The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division (aka, "Devil Brigade") is a maneuver

brigade combat team The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the U.S. Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branch maneuver brigade, and its assigned support and fire units. A brigade is normally commanded by a ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. It is the oldest permanent brigade in the Army and has some of the oldest units in the United States Army. Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 1st Brigade served in World War I, Vietnam, Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Its most notable campaigns include the Aisne-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, Picardy, Tet Counteroffensive and the Liberation and Defense of Kuwait. Since Desert Storm, the "Devil Brigade" has deployed to Bosnia, Kuwait, and to Korea to participate in a 2nd Infantry Division exercise.

History

World War I

Headquarters and Headquarters Company was constituted 24 May 1917 into the Regular Army as Headquarters, 1st Brigade, an element of the 1st Expeditionary Division (later redesignated as the 1st Infantry Division). * 1st Infantry Brigade DUI

1st Infantry Brigade ** 16th Infantry Regiment ** 18th Infantry Regiment ** 1st Infantry Brigade DUI

2nd Machine Gun Battalion

Commanders 1st Infantry Brigade

* 1917 # 9 June Colonel

Omar Bundy Major General Omar Bundy (June 17, 1861 – January 20, 1940) was a career United States Army officer who was a veteran of the American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, and World War I. A n ...

# 28 June Brigadier General

# 25 August Colonel

Ulysses G. McAlexander Major General Ulysses Grant McAlexander (30 August 1864 – 18 September 1936) was an American officer who served in the United States Army. He was heavily decorated for valor, and is one of the iconic fighting men of the American Expeditionary Fo ...

(ad interim) # 30 August Brigadier General

# 8 September Brigadier General

George B. Duncan Major General George Brand Duncan (October 10, 1861 – March 15, 1950) was a United States Army officer who served in numerous conflicts, most notably World War I, where he commanded the 82nd Division, now the 82nd Airborne Division. Military ...

* 1918 # 16 January Colonel

John L. Hines John Leonard Hines (May 21, 1868 – October 13, 1968) was an American general who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1924 to 1926. Early career Born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, to Irish parents, Edward and Mary, ...

(ad interim) # 21 January Brigadier General

# 5 May Brigadier General

# 27 August Brigadier General Frank Parker # 18 October Colonel

Hjalmar Erickson Hjalmar () and Ingeborg () were a legendary Swedish duo. The male protagonist Hjalmar and his duel for Ingeborg figures in the '' Hervarar saga'' and in '' Orvar-Odd's saga'', as well as in ''Gesta Danorum'', ''Lay of Hyndla'' and a number of Far ...

(ad interim) # 21 November Brigadier General Frank Parker # 20 December Colonel

Charles A. Hunt Charles August Hunt (August 28, 1896 - December 27, 1978) served in the California State Assembly for the 45th district from 1933 to 1939. During World War I, he was in the United States Army from April 1917 to May 1919 and became a private firs ...

(ad interim) *1919 # 5 January Brigadier General Frank Parker # 12 January Colonel

(ad interim) # 17 January Brigadier General Frank Parker # 27 January Colonel William F. Harrell (ad interim) # 29 January Brigadier General Frank Parker # 16 February Colonel

(ad interim) # 29 March Brigadier General Frank Parker # 1 April Colonel

(ad interim) # 11 April Brigadier General Frank Parker # 25 April Colonel

(ad interim) # 7 May Lieutenant Colonel Edward R. Coppock (ad interim) # 9 May Lieutenant Colonel William F. Hoey (ad interim) # 13 May Brigadier General Frank Parker # 8 July Colonel

William W. McCammon William Wallace McCammon (May 28, 1838 – March 27, 1903) was a soldier in the Union Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War. Biography He obtained the award for his service as 1st Lieutenant in Company ...

(ad Interim) # 18 July Brigadier General Frank Parker # 21 July Colonel

(ad interim) # 24 July to 3 September Brigadier General Frank Parker

World War II

The 1st Infantry Brigade was stationed in New York City, as part of the 1st Infantry Division until 11 October 1939, when it was inactivated when the division was converted to a Triangular Table of Organization and Equipment. * 1st Infantry Brigade DUI

1st Infantry Brigade,

Fort Wadsworth Fort Wadsworth is a former Military of the United States, United States military installation on Staten Island in New York City, situated on The Narrows which divide New York Bay into Upper New York Bay, Upper and Lower New York Bay, Lower halv ...

** 16th Infantry Regiment,

Fort Jay Fort Jay is a coastal bastion fort and the name of a former United States Army post on Governors Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. Fort Jay is the oldest existing defensive structure on the island, and was named for John Jay, a me ...

** 18th Infantry Regiment,

Fort Hamilton Fort Hamilton is a United States Army installation in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights. It is one of several posts that are part of the region which is ...

After the army's conversion to the triangular division, only two separate brigades were formed during World War II, the 1st Airborne Infantry Brigade and the 2nd Airborne Infantry Brigade. The 1st Airborne Infantry Brigade was formed at

Fort Benning, Georgia Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees ...

, on 20 July 1942 originally as the 1st Parachute Infantry Brigade. The unit changed its name from "parachute" to "airborne" after having the

88th Glider Infantry Regiment The 88th Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the United States Army. It was created as the 88th Airborne Infantry Battalion on 10 October 1941 during World War II as the U.S. Army's first glider infantry unit. Unit history Attached t ...

assigned to it. After having its units removed and sent to different theatres the brigade was disbanded seven months later.

