |url=https://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49155 
 |title=Combat Team Reflagging to Mark Start of 1st Armored Division's U.S. Standup 
 |access-date=10 May 2008 
 |first=Donna 
 |last=Miles 
 |work=American Forces Press Service News Articles 
 |date=3 March 2008 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080520100808/http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49155 
 |archive-date=20 May 2008 
}}</ref> and began reconfiguring as a [[Brigade combat team#Stryker brigade combat team|Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT)]] after redeployment from Iraq in November 2010. Denoted 1-1AD "Ready First", the 1st BCT, 1st Armored Division deployed to Afghanistan in December 2012.<ref name="Pittard,11-29-2012">MG [[Dana J. H. Pittard]] (28 November 2012 ) '' Fort Bliss Monitor''</ref> The first [[female engagement team]] to deploy from Fort Bliss was trained in 2012 before Secretary of Defense [[Leon Panetta]]'s order rescinding restrictions on women in combat roles.<ref>"'FET' to fight: female engagement team makes history", Fort Bliss Monitor, 11 July 2012</ref> "Ready First" Brigade converted from a Stryker BCT to an [[Brigade combat team#Armored brigade combat team|Armored Brigade Combat Team (ABCT)]] 20 June 2019.<ref name="ready1st2019">{{Cite web|title=David Burge (12 June 2019) 'Ready First' gets an A: 1st SBCT to become 1st ABCT June 20, infantry battalions to reflag|url=http://fortblissbugle.com/2019/06/12/ready-first-gets-an-a-1st-sbct-to-become-1st-abct-june-20-infantry-battalions-to-reflag/|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617134024/http://fortblissbugle.com/2019/06/12/ready-first-gets-an-a-1st-sbct-to-become-1st-abct-june-20-infantry-battalions-to-reflag/|archive-date=17 June 2019|access-date=18 June 2019}}</ref>
* 2nd Brigade: 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Baumholder, Germany, remained assigned to USAREUR until 15 July 2009, when it was reflagged as the separate [[170th Infantry Brigade (United States)|170th Infantry Brigade]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1st AD brigade gets new colors |work=Stars and Stripes |url=http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=63746 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090723201422/http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=63746 |archive-date=23 July 2009 |url-status=live |access-date=16 July 2009 }}</ref> As part of the Grow the Army Plan announced on 19 December 2007, the 170th was one of two infantry brigades to be activated and retained in Germany until 2012 and 2013. (The other brigade is the [[172nd Infantry Brigade (United States)|172nd Infantry Brigade]] in [[Schweinfurt]], Germany, which reflagged from 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division on 16 March 2008.<ref name="bliss active"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/news/releases/2008-03-06_02_RELEASE20080202%20_2_.pdf |title=Army Announces Next Steps in USAREUR Transformation |access-date=8 December 2015 |work=News release of HQ U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army |date=6 March 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910072603/http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/news/releases/2008-03-06_02_RELEASE20080202%20_2_.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2008 }}</ref>) In 2010, the U.S. Army attached the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division to the [[Brigade Modernization Command]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bctmod.army.mil/news/pdf/FFIDtoBMCnewsrel.pdf |title=Unit Changes from Directorate to Command |access-date=3 March 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007204843/http://www.bctmod.army.mil/news/pdf/FFIDtoBMCnewsrel.pdf |archive-date=7 October 2011}}</ref> assigning it the evaluation mission previously held by the 5th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, AETF. In 2016, 2nd Brigade moved to the Ready pool for deployment.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Fort Bliss Bugle |title=Divest, invest in property management |url=http://fortblissbugle.com/divest-invest-in-property-management/ |date=25 April 2016 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425095959/http://fortblissbugle.com/divest-invest-in-property-management/ |archive-date=25 April 2016 |access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref>
* 3rd Brigade: On 28 March 2008, the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division (HBCT) deactivated at Fort Riley and reflagged as 2d (Dagger) Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (HBCT).<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.1id.army.mil/NewsViewer.aspx?id=1245
|title=2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division Colors Move to Fort Riley
|access-date=10 May 2008
|work=1st Infantry Division News Viewer
|date=March 2008
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415030121/http://www.1id.army.mil/NewsViewer.aspx?id=1245
|archive-date=15 April 2008
|url-status=dead
}}
</ref> The 3rd Brigade was reactivated as an infantry brigade combat team on 2 July 2009 at Fort Bliss.<ref>
{{cite web |date=July 2009 |title=3RD BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM |url=https://home.army.mil/drum/index.php/units-tenants/3rd-BCT |access-date=9 July 2009 |work=U.S. ARMY FORT DRUM}}
</ref>
* 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]].<ref>
{{cite web
 |url=http://www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/news/2008/mar/mar13.htm 
 |title=Sun sets on Long Knife, rises on Highlanders 
 |access-date=10 May 2008 
 |first=Bradley J. 
 |last=Clark 
 |work=First Team News 
 |date=March 2008 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113171721/http://www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/news/2008/mar/mar13.htm 
 |archive-date=13 January 2009 
}}
</ref>
* 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 Warrior]] system. It evaluated multiple types of spin out equipment and prepared them for fielding to the rest of the Army. 5th Brigade was deactivated in 2010. <!--After deactivation? ([[5th Armored Brigade (United States)|Fifth Brigade]] now serves to train Reserve and National Guard components for deployment as part of [[First Army Division West]], at Fort Bliss.)-->
* Aviation Brigade: The Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division deactivated on 7 June 2006 at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, Hanau, Germany and moved to Fort Riley, Kansas to reflag as the modular Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.<ref>
{{cite press release
|url=http://www.1ad.army.mil/1ADINFOMAIN/Stories/2006/Jun06_press_release/Press%20Release%2006-06-03%20Germany%20bids%20farewell%20to%204th%20Brigade.pdf
|title=Germany bids farewell to 4th Brigade
|date=8 June 2006
|access-date=10 May 2008
|first=Karl
|last=Weisel
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910072718/http://www.1ad.army.mil/1ADINFOMAIN/Stories/2006/Jun06_press_release/Press%20Release%2006-06-03%20Germany%20bids%20farewell%20to%204th%20Brigade.pdf
|archive-date=10 September 2008}}
</ref> The Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th ID was reflagged to CAB, 1st Armored Division. 4–501st Aviation (4th Battalion "Pistoleros", 501st Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division) deployed to Kuwait in November 2012.<ref name="Pittard,11-29-2012"/>
* 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vcorps.army.mil/News/2007/2007-04-27_DivEngInactivation_release.pdf |title=Ceremony Bids Farewell to 'Iron Sappers' of 1st Armored Engineer Brigade |access-date=8 December 2015 |first=Alfredo |last=Jimenez |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910072721/http://www.vcorps.army.mil/News/2007/2007-04-27_DivEngInactivation_release.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2008 }}</ref>
* Division Artillery: Division Artillery, 1st Armored Division cased its colors and was deactivated at Baumholder, Germany on 1 May 2007. The 1st AD DIVARTY was the last standing division artillery unit in the Army.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vcorps.army.mil/News/2007/2007-05-02_DIVARTY_inactivation_release.pdf |title=1st Armored Division Artillery Cases Colors in Baumholder Ceremony |access-date=10 May 2008 |first=Mark S. |last=Patton |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910072718/http://www.vcorps.army.mil/News/2007/2007-05-02_DIVARTY_inactivation_release.pdf |archive-date=10 September 2008 }}
</ref> The [[1st Armored Division Artillery (United States)|DIVARTY]] reactivated in 2014 at Fort Bliss.

