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United States Army 1st Armored Division (Old Ironsides)
U. S. ARMY 1ST ARMORED DIVISION (OLD IRONSIDES) - The 1st Armored Division—nicknamed "Old Ironsides"—is a combined arms division of the United States Army. The division is part of III Corps, with its base of operations in Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. It was the first armored division of the U.S. Army to see battle in World War II. Formed in 1940, the 1st served in North Africa from November 1942 to May 1943 and in Italy from October 1943 to the end of the war.
The division was nicknamed "Old Ironsides", by its first commander, Major General Bruce R. Magruder, after he saw a picture of the frigate USS Constitution, which is 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 other sub-unit insignias.
Since relocating to Fort Bliss, Texas, the division has been reorganized under the new modular design, in which the deployable unit of maneuver is a brigade, rather than a division. The division consists of three brigade combat teams (BCTs), a combat aviation brigade (CAB), a division artillery brigade, and a sustainment brigade.
On July 15, 1940, the 1st Armored Division, largely an expanded and reorganized version of the 7th Cavalry Brigade, was activated at Fort Knox under the command of Major General Bruce Magruder. The 1st Cavalry Regiment was redesignated as 1st Armored Regiment and 13th Cavalry Regiment was redesignated as 13th Armored Regiment under the 1st Armored Brigade, 1st Armored Division. 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.
Casualties
- Total battle casualties: 7,096
- Killed in action: 1,194
- Wounded in action: 5,168
- Missing in action: 216
- Prisoner of war: 518
During the war, the Old Ironsides division captured 41 towns and cities and 108,740 prisoners. 722 division soldiers were awarded the Silver Star, 908 received the Bronze Star. The division received 5,478 Purple Hearts. Two division soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during World War II, Private Nicholas Minue and Second Lieutenant Thomas Weldon Fowler.
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