First United States Army
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First Army is the oldest and longest-established
field army A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...
of 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 served as a theater army, having seen service in both
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and supplied the US army with soldiers and equipment during the Korean War and the Vietnam war under some of the most famous and distinguished
officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
of the U.S. Army. It now serves as a mobilization, readiness and training command.


History


Establishment and World War I

The First Army was established on 10 August 1918 as a field army when sufficient American military manpower had arrived on the Western Front during the final months of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The large number of troops assigned to the
American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...
(AEF) required the activation of subordinate commands. To fill this need, First Army was the first of three field armies established under the AEF. The first commander was General John J. Pershing, who also served as Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the AEF. The headquarters planned and directed the first major American offensive, the St Mihiel Offensive (September 12 to 16, 1918). It later went on to fight in the largest and deadliest battle in the United States Army's history, the
Meuse–Argonne offensive The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along th ...
. Serving in its ranks throughout World War I were many figures who later played important roles in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. First Army, now under Lieutenant General
Hunter Liggett Lieutenant General Hunter Liggett (March 21, 1857 − December 30, 1935) was a senior United States Army officer. His 42 years of military service spanned the period from the Indian campaigns to the trench warfare of World War I. Additionally, h ...
, was inactivated on April 20th, 1919, five months after the
Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...
which ended hostilities.


Inter-war years

As part of an army reorganization and final realization of the 1920 amendment to the
National Defense Act of 1916 The National Defense Act of 1916, , was a United States federal law that updated the Militia Act of 1903, which related to the organization of the military, particularly the National Guard. The principal change of the act was to supersede prov ...
, Army Chief of Staff, General
Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
directed the establishment of four field armies that each commanded three
corps area A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure (military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular Army ...
s that were geographically located. The field armies were established to provide an organizational structure for large military organizations that might be mobilized in times of national need. First Army was located in the northeast United States and was activated on 11 September 1933 at
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 ...
,
Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...
, New York. Initially activated as a paper army, it was commanded by General Dennis E. Nolan. Until 1942, First Army's commander was always the senior commander of one of its three
corps area A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure (military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular Army ...
s. The
First Corps Area 60px, First Service Command insignia The First Corps Area was a Corps area (effectively a military district) of the United States Army 1921-1942. It replaced the Northeastern Department, and was headquartered in Boston Army Base, Massachusetts ...
was headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts,
Second Corps Area A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure (military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular Army ...
was headquartered at
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 ...
,
Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...
, in New York, New York, and
Third Corps Area Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...
was located at
Fort Howard (Maryland) Fort Howard was a military installation located on the North Point peninsula, overlooking the main channel of the Patapsco River leading into the harbor of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Although militarily important since the early 19th century, it ...
near Baltimore, Maryland. Since First Army was only a paper organization in its early days, its staff was the existing staff of the corps areas. The overall mission of the First Army was commanding and training the regular army, army reserve and national guard units in the three corps areas. Nolan, the American Expeditionary Force's (AEF) chief of intelligence during World War I, commanded First Army from 1933 to 1936. He was followed by Major General
Fox Conner Fox Conner (November 2, 1874 – October 13, 1951) was a Major general (United States), major general of the United States Army. He served as operations officer for the American Expeditionary Force during World War I, and is best remembered as a ...
, previously First Corps Area commander, who had been the AEF's Chief of Operations in World War I. In the years between the wars, Conner was a crucial mentor in the careers of
Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
and
George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...
. Passed over as a candidate for Army Chief of Staff for Douglas MacArthur in 1930, Conner was assigned to command the First Corps Area instead, later commanding First Army in 1936. Conner retired in 1938. In 1938 First Army came under command of General
Hugh A. Drum Hugh Aloysius Drum (September 19, 1879 – October 3, 1951) was a career United States Army officer who served in World War I and World War II and attained the rank of Lieutenant General (United States), lieutenant general. He was notable for hi ...
. Drum, who along with a buildup of the Army in 1939 and through the early 1940s, began to develop the First Army into a bona fide field army. It began to establish and develop its own staff and participated in the large-scale Army maneuvers in Louisiana and North Carolina between 1939 and 1941. As the United States entered World War II, Drum was assigned command of the newly established
Eastern Defense Command The Eastern Defense Command was first established as the Northeast Defense Command on 17 March 1941 as one of four U.S. Army continental defense commands to plan and prepare for and execute defense against enemy attack in the months before Ameri ...
, responsible for coastal and domestic defense, which relieved the First Army of this responsibility on 24 December 1942. Drum retired in 1943 when he reached mandatory retirement age. General
George Grunert George Grunert (July 21, 1881 – January 12, 1971) was a United States Army cavalry officer who worked his way up through the ranks from private to retirement as a lieutenant general. His 47-year career extended from the Spanish–American War ...
, commander of Second Service Command, assumed command of the First Army until Headquarters, First Army was activated in Bristol, England in January 1944 under command of General
Omar Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893April 8, 1981) was a senior officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army. Bradley was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and over ...
.