The division's colors were officially moved from Germany to Fort Bliss on 13 May 2011.<ref>Patton, Mark, "[http://www.stripes.com/news/old-ironsides-bids-farewell-to-germany-1.143477 'Old Ironsides' bids farewell to Germany] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235420/http://www.stripes.com/news/old-ironsides-bids-farewell-to-germany-1.143477 |date=3 March 2016 }}", ''[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]'', 13 May 2011.</ref> On 25 June 2013, Army force restructuring plans were announced.  As part of the plan, the division deactivated its 3rd Brigade Combat Team following its 2014 deployment to Afghanistan.  The 4th BCT was reflagged as the 3rd Brigade Combat team in April 2015.

The 1st Armored Division's Sustainment Brigade deployed 200 of its soldiers to Afghanistan on 11 May 2015.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160325073826/http://fortblissbugle.com/1st-ad-sustainment-brigade-deploys-to-afghanistan/ 1st AD Sustainment Brigade deploys to Afghanistan]}}</ref>

=== Operation Freedom's Sentinel ===
In late December 2016, about 1,500 soldiers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed to Afghanistan as part of [[Operation Freedom's Sentinel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.armytimes.com/articles/army-announces-deployments-for-5-300-soldiers|title=Army announces deployments for 6,100 soldiers|publisher=Armytimes|date=8 December 2016}}</ref> In March 2017, 200 soldiers from the 1st Sustainment Brigade deployed throughout Afghanistan to lead logistical operations in support of the US counter-terrorism mission and Afghan-led operations against the Taliban.<ref name="stripes_1.461132">{{cite web|url=https://www.stripes.com/news/army-s-1st-armored-division-tapped-for-iraq-afghanistan-tours-1.461132#.WOEeTvWcGUl|title=Army's 1st Armored Division tapped for Iraq, Afghanistan tours|publisher=Stars and Stripes|date=29 March 2017}}</ref>

=== Operation Inherent Resolve ===
400 soldiers from the division's headquarters element deployed to Iraq in summer 2017, where it led the [[Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve|coalition]]'s ground efforts as part of [[Operation Inherent Resolve]].<ref name="stripes_1.461132"/> This event was commemorated with a [https://bluemetalgifts.com/combined-joint-forces-oir/ Combined Joint Forces OIR challenge coin] which has the Old Ironsides logo, the CSM rank, 7 seals, 23 world flags, the US and the Iraq flags.

== Organization ==
[[File:1st US Armored Division - Organization 2026.png|520px|thumb|1st Armored Division organization December 2025]]
[[File:Apache-on-the-flight-line.jpg|thumb|An [[Boeing AH-64 Apache|AH-64A Apache]] from 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, 1st Armored Division at the Baghdad International Airport, {{Circa|2004}}]]
[[File:SolOline-2005-04-27-095150 edit.jpg|thumb|An [[M1 Abrams]] Tank driving through the [[Taunus]] Mountains North of [[Frankfurt]], [[Germany]] during Exercise Ready Crucible, {{Circa|2005}}]]

