001 Infantry Division (United States) Unit History

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←Maneuver and Firepower: The Evolution of Divisions and Separate Brigades 001 Infantry Division (United States) Unit History
by United States Army Center for Military History


PD-icon.svg This work is in the public domain because it is a work of the United States federal government (see 17 U.S.C. 105).

1 Infantry Division SSI.PNG

Contents

[edit] Lineage

  • Constituted 24 May 1917 in the Regular Army as Headquarters, 1st Expeditionary Division
  • Organized 8 June 1917 at New York, New York
  • Redesignated 6 July 1917 as Headquarters, 1st Division
  • Reorganized and redesignated 1 August 1942 as Headquarters, 1st Infantry Division
  • Reorganized and redesignated 20 April 1960 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Infantry Division

[edit] Honors

[edit] Campaign Participation Credit

  • World War I:
  1. Montdidier-Noyon;
  2. Aisne-Marne;
  3. St. Mihiel;
  4. Meuse-Argonne;
  5. Lorraine 1917;
  6. Lorraine 1918;
  7. Picardy 1918
  • World War II:
  1. Algeria-French Morocco (with arrowhead);
  2. Tunisia;
  3. Sicily (with arrowhead);
  4. Normandy (with arrowhead);
  5. Northern France;
  6. Rhineland;
  7. Ardennes-Alsace;
  8. Central Europe
  • Vietnam:
  1. Defense;
  2. Counteroffensive;
  3. Counteroffensive, Phase II;
  4. Counteroffensive, Phase III;
  5. Tet Counteroffensive;
  6. Counteroffensive, Phase IV;
  7. Counteroffensive, Phase V;
  8. Counteroffensive, Phase VI;
  9. Tet 69/Counteroffensive;
  10. Summer-Fall 1969;
  11. Winter-Spring 1970
  • Southwest Asia:
  1. Defense of Saudi Arabia;
  2. Liberation and Defense of Kuwait;
  3. Cease-Fire

[edit] Decorations

[edit] Unit Awards

  • Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for:
  1. VIETNAM 1968
  2. SOUTHWEST ASIA
  • Army Superior Unit Award for 1997
  • French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II for:
  1. KASSERINE
  2. NORMANDY
  • French Croix de Guerre, World War II, Fourragere
  • Belgian Fourragere 1940
  • Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for:
  1. action at MONS
  2. action at EUPEN-MALMEDY
  • Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1965-1968
  • Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class for VIETNAM 1965-1970
  • Distinguished Unit Citations: 20.

[edit] Individual Awards

  • Medal Of Honor-16 ;
  • Distinguished Service Cross-130 ;
  • Distinguished Service Medal-5 ;
  • Silver Star-6,019 ;
  • Legion Of Merit-31 ;
  • Soldiers Medal-162 ;
  • Bronze Star Medal-15,021 ;
  • Air Medal-76.

[edit] Combat Chronicle

[edit] World War I

  • Overseas: Move completed 22 December 1917.
  • Casualties:
  1. Total-22,320
  2. KIA-3,730;
  3. WIA-18,590.
  • Commanders:
  1. Maj. Gen. William L. Sibert (18 June 1917)
  2. Maj. Gen. R. L. Bullard (14 December 1917)
  3. Brig. Gen. Beaumond B. Buck (5 April 1918)
  4. Maj. Gen. R. L. Bullard (13 April 1918)
  5. Maj. Gen. C. P. Summerall, II (15 July 1918)
  6. Brig. Gen. F. E. Bamford (12 October 1918)
  7. Brig. Gen. Frank Parker (18 October 1918)
  8. Maj. Gen. E. F. McGlachlin, Jr. (21 November 1918).

Returned to U. S.: September 1919.

[edit] World War II

[edit] Data

  • Overseas: 7 August 1942.
  • Days of Combat: 443.
  • Commanders:
  1. Maj. Gen. Donald Cubbison (February 1941)
  2. Maj. Gen. Terry de la Mesa Allen (2 August 1942)
  3. Maj. Gen. Clarence R. Huebner, July 1943)
  4. Maj. Gen. Clift Andrus (December 1944)
  5. Maj. Gen. Frank Milburn (August 1946).

[edit] Narrative

  • The 1st Infantry Division saw its first combat in World War II in North Africa, landing at Oran and taking part in the initial fighting, 8-10 November 1942. Elements then took part in seesaw combat at Maktar, Medjez el Bab, Kasserine Pass, Gafsa, El Guettar, Beja, and Mateur, 21 January-9 May 1943, helping secure Tunisia.
  • The First was the first ashore in the invasion of Sicily, 10 July 1943 ; it fought a series of short, fierce battles on the island's tortuous terrain. When that campaign was over, the Division returned to England to prepare for the Normandy invasion.
  • The First Division assaulted Omaha Beach on D-day, 6 June 1944, some units suffering 30 percent casualties in the first hour, and secured Formigny and Caumont in the beachhead. The Division followed up the St. Lo break-through with an attack on Marigny, 27 July 1944, and then drove across France in a continuous offensive, reaching the German border at Aachen in September. The Division laid siege to Aachen, taking the city after a direct assault, 21 October 1944. The First then attacked east of Aachen through Hurtgen Forest, driving to the Roer, and moved to a rest area 7 December for its first real rest in 6 months' combat, when the von Rundstedt offensive suddenly broke loose, 16 December.
  • The Division raced to the Ardennes, and fighting continuously from 17 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, helped blunt and turn back the German offensive. Thereupon, the Division attacked and again breached the Siegfried Line, fought across the Roer, 23 February 1945, and drove on to the Rhine, crossing at the Remagen bridgehead, 15-16 March 1945. The Division broke out of the bridgehead, took part in the encirclement of the Ruhr Pocket, captured Paderborn, pushed through the Harz Mountains, and was in Czechoslovakia, at Kinsperk, Sangerberg, and Mnichov, when the war in Europe ended.

[edit] Assignments in the ETO[1]

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

[edit] General

  • Nicknames: The Red One; The Fighting First.
  • Slogan: No mission too difficult, no sacrifice too great, duty first.
  • Shoulder patch: Red Arabic numeral "I" on solid olive drab background.
  • Association:
Society of the First Division,
  • Publications:
  1. First; by the Division TI&E Officer: F. Guhl & Co., Frankfurt am Main, Germany; 1945. First, The Story of the 1st Infantry Division; by unit members TI&E, ETOUSA ; distributor, Society of the First Division; 1945.
  2. History of the 1st Infantry Division ("Danger Forward"); by unit historian; Albert Love Enterprises, Atlanta 2, Ga. ; 1948.

[edit] References

  1. ↑ * In these tabulations, the army and higher headquarters to which the division is assigned or attached is not repeated when the division is assigned or attached to a different corps in the same army. On 6 November 1943, for example, the 1st Infantry Division was assigned to the VII Corps which was itself assigned to First Army; on 1 August 1944, the 12th Army. Group became operational; and on 6 May 1945, the 1st Infantry Division left First Army for the first time during the operations on the Continent for reassignment to the Third Army.
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