World War II

First Army's entry into World War II began in October 1943 as
Bradley Bradley is an English surname derived from a place name meaning "broad wood" or "broad meadow" in Old English. Like many English surnames Bradley can also be used as a given name and as such has become popular. It is also an Anglicisation of t ...
returned to Washington, D.C. to receive his command and began to assemble a staff and headquarters to prepare for
Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...
, the codename assigned to the establishment of a large-scale
lodgement A lodgement is an enclave, taken and defended by force of arms against determined opposition, made by increasing the size of a bridgehead, beachhead, or airhead into a substantial defended area, at least the rear parts of which are out of direc ...
on the European Continent following
Operation Neptune Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
, which was the
invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...
. The headquarters were activated in January 1944 at Bristol, England. Upon going ashore on 6 June 1944,
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
, First Army came under General Bernard Montgomery's
21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established in ...
(alongside the
British Second Army The British Second Army was a field army active during the First and Second World Wars. During the First World War the army was active on the Western Front throughout most of the war and later active in Italy. During the Second World War the army ...
) which commanded all American ground forces during the invasion. Three American divisions were landed by sea at the western end of the beaches, and two more were landed by air. On
Utah Beach Utah, commonly known as Utah Beach, was the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944 (D-Day), during World War II. The westernmost of the five code-named la ...
, the assault troops of
VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII ...
made good progress, but
V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...
on Omaha Beach came nearest of all of the five landing areas to disaster. The two American airborne divisions that landed, the 82nd and 101st, were scattered all over the landscape, and caused considerable confusion among the German soldiers, as well as largely securing their objectives, albeit with units completely mixed up with each other. First Army captured much of the early gains of the Allied forces in
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
. Once the beachheads were linked together, its troops struck west and isolated the
Cotentin Peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its w ...
, and then captured Cherbourg. When the American Mulberry harbour was wrecked by a storm, Cherbourg became even more vital. After the capture of Cherbourg, First Army struck south. In
Operation Cobra Operation Cobra was the codename for an offensive launched by the United States First Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take adv ...
, its forces finally managed to break through the German lines. The newly established Third Army was then fed through the gap and raced across France. With the arrival of more US troops in France, the Army then passed from the control of the 21st Army Group to the newly arrived 12th Army Group which commanded the First Army and the newly formed Third Army under Lieutenant General
George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...
. General Bradley assumed command of the 12th Army Group and Lieutenant General
Courtney Hodges General Courtney Hicks Hodges (January 5, 1887 – January 16, 1966) was a decorated senior officer in the United States Army who commanded First U.S. Army in the Western European Campaign of World War II. Hodges was a notable "mustang" officer ...
was placed in command of the First Army. First Army followed Third Army, the American armies forming the southern part of the encirclement of Germans at the Falaise pocket. After capturing Paris (the ''
Wehrmachtbefehlshaber The () was the German chief military position, in countries occupied by the Wehrmacht which were headed by a civilian administration. The main objective was military security in the area, and command the defense in case of attack or invasion. Th ...