The division's 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team was inactivated after leaving Afghanistan in spring 2015, and its maneuver battalions were reassigned to the remaining three brigade combat teams; subsequently the division's 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team was re-flagged as 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team.<ref name="4thBctReflag">{{cite web|title=4-1 BCT reflags to 3-1 BCT|url=http://fortblissbugle.com/state-of-the-military-mg-twitty-sees-bright-future-for-fort-bliss/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817101214/http://fortblissbugle.com/4-1-bct-reflags-to-3-1-bct/|archive-date=17 August 2016|access-date=3 March 2019|url-status=usurped|publisher=Fort Bliss Bugle}}</ref> The 1st Stryker “Ready First” Brigade converted to an armored BCT in summer of 2019, exchanging its 300+ Strykers for Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.army.mil/article/223475/1st_stryker_brigade_combat_team_converts_to_armored_brigade |title=1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team Converts to Armored Brigade |date=June 20, 2019 |website= Army.mil |publisher= |access-date=  }}</ref> 

Today it is truly an all armored division, true to its namesake. The division consists of a division headquarters battalion, three [[armored brigade combat team]]s, a division artillery, a [[combat aviation brigade]], and a [[sustainment brigade]].<ref name="Homepage"/>

* [[File:United States Army 1st Armored Division CSIB.svg|25px]] '''1st Armored Division''', [[Fort Bliss]], [[Texas]] 
** [[File:United States Army 1st Armored Division CSIB.svg|25px]] '''Division Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion''' "Gladiator"
*** Headquarters and Headquarters Company
*** Operations Company
*** Intelligence and Sustainment Company
*** Division Signal Company
*** 1st Armored Division Band
** '''[[1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division (United States)|1st Armored Brigade Combat Team]]''' "Ready First"<ref name="ready1st2019" /><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|date=21 April 2010|title=Special Unit Designations|url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/spdes-123-ra_ar.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609010022/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/spdes-123-ra_ar.html|archive-date=9 June 2010|access-date=23 June 2010|publisher=United States Army Center of Military History}}</ref> <!--ready1st2019  3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment (Rifles) will become 4th Battalion, 70th Armored Regiment (Thunderbolts), and  the 4th Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment (Buffaloes) will become the 2nd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment (Iron Dukes)-->
*** Headquarters and Headquarters Company
*** [[File:1CavRegtDUI.jpg|25px]] 6th Squadron, [[1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)|1st Cavalry Regiment]]
*** [[File:DUI_US_37th_AR_Regiment.png|25px]] 2nd Battalion, [[37th Armor Regiment]]
*** [[File:70 Arm Rgt DUI.png|25px]] 4th Battalion, [[70th Armor Regiment]]
*** [[File:36_Inf_Rgt_DUI.svg|25px]] [[1st Battalion 36th Infantry Regiment|1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment]]
*** [[File:16_Eng_Bn_DUI.png|25px]] [[16th Engineer Battalion (United States)|16th Brigade Engineer Battalion]]
*** [[File:US Army 501st Support Battalion DUI.png|25px]] 501st Brigade Support Battalion
** '''[[2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division (United States)|2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team]]''' "Iron Brigade"<ref name="SUD" /><ref name="2/1ADwasAETF">{{cite web|title=1st AD: Shooting from 'pistol-to-missile' during AWA 17.1|url=http://fortblissbugle.com/1st-ad-shooting-from-pistol-to-missile-during-awa-17-1/|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104141845/http://fortblissbugle.com/1st-ad-shooting-from-pistol-to-missile-during-awa-17-1/|archive-date=4 November 2016|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref>
*** Headquarters and Headquarters Company
*** [[File:1CavRegtDUI.jpg|25px]] [[1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment|1st Squadron]], [[1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)|1st Cavalry Regiment]]
*** [[File:1-35 Armor.png|25px]] 1st Battalion, [[35th Armor Regiment (United States)|35th Armor Regiment]]
*** [[File:DUI_US_37th_AR_Regiment.png|25px]] 1st Battalion, [[37th Armor Regiment (United States)|37th Armor Regiment]]
*** [[File:6 Infantry Regiment DUI.png|25px]] 1st Battalion, [[6th Infantry Regiment (United States)|6th Infantry Regiment]]
*** [[File:40 Eng Bn DUI.jpg|25px]] 40th Brigade Engineer Battalion
*** [[File:US Army 47th Support Battalion DUI.png|25px]] 47th Brigade Support Battalion
** '''[[3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division (United States)|3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team]]''' "Bulldog Brigade"<ref>{{Citation |title=1AD restructuring: 3rd Brigade inactivates, 4th Brigade reflags to new version of 3rd |date=2015-04-19 |url=https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/local/2015/04/19/1ad-restructuring-3rd-brigade-inactivates-4th-brigade-reflags/31241517/}}</ref>
*** Headquarters and Headquarters Company
*** [[File:13CavalryRegtDUI.jpg|25px]] 2nd Squadron, [[13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|13th Cavalry Regiment]]
*** [[File:67 Armor Rgt DUI.jpg|25px]] 1st Battalion, [[67th Armor Regiment (United States)|67th Armor Regiment]]
*** [[File:1-77 AR DUI (Transparent).svg|25px]] 1st Battalion, [[77th Armor Regiment (United States)|77th Armor Regiment]]
*** [[File:6 Infantry Regiment DUI.png|25px]] 4th Battalion, [[6th Infantry Regiment (United States)|6th Infantry Regiment]]
*** [[File:2 Eng Bn DUI.jpg|25px]] 2nd Brigade Engineer Battalion
*** [[File:123rd BSB.png|25px]] 123rd Brigade Support Battalion<ref name="katusaPatching">[https://www.army.mil/article/214258/1st_armored_division_katusa_patching_ceremony 1st. Lt. Brett Harris (26 November 2018) 1st Armored Division KATUSA Patching Ceremony]</ref>
** '''[[1st Armored Division Artillery]]''' "Iron Steel"
*** Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
*** [[File:1_Field_Artillery_Regiment_DUI.png|25px]] 4th Battalion, [[1st Field Artillery Regiment (United States)|1st Field Artillery Regiment]]<ref name="4thBctReflag" />
*** [[File:3_FA_Rgt_DUI.png|23px]] [[2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)|2nd Battalion]], [[3rd Field Artillery Regiment (United States)|3rd Field Artillery Regiment]]
*** [[File:27_FA_Rgt_DUI.jpg|25px]] [[4th Battalion 27th Field Artillery Regiment (United States Army)|4th Battalion]], [[27th Field Artillery Regiment]]
*** [[File:60th Coast Artillery Regiment COA.png|25px]] 4th Battalion, [[60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (United States)|60th Air Defense Artillery Regiment]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wilson |first1=Christopher |title=4-60th ADA reorganized under 1st Armored Division |date=21 November 2022 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/262213/4_60th_ada_reorganized_under_1st_armored_division |publisher=US Army |access-date=12 April 2023}}</ref>
*** 24th Theater Public Affairs Support Element
** '''[[Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division (United States)|Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division]]''' "Iron Eagle"
*** [[File:501st Avn Bn crest.jpg|23px]] Headquarters and Headquarters Company
*** [[File:6CavRegtDUI.jpg|23px]] 3rd Squadron (Attack/Reconnaissance), [[6th Cavalry Regiment]] "Heavy Cavalry" ([[AH-64 Apache|AH-64D Apache]])<ref>{{cite web|title=First Apache battalion to carry drones: reflags as 'Heavy Cav'|url=http://fortblissbugle.com/first-apache-battalion-to-carry-drones-reflags-as-heavy-cav/|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502073403/http://fortblissbugle.com/first-apache-battalion-to-carry-drones-reflags-as-heavy-cav/|archive-date=2 May 2016|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=3rd Squadron, 6th Cavalry, in Iraq|date=21 March 2016 |url=https://www.army.mil/article/164542/Unmanned_Aerial_System__More_than_just_remote_controlled_planes/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808112747/http://www.army.mil/article/164542/Unmanned_Aerial_System__More_than_just_remote_controlled_planes/|archive-date=8 August 2016|url-status=live|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=3-6 'Heavy Cav' wins aviation award, in Iraq|url=http://fortblissbugle.com/3-6-heavy-cav-wins-aviation-award/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105073742/http://fortblissbugle.com/3-6-heavy-cav-wins-aviation-award/|archive-date=5 November 2016|url-status=usurped|access-date=3 March 2019}}</ref> (will inactivate December 2025)
*** [[File:501st Avn Bn crest.jpg|23px]] 1st Battalion (Attack), [[501st Aviation Regiment]] "Iron Dragons" (AH-64D Apache)
*** [[File:501st Avn Bn crest.jpg|23px]] 2nd Battalion (General Support), 501st Aviation Regiment "Desert Knights" ([[Boeing CH-47 Chinook|CH-47 Chinook]] and [[UH-60 Black Hawk]])
*** [[File:501st Avn Bn crest.jpg|23px]] 3rd Battalion (Assault), 501st Aviation Regiment "Apocalypse" (UH-60M Black Hawk)
*** [[File:127th ASB.jpg|25px]] 127th Aviation Support Battalion "Work Horse"
** '''[[15th Sustainment Brigade (United States)|1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade]]''' "Muleskinner"<ref>{{cite web|date=12 May 2015|title=Sustainment Brigade Changes Name, Gets Ready to Deploy to Afghanistan|url=http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/05/12/sustainment-brigade-changes-name-gets-ready-to-deploy.html|access-date=13 May 2015|publisher=military.com}}</ref>
*** [[File:15SustainBdeDUI.jpg|25px]] Headquarters and Headquarters Company
*** [[File:15SustainBdeDUI.jpg|25px]] Division Sustainment Troops Battalion "Iron Legion"
*** [[File:142nd_SandS_Bn_crest.jpg|25px]] 142nd Division Sustainment Support Battalion "Atlas"