Cold War

Under the United States Army's

pentomic Pentomic (cf. ''Greek pent(e)-'' +''-tome'' "of five parts") was a structure for infantry and airborne divisions adopted by the US Army between 1957 and 1963, in response to the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons, on future battlefields. ...

reorganisation, the 1st Infantry Brigade was recreated as an independent unit at Ft. Benning from 1958 to 1962. When the First Brigade rejoined the 1st Infantry Division the brigade was renamed the

197th Infantry Brigade The 197th Infantry Brigade ("Sledgehammer" / "FOLLOW ME") is an active Infantry brigade of the United States Army. The brigade was active as an Organized Reserve unit from 1921–1942, in the Regular Army from 1962–1991, and as a TRADOC trainin ...

Operation Iraqi Freedom

On 23 July 2003,

US Army Forces Command United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) is the largest United States Army command. It provides expeditionary, regionally engaged, campaign-capable land forces to combatant commanders. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, FORSCOM co ...

alerted the 1st Brigade for deployment to the

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Theater of Operations in support of

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

. The brigade deployed its main body starting on 2 September, closing in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

by 11 September. Initially attached to the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

, the brigade occupied Area of Operations Topeka and conducted Transition of Authority with the 3rd Squadron,

3d Armored Cavalry Regiment The 3rd Cavalry Regiment, formerly 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment ("Brave Rifles") is a regiment of the United States Army currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. The regiment has a history in the United States Army that dates back to 19 May 1 ...

, on 26 September. On 20 March 2004, CJTF-7 attached 1st Brigade to the

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is the ...

to continue its offensive operations in AO Topeka. In the following twelve months, the brigade's offensive operations killed 541 insurgents, wounded 101 more, and detained over 2,081 enemy fighters, including the capture of 18 high-value targets and 20 foreign fighters. The brigade responded to hundreds of small arms and RPG engagements, as well as over 550 IED (

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mechan ...

) attacks. In order to disrupt the enemy's ability to conduct operations, the brigade captured 41 heavy

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

s, 175 RPG launchers, 3,134 mortar and

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

rounds, 1,781

rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

s, and 17

surface-to-air missiles A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

. In addition to combat operations, the brigade formed and trained the 60th Iraqi National Guard Brigade, including the 500th, 501st, and 502nd ING Battalions. 1st Brigade also sponsored over $23.8 million in civil projects in the

Al Anbar Al Anbar Governorate ( ar, محافظة الأنبار; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, ...

province. The BCT returned to

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Gear ...

in September 2004. In January 2005 the 1st Brigade was again called upon to prepare for deployment for OIF. The brigade spent the majority of 2005 refitting and training for deployment in fall 2005. This training culminated with the brigade's deployment to the Joint Readiness Training Center in August and September 2005. In January 2006 the 1st Brigade received a mission change and began restructuring in order to better train military transition teams for their deployment. Several security force companies, or SECFOR companies, began preparing to deploy to Iraq in the fall of 2006. On 23 September 2009, the brigade officially moved the military transition team mission to

Fort Polk, Louisiana Fort Polk is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish. It was named to honor Leonidas Polk, the first ...

, and stood up as a deployable heavy brigade combat team. The last of the MiTTs trained by the brigade completed their mission in October 2010.

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

On the 24th of February 2022, the same day as the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

started, U.S. President Joe Biden extended the 1st Brigade Combat Team’s deployment to Europe where it would be used to bolster

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

deterrence in Europe.

Current Organization

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team (1st ABCT) (''Devil Brigade'') * 1st Infantry Brigade DUI

Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) * 4CavalryRegtDUI

1st Squadron,

4th Cavalry Regiment The 4th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment, whose lineage is traced back to the mid-19th century. It was one of the most effective units of the Army against American Indians on the Texas frontier. Today, the regiment exis ...

* 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment ''Iron Rangers'' * 34 Arm Regt DUI

2nd Battalion,

34th Armor Regiment The 34th Armor Regiment is an armored regiment of the United States Army formed in 1941. History The 1st Battalion, 34th Armor was constituted in the Regular Army on 28 August 1941 as Company A, 34th Armor Regiment. The unit was activated short ...

''Dreadnaughts'' * 66ArmorRegtDUI

3rd Battalion,

66th Armor Regiment The 66th Armor Regiment is the oldest armored unit in the United States Army, tracing its lineage to the 301st Tank Battalion which served with distinction soon after it was formed in the First World War; the 301st trained at Camp Meade, Maryl ...

''Burt's Knights'' * 005 Field Artillery Regiment DUI

1st Battalion,

5th Field Artillery Regiment The 5th Field Artillery Regiment was constituted as part of the Regular Army in January 1907. Individual battalions have lineages which date back further. Currently, it is a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System, with a single ...

(1-5th FAR) "Hamilton's Own" * 1 Eng Bn DUI

1st Engineer Battalion The 1st Engineer Battalion is a unit of the United States Army with a record of accomplishment in both peace and war; an organization that provides sustained engineer support across the full spectrum of military operations. The 1st Engineer Batta ...

''Diehards'' * 101_Spt_Bn_DUI

101st Brigade Support Battalion (101st BSB) ''Liberty''

References

1st Brigade History, U.S Army
(accessed 17 November 2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:001 01 Military units and formations established in 1917 Infantry 001 01 Infantry 001 01 Infantry 001 01 Military units and formations disestablished in 1939