von Groß-Paris'', Dietrich von Choltitz, capitulated 25 August, ignoring Hitler's ''Trümmerfeldbefehl''), During the Battle of the Mons Pocket VII Corps took approximately 25,000 prisoners. First Army headed towards the south of the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. First army liberated most of Luxembourg in three days from 9–12 September 1944. When the Germans attacked during the
Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
, First Army found itself on the north side of the salient, and thus isolated from 12th Army Group, its commanding authority. It was, therefore, temporarily transferred, along with Ninth Army, back to 21st Army Group under Montgomery on 20 December. The salient was reduced by early February 1945. Following the Battle of the Bulge, the
Rhineland Campaign The Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine, also known as the Siegfried Line campaign, was a phase in the Western European campaign of World War II. This phase spans from the end of the Battle of Normandy, or Operation Overlord, (25 August 194 ...
began, and First Army was transferred back to 12th Army Group. In
Operation Lumberjack Operation Lumberjack was a military operation with the goal of capturing the west bank of the Rhine River and seizing key German cities, near the end of World War II. The First United States Army launched the operation in March 1945 to capture s ...
, First Army closed up to the lower
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
by 5 March, and the higher parts of the river five days later. On 7 March, in a stroke of luck, Company A, 27th Armored Infantry Battalion, part of
Combat Command A combat command was a combined-arms military organization of comparable size to a brigade or regiment employed by armored forces of the United States Army from 1942 until 1963. The structure of combat commands was task-organized and so the force ...
B, 9th Armored Division, found the
Ludendorff Bridge The Ludendorff Bridge (sometimes referred to as the Bridge at Remagen) was in early March 1945 a critical remaining bridge across the river Rhine in Germany when it was captured during the Battle of Remagen by United States Army forces durin ...
across the Rhine at
Remagen Remagen ( ) is a town in Germany in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler. It is about a one-hour drive from Cologne, just south of Bonn, the former West German capital. It is situated on the left (western) bank of the ...
still standing. It quickly captured the bridge and established a secure bridgehead. in the next 15 days, over 25,000 troops and their equipment crossed the river. By 4 April, an enormous pocket had been created by First Army and Ninth Army, which contained the
German Army Group B Army Group B (German: ') was the title of three German Army Groups that saw action during World War II. Operational history Army Group B first took part in the Battle of France in 1940 in Belgium and the Netherlands. The second formation of Ar ...
under Field Marshal Model, the last significant combat force in the northwest of Germany. While some elements of First Army concentrated on reducing the Ruhr pocket, others headed further east, creating another pocket containing the German Eleventh Army. First Army reached the
Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Repu ...
by 18 April. There the advance halted, as that was the agreed demarcation zone between the American and Soviet forces. First Army and Soviet forces met on 25 April. In May 1945, advance elements of First Army headquarters had returned to New York City and were preparing to redeploy to the Pacific theater of the war to prepare for Operation Coronet, the planned second phase of Operation Downfall the proposed invasion of
Honshū , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...
, the main island of Japan in the spring of 1946, but the
Japanese surrender The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...
in August 1945 thanks to the
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki The United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, respectively. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the onl ...
terminated that effort.