== Commanders ==
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
:[[Major general (United States)|MG]] [[Bruce Magruder]] (July 1940 – March 1942)<ref name="Chronicle">{{cite web |url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cc/001ad.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608081047/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cc/001ad.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 June 2010 |title=1st Armored Division: World War II Combat Chronicle |date=January 31, 2021 |website=history.army.mil |publisher=U.S. Army Center of Military History |location=Washington, DC |access-date=July 3, 2021}}</ref>
:MG [[Orlando Ward]] (March 1942 – April 1943)<ref name="Chronicle"/>
:MG [[Ernest N. Harmon]] (April 1943 – July 1944)<ref name="Chronicle"/>
:MG [[Vernon Prichard]] (July 1944 – September 1945)<ref name="Chronicle"/>
:MG [[Roderick R. Allen]] (September 1945 – January 1946)<ref name="Chronicle"/>
:MG [[Hobart R. Gay]] (February to April 1946)<ref name="Chronicle"/>
:'''Division inactivated 1946-1951'''
:MG [[Bruce C. Clarke]] (March 1951 – April 1953)<ref>{{cite magazine |last=U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services |date=1960 |title=Biographical Sketch of Gen. Bruce Cooper Clarke |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FKz_SAJvFS4C&pg=PA4780 |magazine=Hearing Record: Special Subcommittee on National Military Aircraft |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=4780 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG Leander L. Doan (April to July 1953)<ref>{{cite book |last=United States Civil Service Commission |date=1953 |title=Official Register of the United States |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DVrWOvrSuI0C&pg=PA142 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=142 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:[[Brigadier general (United States)|BG]] Edward G. Farrand (acting) (July to October 1953)<ref name="Future">{{cite news |publisher=1st Infantry Division Public Information Officer |date=August 27, 1953 |title=Future CD of 1st AD Arrives in Washington for Conference |url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth254346/m1/1/ |work=Armored Sentinel |location=Ft. Hood, TX |page=1 |via= The Portal to Texas History, Fort Hood Casey Memorial Library}}</ref>
:MG William S. Biddle (October 1953 – July 1955)<ref name="Future"/>
:MG Robert Lee Howze Jr. (July 1955 – February 1957)<ref>{{cite magazine |editor-last=Zierdt |editor-first=William H. Jr. |date=May–June 1955 |title=Top Command Changes: Maj. Gen. Robert L. Howze |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bd36c6HjRioC&pg=RA8-PA48 |magazine=Armor |location=Washington, DC |publisher=United States Armor Association |page=48 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG Edward G. Farrand (March to December 1957)<ref>{{cite magazine |editor-last=Zierdt |editor-first=William H. Jr. |date=March–April 1957 |title=Command Changes: Edward G. Farrand |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nijrGJ9byZIC&pg=RA1-PA53 |magazine=Armor |location=Washington, DC |publisher=United States Armor Association |page=53 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:BG [[Delk M. Oden]]	(December 1957 – May 1959)<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations |date=1962 |title=Biographical Sketch of Brig. Gen. Delk M. Oden |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UmAcAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA46 |magazine=Hearing Record, Department of Defense Appropriations for 1963 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |pages=46–47 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>{{efn|From 1957 to 1962, the division headquarters was inactive and Combat Command A was the organization's main command and control unit.<ref>{{cite magazine |editor-last=LaDue |editor-first=Wade W. |date=October 1982 |title=1st Armored Division |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eDZZ-TDY2bgC&pg=RA10-PA40 |magazine=Soldiers |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Army Chief of Public Affairs |page=40 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>}}
:BG Franklin F. Wing (May 1959 – August 1960)<ref>{{cite news |date=May 8, 1959 |title=Wing to Command New Hood Unit |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80719476/wing-command/ |work=The Gatesville Messenger and Star-Forum |location= Gatesville, TX |page=5 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
:BG Roland H. Del Mar (August 1960 – May 1961)<ref>{{cite news |date=April 9, 1961 |title=Ft. Hood General Gets Puerto Rico Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80719753/hood-general/ |work=Waco Tribune-Herald |location=Waco, TX |page=8 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
:BG Roy Lassetter Jr. (May 1961 – February 1962)<ref>{{cite news |date=December 15, 1961 |title=STRAC Conference |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80720308/strac-conference/ |work=The Leaf-Chronicle |location=Clarksville, TN |page=15 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
:MG [[Ralph E. Haines Jr.]] (February 1962 – May 1963)<ref>{{cite magazine |last=U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations |date=1964 |title=Brief Biographical Sketch of Maj. Gen. Ralph E. Haines Jr. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WkcAAAAMAAJ&pg=PR13-IA47 |magazine=Hearing Record, Subcommittee on Department of Defense Appropriations |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |page=48 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG [[Harvey Jablonsky|Harvey J. Jablonsky]] (May 1963 – May 1965)<ref>{{cite magazine |editor-last=Cunningham |editor-first=Thomas J. Jr. |date=July–August 1963 |title=Promotions and Assignments: Harvey J. Jablonsky |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r72xnZR_AS8C&pg=RA9-PA55 |magazine=Armor |location=Washington, DC |publisher=United States Armor Association |pages=10, 55 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG George Ruhlen (June 1965 – July 1967)<ref>{{cite magazine |editor-last=Martin |editor-first=O. W. Jr. |date=November–December 1967 |title=General Ruhlen Recognized |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7NhJMBYqzH0C&pg=RA5-PA54 |magazine=Armor |location=Washington, DC |publisher=United States Armor Association |page=54 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG [[Richard G. Stilwell]] (August 1967 – April 1968)<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Martin Jr. |first=O. W. |date=September–October 1967 |title=New 1st Armored Division Commander |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F2Rp4TjzDAwC&pg=RA10-PA49 |magazine=Armor |location=Washington, DC |publisher=United States Armor Association |page=49 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG John K. Boles (April 1968 – February 1970)<ref>{{cite magazine |last=U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee |date=1976 |title=Statement of Maj. Gen. John K. Boles Jr. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LoC7PBkOFlYC&pg=PA93 |magazine=Hearing Record, Subcommittee on Military Construction |location=U.S. Government Printing Office |publisher=Washington, DC |page=93 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG [[William Robertson Desobry|William R. Desobry]] (February 1970 – March 1971)<ref>{{cite magazine |editor-last=Kelso |editor-first=Robert E. |date=May–June 1973 |title=MG Desobry to Command V Corps |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P5Kgkhhu2eIC&pg=RA2-PA56 |magazine=Armor |location=Washington, DC |publisher=United States Armor Association |page=56 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG [[James C. Smith (general)|James C. Smith]] (March to May 1971)<ref>{{cite magazine |editor-last=Martin |editor-first=O. W. Jr. |date=May–June 1971 |title=MG Smith to Fort Hood |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yi25U18BQhcC&pg=RA2-PA62 |magazine=Armor |location=Washington, DC |publisher=United States Armor Association |page=62 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG James V. Galloway (May 1971 – August 1972)<ref name="StJohn">{{cite magazine |editor-last=Kelso |editor-first=Robert E. |date=September–October 1972 |title=MG St. John Commands 1st Armored Division |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NVFLPJaOdKUC&pg=RA4-PA56 |magazine=Armor |location=Washington, DC |publisher=United States Armor Association |page=56 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG Adrian St. John Jr. (August 1972 – March 1974)<ref name="StJohn"/>
:MG [[Rolland V. Heiser]] (March 1974 – August 1975)<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Boudinot |first=Burton S. |date=May–June 1974 |title=MG Heiser Assumes Command of 1st Armored Division |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zIJNAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA3-PA59 |magazine=Armor |location=Ft. Knox, KY |publisher=U.S. Army Armor School |page=59 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG William L. Webb Jr. (August 1975 – January 1978)<ref>{{cite magazine |editor-last=Binder |editor-first=L. James |date=October 1977 |title=U.S. Army Command and Staff: U.S. Army Europe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wuOt7W18hcUC&pg=RA9-PA139 |magazine=Army: 1977 Green Book |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Association of the United States Army |page=139 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG [[Glenn K. Otis]] (January 1978 – August 1979)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalmilitaryarchives.org/general-glenn-otis.html |title=Biography, General Glenn Kay Otis  |date=2020 |website=National Military Archives |publisher=Will Twomey |location=Petaluma, CA |access-date=July 3, 2021}}</ref>
:MG John C. Faith (September 1979 – November 1981)<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Faith |first=John C. |date=May 1994 |title=Key Elements of Doctrinal Debate – Review, Maneuver Warfare: An Anthology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_nMImmJDAVUC&pg=RA4-PA75 |magazine=Army |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Association of the United States Army |pages=73, 75 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG [[Thomas F. Healy]] (November 1981 – October 1983)<ref>{{cite book |last=Gillespie |first=Mark F. |date=1995 |title=The Sergeants Major of the Army |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qoHfAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA168 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Center of Military History, United States Army |pages=168–169 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG [[Crosbie E. Saint]] (October 1983 – June 1985)<ref>{{cite book |last=Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel |date=1985 |title=U.S. Army Executive Biographies |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zqRPfg2-KCEC&pg=PA389 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Department of the Army |page=388 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG [[Dave Richard Palmer|Dave R. Palmer]] (June 1985 – July 1986)<ref>{{cite magazine |editor-last=Olejniczak |editor-first=Julian M. |date=July–August 2005 |title=2005 Distinguished Graduate: LTG Dave R. Palmer, '56 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XCVNS9M_zc0C&pg=RA11-PA21 |magazine=Assembly |location= |publisher=Association of Graduates, USMA |page=21 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG Edwin S. Leland Jr. (July 1986 – July 1988)<ref>{{cite news |date=June 20, 1986 |title=Fort Irwin to Get New Commander |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80750627/irwin-commander/ |work=[[The San Bernardino Sun]] |location=San Bernardino, CA |page=B3 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
:MG [[Frederick M. Franks Jr.]] (July 1988 – August 1989)<ref>{{cite news |date=June 13, 2010 |title=Gen. Frederick M. Franks Jr. |url=http://www2.readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=226212 |work=[[Reading Eagle]] |location=Reading, PA |access-date=July 3, 2021}}</ref>