Post-war and peacetime missions

First Army returned to the United States in late 1945; first to
Fort Jackson (South Carolina) Fort Jackson is a United States Army installation, which TRADOC operates on for Basic Combat Training (BCT), and is located within the city of Columbia, South Carolina. This installation is named for Andrew Jackson, a United States Army gene ...
, then to
Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...
, North Carolina, returning to
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 ...
,
Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...
, New York, in the spring of 1946. Twenty years later, in 1966, First Army relocated to
Fort Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the ...
, Maryland, and took over the responsibilities of Second Army, which was inactivated. In 1973, First Army's mission changed from training and preparation of active units to Army Reserve units. In a 1993 reorganization, five divisions carried out that training and support mission: : 75th Division, Houston, Texas : 78th "Lightning" Division, Edison, New Jersey : 85th "Custer" Division, Arlington Heights, Illinois : 87th "Golden Acorn" Division, Birmingham, Alabama : 91st "Wild West" Division, Dublin, California In 1993, Headquarters First Army relocated to
Fort Gillem Fort Gillem was a United States Army Post located in Forest Park, Georgia, on the southeast edge of Atlanta in Clayton County. Founded in 1941, it was a satellite installation of nearby Fort McPherson. The base housed different supply and support ...
, near Atlanta, Georgia, and became responsible for the training and mobilization of all Army Reserve and National Guard units in the United States and providing assistance to the civilian sector during national emergencies and natural disasters. In the latter role, First Army's contributions during the 2005
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
disaster was a rare bright spot in leading federal relief efforts in the aftermath of the storm. Its commander,
Russel L. Honoré Russel L. Honoré ( ; born September 15, 1947) is a retired lieutenant general who served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. He is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina resp ...
, a Louisiana native, became a nationally recognized figure in his direct, no-nonsense approach to disaster relief which earned First Army a
Joint Meritorious Unit Award The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4, 1981, by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982. The Joint Meritor ...
. In the 21st century, First Army was subjected to more changes as base closures and force structures were instituted to modernize, economize and change its mission. In 2005, a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission decision called for the relocation of First Army headquarters to
Rock Island Arsenal The Rock Island Arsenal comprises , located on Arsenal Island, originally known as Rock Island, on the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. It lies within the state of Illinois. Rock Island ...
, Illinois, in 2011. Its former quarters at Fort Gillem was to transition to a single national location for the mobilization and demobilization of Army National Guard and Reserve units. In a second change, as part of the 2006 reorganization of the United States Army program, First Army exchanged its civilian assistance mission for the training and support missions for military units in the western United States formerly held by US Fifth Army. Fifth Army then became U.S. Army, North with responsibilities for homeland defense and domestic emergency assistance. First Army inactivated its training divisions and reactivated them as separate training brigades under two commands.
First Army Division East First Army Division East is a division of the First United States Army. With its new role, the First Army developed two subordinate multi-component headquarters – one division to support the eastern United States and the other to support the ...
, headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky (relocated from Fort Meade, Maryland in 2016), has responsibilities in all states east of the Mississippi River; and First Army Division West assuming Fifth Army's role and relocating from Fort Carson to its new headquarters at
Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarter ...
, Texas, oversees units in all states west of the Mississippi River. First United States Army was redesignated as First Army on 3 October 2006.


Heraldic items


Shoulder sleeve insignia

* Description: On a background equally divided horizontally white and red, inches high and inches wide at base and inches wide at top, a black block letter "A", inches high, 2 inches wide at base and inches wide at top, all members 7/16 inch wide, all enclosed within a 1/8 inch Army Green border. * Symbolism: #The red and white of the background are the colors used in flags for Armies. #The letter "A" represents "Army" and is also the first letter of the alphabet suggesting "First Army." * Background: #A black letter "A" was approved as the authorized insignia by the Commanding General, American Expedition Force, on 16 November 1918 and approved by the War Department on 5 May 1922. #The background was added on 17 November 1950.


Insignia

* Description: #A gold color metal and enamel device inches high overall consisting of a black enamel capital letter "A" bearing three gold stars on the top cross bar and five gold on the center cross bar, in front of and interlaced with a gold fleur-de-lis. #The vertical petal is charged in base with a red enamel arrowhead behind and extending above the letter "A" and the tops of the two outside or flanking petals above the cross bar extending over the vertical legs of the letter "A". #The lower ends of the outside petals curve under and over the lower ends of the vertical legs of the letter "A" and are joined together by a gold arched scroll inscribed "First In Deed" in black enamel letters. #The areas within the letter "A" above the center cross bar are white enamel and the areas below the cross bar are red enamel. * Symbolism: #The basic design was suggested by the authorized shoulder sleeve insignia of the First Army. #The Interlaced fleur-de-lis represent wartime service in France and alludes to the initial organization of the Headquarters Company as the Headquarters Troop, First Army at La Ferte-sous-Jouarre, France 10 August 1918. #The three stars at the top of the letter "A" are for Lorraine 1918, St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne campaigns in which the First Army participated in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. #The five stars on the center cross bar are for the
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, Northern France,
Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...
,
Ardennes-Alsace The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
and Central Europe campaigns in which the First Army participated in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the red arrowhead referring to the assault landing on the
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
beaches. #The motto "First In Deed" is based on the numerical designation, purpose and achievements of the First United States Army. * Background: The insignia was approved on 27 January 1969.