:MG [[Ronald H. Griffith]] (August 1989 – May 1991)<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Harrison |date=July 24, 2018  |title=Gen. Ronald Griffith, Gulf War commander and Army vice chief of staff, dies at 82 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/gen-ronald-griffith-gulf-war-commander-and-army-vice-chief-of-staff-dies-at-82/2018/07/24/ad3f0f1c-8f55-11e8-bcd5-9d911c784c38_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |location=Washington, DC}}</ref>
:MG William M. Boice (May 1991 – July 1993)<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Boice |first1=William M. |last2=Shoemaker |first2=Christopher C |date=February 1994 |title=Fires and Maneuver: The End of Splendid Isolation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glAFrAXvLKwC&pg=PA11 |magazine=Field Artillery |location=Fort Sill, OK |publisher=U.S. Army Field Artillery School |page=11 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG William G. Carter II (July 1993 – January 1995)<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Carter |first=William G. III |date=July–August 1994 |title=Old Ironsides & ADA |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z6MrAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA2-PA15 |magazine=Air Defense Artillery |location= |publisher=U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School |page=19 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG [[William L. Nash]] (January 1995 – May 1997)<ref>{{cite book |last=Warshaw |first=Shirley Anne |date=2004 |title=Presidential Profiles: The Clinton Years |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kDPB1E07cnoC&pg=PA238 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Facts on File, Inc. |pages=238–239 |isbn=978-0-8160-7459-4 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
:MG [[Larry R. Ellis]] (May 1997 – July 1999)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2004-05-04/html/CREC-2004-05-04-pt1-PgE728-2.htm |title=Honoring General Larry R. Ellis, Commanding general, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, GA |last=Scott |first=David |author-link=David Scott (Georgia politician) |date=May 4, 2004 |website=govinfo.gov |publisher=U.S. Government Publishing Office |location=Washington, DC |access-date=July 4, 2021}}</ref>
:MG [[George W. Casey Jr.]] (July 1999 – July 2001)<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Sullivan |first=Anna |date=April 27, 2012 |title=U.S. Army General George W. Casey to be Honorary Guest at 2012 Class Day Ceremony |url=https://gs.columbia.edu/news/us-army-general-george-w-casey-be-honorary-guest-2012-class-day-ceremony |work=Columbia University School of General Studies News |publisher=Columbia University |location=New York, NY}}</ref>
:MG [[Ricardo Sanchez|Ricardo S. Sánchez]] (July 2001 – July 2003)<ref>{{cite news |last=Lekic |first=Slobodan |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=May 5, 2003 |title=Gen. Who Drew Pentagon Ire to Be Replaced |url=https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Gen-Who-Drew-Pentagon-Ire-to-Be-Replaced-7122751.php |work=[[Midland Daily News]] |location=Midland, MI}}</ref>
:MG [[Martin Dempsey|Martin E. Dempsey]] (July 2003 – July 2005)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.war.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/602694/retired-general-martin-e-dempsey/ |title=Biography, General Martin E. Dempsey, Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff |date=2011 |website=United States Department of Defense |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |location=Washington, DC |access-date=July 4, 2021}}</ref>
:MG [[Fred D. Robinson Jr.]] (July 2005 – May 2007)<ref>{{cite news |last=Hare |first=Mary Gail |date=March 15, 2007 |title=Officers Shifting at APG |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2007-03-15-0703150046-story.html |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |location=Baltimore, MD}}</ref>
:MG [[Mark Hertling]] (May 2007 – May 2009)<ref>{{cite news |last=Dougherty |first=Kevin  |date=May 10, 2009 |title=For Maj. Gen. Hertling, 'It's time to go home' |url=https://www.stripes.com/news/for-maj-gen-hertling-it-s-time-to-go-home-1.91372 |work=[[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]] |location=Washington, DC}}</ref>
:MG Terry A. Wolff (May 2009 – May 2011)<ref name="Poe">{{cite news |last=Poe |first=David |date=May 24, 2011 |title=Old Ironsides starts new chapter at Fort Bliss |url=https://www.dvidshub.net/news/71056/old-ironsides-starts-new-chapter-fort-bliss |work=[[Defense Visual Information Distribution Service]] |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |location=Washington, DC}}</ref>
:MG [[Dana J.H. Pittard]] (May 2011 – May 2013)<ref name="Poe"/>
:MG [[Sean MacFarland]] (May 2013 – August 2014)<ref name="Kullman">{{cite news |last=Kullman |first=Benjamin |date=August 5, 2014 |title=1st Armored Division bids farewell to MacFarland, welcomes Twitty |url=https://www.army.mil/article/131252/1st_armored_division_bids_farewell_to_macfarland_welcomes_twitty |work=Army.mil |publisher=Department of the Army |location=Washington, DC}}</ref>
:MG [[Stephen Twitty]] (August 2014	– June 2016)<ref name="Kullman"/>
:MG [[Robert P. White]] (June 2016 – July 2018)<ref name="Guttierrez">{{cite news |last=Guttierrez |first=Rudy |date=July 12, 2018 |title=1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss get new commander |url=https://www.elpasotimes.com/picture-gallery/news/2018/07/12/1st-armored-division-fort-bliss-get-new-commander/36819139/ |work=[[El Paso Times]] |location=El Paso, TX}}</ref>
:MG [[Patrick Matlock|Patrick E. Matlock]] (July 2018 – July 2020)<ref name="Guttierrez"/>
:BG Matthew L. Eichburg (acting) (July to September 2020)<ref name="Cross">{{cite news|last=Cross|first=David|date=30 September 2020|title=Fort Bliss welcomes new commanding general in change of command ceremony|website=KFOX14|url=https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/fort-bliss-welcomes-new-commanding-general-in-change-of-command-ceremony|access-date=25 October 2020}}</ref>
:MG [[Sean Bernabe|Sean C. Bernabe]] (September 2020 – July 2022)<ref name="Cross"/>
:MG [[James P. Isenhower III]] (July 2022 – July 2024)
:MG Curtis D. Taylor (July 2024 – present)
{{div col end}}