Lineage

* The First United States Army was organized on 10 August 1918 in the Regular Army in France as Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, First Army. * Headquarters Troop was reorganized and redesignated in September 1918 as Troop A, Headquarters Battalion, First Army. It saw action in the
American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...
in the latter stages of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and included many figures who were later to become very famous, such as
Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
. * Troop A, Headquarters Battalion, First Army was redesignated on 1 March 1919, as Headquarters Troop, First Army, and Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, First Army, demobilized on 20 April 1919 in France. * First Army was Constituted 15 August 1927 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Seventh Army, but was Redesignated 13 October 1927 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army. * Headquarters, First Army activated 1 October 1933 at
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 ...
,
Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...
, New York. It had the mission of training Army formations at the time, as did all the other field armies. * Headquarters Company activated 18 November 1940 at
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 ...
,
Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...
, New York. * October 1943, Headquarters First Army relocated from
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 ...
,
Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...
, New York to Bristol, England in anticipation of Normandy invasion. * A separate First Army was Reconstituted on 27 June 1944 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army; concurrently consolidated with the original Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army. The consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army. * First Army Headquarters returns to
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 ...
,
Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...
, New York in 1946. * First Army was Redesignated 1 January 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First United States Army. * Merger of First and Second Army, relocation of headquarters to Fort Meade and closure of
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 ...
,
Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...
, New York announced 20 November 1964. * 1 January 1966, the First and Second U.S. Armies merged and First Army headquarters moved to
Fort Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States Army Field Band, and the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the ...
, Maryland. * Headquarters Company inactivated 5 June 1970 at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, while Headquarters, First U.S. Army continued to function. * In 1973 the First Army again changed its orientation to improving the readiness of the Reserve Components. * In 1993, First Army headquarters was moved to
Fort Gillem Fort Gillem was a United States Army Post located in Forest Park, Georgia, on the southeast edge of Atlanta in Clayton County. Founded in 1941, it was a satellite installation of nearby Fort McPherson. The base housed different supply and support ...
, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia (the former Atlanta Army Depot). * In 2005, First Army is awarded a
Joint Meritorious Unit Award The Joint Meritorious Unit Award (JMUA) is a US military award that was established on June 4, 1981, by Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and was implemented by Department of Defense Directive 1348.27 dated July 22, 1982. The Joint Meritor ...
for leading federal response to
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
. * In 2006, it was announced that subject to Base Realignment and Closure Act, Fort Gillem would eventually be closed and First Army headquarters relocated to
Rock Island Arsenal The Rock Island Arsenal comprises , located on Arsenal Island, originally known as Rock Island, on the Mississippi River between the cities of Davenport, Iowa, and Rock Island, Illinois. It lies within the state of Illinois. Rock Island ...
Illinois. * 1 December 2006, First Army reorganizes and reflags its five Reserve Component Training Support Divisions into 16 training brigades and establishes two sub-commands, First Army Division East and First Army Division West. First Army East at Fort Meade, Maryland administers eight brigades east of the Mississippi River and First Army West at Fort Hood, Texas, assumes the training responsibilities with eight brigades formerly held by U.S. Fifth Army. Fifth Army becomes U.S. Army, North, and assumes First Army's domestic assistance duties.


First U.S. Army honors


Campaign participation credit


Decorations


Organization

On order, First Army expands to nine Mobilization force generation installations (MFGI) to mobilize the Reserve component of the US Army. The Army Reserve mobilizes Focused readiness units (FRU) to meet Operational plan (OPLAN) requirements of the Unified combatant command#Combatant commanders, combatant commander (CCDR).


Current

First Army Division East First Army Division East is a division of the First United States Army. With its new role, the First Army developed two subordinate multi-component headquarters – one division to support the eastern United States and the other to support the ...
– Fort Knox, Kentucky :4th Cavalry Brigade (United States), 4th "Saber" Cavalry Brigade – Fort Knox, Kentucky. Formerly the 85th Division's 4th Brigade. :157th Infantry Brigade (United States), 157th "Spartan" Infantry Brigade – Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Formerly the 87th Division's 5th Brigade. :174th Infantry Brigade (United States), 174th "Patriot" Infantry Brigade – Fort Dix, New Jersey. Formerly the 78th Division's 2nd Brigade. :177th Armored Brigade (United States), 177th "Mudcats" Armored Brigade – Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Formerly the 87th Division's 3rd Brigade. :188th Infantry Brigade (United States), 188th "Battle Ready" Infantry Brigade – Fort Stewart, Georgia. Formerly the 87th Division's 4th Brigade. First Army Division West – Fort Hood, TexasFirst Army Division West
:5th Armored Brigade (United States), 5th Armored Brigade – Fort Bliss, Texas. Formerly the 91st Division's 2nd Brigade. :120th Infantry Brigade (United States), 120th Infantry Brigade – Fort Hood, Texas. Formerly the 75th Division's 2nd Brigade. :166th Aviation Brigade (United States), 166th Aviation Brigade – Fort Hood, Texas. Formerly the 75th Division's 3rd Brigade. :181st Infantry Brigade (United States), 181st "Eagle" Infantry Brigade – Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. Formerly the 85th Division's 2nd Brigade. :189th Infantry Brigade (United States), 189th "Bayonet" Infantry Brigade – Fort Lewis, Washington. Formerly the 78th Division's 4th Brigade.


List of commanders

* GEN John J. Pershing 1918 * LTG
Hunter Liggett Lieutenant General Hunter Liggett (March 21, 1857 − December 30, 1935) was a senior United States Army officer. His 42 years of military service spanned the period from the Indian campaigns to the trench warfare of World War I. Additionally, h ...
1918–1919 * MG Dennis E. Nolan 1932–1936 * MG
Fox Conner Fox Conner (November 2, 1874 – October 13, 1951) was a Major general (United States), major general of the United States Army. He served as operations officer for the American Expeditionary Force during World War I, and is best remembered as a ...
1936–1938 * MG Frank Ross McCoy 1938 (interim) * MG James K. Parsons 1938 (interim) * LTG
Hugh A. Drum Hugh Aloysius Drum (September 19, 1879 – October 3, 1951) was a career United States Army officer who served in World War I and World War II and attained the rank of Lieutenant General (United States), lieutenant general. He was notable for hi ...
1938–1943 * LTG
George Grunert George Grunert (July 21, 1881 – January 12, 1971) was a United States Army cavalry officer who worked his way up through the ranks from private to retirement as a lieutenant general. His 47-year career extended from the Spanish–American War ...
1943–1944 * LTG Omar N. Bradley 1944 * GEN Courtney H. Hodges 1944–1949 * MG Roscoe B. Woodruff 1949 (interim) * GEN Walter Bedell Smith 1949–1950 * MG Roscoe B. Woodruff 1950 (interim) * LTG Willis D. Crittenberger 1950–1952 * LTG Withers A. Burress 1953–1954 * LTG Thomas W. Herren 1954–1957 * LTG Blackshear M. Bryan 1957–1960 * LTG Edward J. O'Neill (general), Edward J. O'Neill 1960–1962 * LTG Garrison H. Davidson 1962–1964 * LTG Robert W. Porter Jr. 1964–1965 * LTG Thomas W. Dunn 1965 * LTG William F. Train 1966–1967 * LTG Jonathan O. Seaman 1967–1971 * LTG Claire E. Hutchin Jr. 1971–1973 * LTG Glenn D. Walker 1973–1974 * LTG James G. Kalergis 1974–1975 * LTG Jeffrey G. Smith 1975–1979 * LTG John F. Forrest 1979–1981 * LTG Donald E. Rosenblum 1981–1984 * LTG Charles D. Franklin 1984–1987 * LTG James E. Thompson Jr. 1987–1991 * LTG James H. Johnson Jr. 1991-1993 * LTG John P. Otjen 1993–1995 * LTG Guy A. J. LaBoa 1995–1997 * LTG George A. Fisher Jr. 1997–1999 * LTG John M. Riggs 1999–2001 * LTG Joseph R. Inge 2001–2004 * LTG
Russel L. Honoré Russel L. Honoré ( ; born September 15, 1947) is a retired lieutenant general who served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. He is best known for serving as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina resp ...
2004–2008 * LTG Thomas G. Miller 2008–2011 * LTG John Michael Bednarek 2011–2013 * MG Kevin R. Wendel 2013 (interim) * LTG Michael S. Tucker 2013–2016 * LTG Stephen M. Twitty 2016–2018 * MG Erik C. Peterson (general), Erik C. Peterson 2018 (acting) * LTG Thomas S. James Jr. 2018–2021 * LTG Antonio A. Aguto Jr. 2021–2022 * MG Mark H. Landes 2022 (acting)