=== Current ===
The division command group consists of:<ref name="Homepage">{{Cite web|title=1st Armored Division :: Fort Bliss, Texas|url=https://home.army.mil/bliss/index.php/units-tenants/1st-armored-division|access-date=2020-10-24|website=home.army.mil}}</ref>
*Commanding General: Major General Curtis D. Taylor
*Deputy Commanding Officer (Operations): Brigadier General Alric L. Francis
*Deputy Commanding General (Maneuver): [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|Brigadier]] Andrew Ridland (United Kingdom)
*Deputy Commanding Officer (Support): [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] Paul Krattinger
*Chief of Staff: Colonel David A. Norris
*[[Command Sergeant Major]]: Command Sergeant Major James L. Light

== Order of battle ==

=== 1940 ===
The first order of battle for the 1st Armored Division was:<ref>[http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/adcomp.html army.mil] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018125328/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/adcomp.html |date=18 October 2020 }} Component Elements of Armored Divisions in World War II</ref><ref>Stanton, Shelby L. (1984). World War II Order of Battle. New York, New York: Galahad Books World War II Order of Battle p47</ref>
HHC, 1st Armored Division
* HHC, 1st Armored Brigade
**[[1st Cavalry Regiment (United States)|1st Armored Regiment (Light)]]
**[[13th Cavalry Regiment (United States)|13th Armored Regiment (Light)]]
**[[69th Armor Regiment|69th Armored Regiment]] (Medium)
*81st Armored Reconnaissance Squadron
*[[U.S. 6th Infantry Regiment|6th Armored Infantry Regiment]]
*68th Armored Field Artillery Regiment
*[[27th Field Artillery Regiment|27th Field Artillery Battalion (Armored)]]
*[[16th Engineer Battalion (United States)|16th Engineer Battalion (Armored)]]
*13th Quartermaster Battalion (Armored)
*19th Ordnance Battalion (Armored)
*47th Medical Battalion (Armored)
*141st Signal Company (Armored)

On 15 April 1941 the division sent a [[en cadre|cadre]] to form the [[4th Armored Division (United States)|4th Armored Division]] at [[Pine Camp]], New York.