Notes


References

* ''After Action Report First U.S. Army, 1–3 December 1944''. Fort Jackson, 1945. * American Battle Monuments Commission. ''American Armies and Battlefields in Europe''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1938. Reprint. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1992. * Martin Blumenson, Blumenson, Martin. ''Breakout and Pursuit''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1961. * Borovatz, Frank M. "First United States Army: A Working Army". ''Army Digest'' 25 (February 1970): 4–8. * ''A Brief History of the First United States Army From 1918 to 1946''. Fayetteville, N. C.: Worth Publishing Co., 1947. * Hugh M. Cole, Cole, Hugh M. ''The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1965. * Cole, Hugh M. ''The Lorraine Campaign''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1950. * Dalessandro, Robert J. & Knapp, Michael G. ''Organization and Insignia of the American Expeditionary Force, 1917–1923''. Schiffer Publishing, 2008. * First Army, TI&E Section. ''History of the United States First Army''. Fort Jay, 1953. * ''First United States Army Combat Operations Data, Europe, 1944–45''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1948. * ''First United States Army Report of Operations, 20 October 1943 – 1 August 1944''. 7 vols. Paris, 1944. * ''First United States Army Report of Operations, 1 August 1944 to 22 February 1945''. 4 vols. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1946. * ''First United States Army Report of Operations, 23 February – 8 May 1945''. 3 vols. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1946. * Gabel, Christopher R. ''The U.S. Army GHQ Maneuvers of 1941''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1991. * Hallas, James H. ''Squandered Victory: The American First Army at St. Mihiel''. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Pubs., 1996. * Harbord, James G. ''The American Army in France, 1917–1919''. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1936. * Harrison, Gordon A. ''Cross-Channel Attack''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1951. * Historical Section, Army War College. ''Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War; American Expeditionary Forces; General Headquarters, Armies, Army Corps, Services of Supply, and Separate Forces''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1937. Reprint. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1988. * Historical Section, Army War College. ''The Genesis of the American First Army''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1929. 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1938. * Liggett, Hunter. ''Commanding an American Army, Recollections of the World War''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1925. * MacDonald, Charles B. ''The Last Offensive. United States Army in World War II''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973. * MacDonald, Charles B. ''The Siegfried Line Campaign''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1963. * "Why Didn't They Let First Army Win the War?" ''Army'' 9 (April 1959):48–52. * Pershing, John J. ''My Experiences in the World War''. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co., 1931. * Pogue, Forrest C. ''The Supreme Command''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1954. * ''Report of the Commanding General, First Army, American Expeditionary Forces: Organizations and Operations'', First Army, A.E.F. France, 1919. * ''Report of the First Army, American Expeditionary Forces: Organization and Operations''. Fort Leavenworth: General Service Schools Press, 1923. * ''Report of the First Army, American Expeditionary Forces, Organization and Operations'', General John J Pershing, 10 Aug. 1918; Lieutenant General Hunter Liggett, 16 Oct. 1918, 20 Apr. 1919. Fort Leavenworth, Kans.: General Service School Press, 1923. * "Salute to the Numbered U.S. Armies". ''Army Information Digest'' 17 (October 1962):32–39. * Walker, Glenn D. "First U.S. Army: A New Challenge". ''Army'' 23 (October 1973):72–76. * Ziemke, Earl F.
The U.S. Army in the Occupation of Germany 1944–1946
''. Army Historical Series. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History, 1990 (1975). CMH Pub 30–6.


Further reading

*


External links


First Army
official site *
First United States Army Report of Operations
- Volumes available for operations of the First United States Army during World War II (1943–1945) on Cleveland Public Library's Digital Gallery. The Federal Depository Library Program has cataloged the reports in three sections: Report of operations
20 October 1943 – 1 August 19441 August 1944 – 22 February 194523 February – 8 May 1945
{{Authority control 1918 establishments in France First United States Army, 001 Army Military units and formations established in 1918