=== 1944 ===
In July 1944, the division was reorganized as a "light" armored division.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eucmh.com/2020/04/10/1st-armored-division-oob-ww-2 |title=1st Armored Division Order of Battle WW2 |website=European Center of Military History |date=10 April 2020 |access-date=17 April 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109084457/https://eucmh.com/2020/04/10/1st-armored-division-oob-ww-2/ |archive-date=9 January 2022}}</ref> All other armored divisions, with exception of [[2nd Armored Division (United States)|2nd Armored]] and [[3rd Armored Division (United States)|3rd Armored]], had been reorganized on 15 September 1943; at that time, 1st Armored was actively engaged in fighting in the [[Italian campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://custermen.com/ItalyWW2/Units/FirstArmd.htm |title=History of the 1st Armored 'Old Ironsides' Division Based on booklet entitled: The Story of the First Armored Division |date=23 February 2008 |access-date=17 April 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118213510/https://custermen.com/ItalyWW2/Units/FirstArmd.htm |archive-date=18 January 2022}}</ref> Its new composition was:<ref>{{cite web|title=Component Elements of the Armored Divisions in World War II|url=https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/adcomp.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621083058/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/adcomp.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 June 2008|access-date=23 May 2020|publisher=US Army Center of Military History}}</ref>

* Headquarters Company
* Combat Command A
* Combat Command B
* Reserve Command
* 1st Tank Battalion
* 4th Tank Battalion
* 13th Tank Battalion
* 6th Armored Infantry Battalion
* 11th Armored Infantry Battalion
* 14th Armored Infantry Battalion
* 81st Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized)
* 16th Armored Engineer Battalion
* 141st Armored Signal Company
* 1st Armored Division Artillery
** 27th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
** 68th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
** 91st Armored Field Artillery Battalion
* 1st Armored Division Trains
** 123rd Armored Ordnance Maintenance Battalion
** 47th Armored Medical Battalion
** Military Police Platoon
** Band

==Honors==

===HHC, 1st Armored Division===
;Campaign participation credit
* [[World War II]]
* [[Gulf War]]
* Global [[war on terror]]ism
* [[Iraq War]]
;Decorations
#[[Meritorious Unit Commendation]] (Army) for SOUTHWEST ASIA
#[[Army Superior Unit Award]] for TF Eagle from 10 April 1994 to 7 November 1996
#[[Valorous Unit Award]] For Operation Iraqi Freedom I
#[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] For Operation Iraqi Freedom I
#[[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]] For Operation Iraqi Freedom I
#[[Meritorious Unit Commendation]] (Army) for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM 07–09
#[[Meritorious Unit Commendation]] (Army) for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM 10–11/ Operation NEW DAWN

===HHC, 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division===
;Campaign participation credit
*World War II:
* [[Operation Torch|Algeria-French Morocco]] (with arrowhead)
* [[Tunisian campaign|Tunisia]]
* [[Allied invasion of Italy|Naples-Foggia]]
* [[Operation Shingle|Anzio]]
* [[Allied march on Rome|Rome-Arno]]
* [[Gothic Line|North Apennines]]
* [[Spring 1945 offensive in Italy|Po Valley]]
;Decorations
#Army Superior Unit Award for TF Eagle from 10 April 1994 to 7 November 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

===HHC, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division===
;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)
#Valorous Unit Award, IRAQ 1991
#Meritorious Unit Commendation, SOUTHWEST ASIA 2005–2006
#Meritorious Unit Commendation, IRAQ 2008–2009
#Army Superior Unit Award for 1995–1996

===HHC, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division===

;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 (OIF 1)

===HHB, 1st Armored Division Artillery===
;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
;Decorations
#Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for SOUTHWEST ASIA

===HHC, 1st Armored Division Support Command===
;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
;Decorations
#Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for SOUTHWEST ASIA

===HHC, Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division===
;Campaign participation credit;
*Southwest Asia:
#Defense of Saudi Arabia;
#Liberation and Defense of Kuwait;
#Cease-Fire
;Decorations;
#Valorous Unit Award for IRAQ-KUWAIT
#Army Superior Unit Award for 1995–1996

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Additional reading==
* {{ACMH|url =http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/div/default.htm| article=Lineage of the 1st Armored Division and Companies}}
* {{Cite book | title=The Battle History of the 1st Armored Division | author=George F. Howe | year=1979 | publisher=The Battery Press, Inc | isbn=0-89839-025-7}} Covers its first (World War II era) incarnation.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://twitter.com/1starmoreddiv 1st Armored Division Official Twitter]
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.archives.arc.2569808|name=Big Picture: Recall}}
* [https://www.army.mil/article/237245/threads_and_treads_1st_armored_division_insignia_turns_80 Threads and Treads; 1st Armored Division Insignia turns 80], Army.mil, July 13, 2020

{{Army Divisions (United States)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1st Armored Division (United States)}}
[[Category:Armored divisions of the United States Army]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1940]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the United States in the Gulf War]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the United States in the Iraq War]]