The VII Army Corps 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, ...

was one of the two principal

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

of the United States Army Europe during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

. Activated in 1918 for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, it was reactivated for

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and again during the

. During both World War II and the Cold War it was subordinate to the Seventh Army, or USAREUR and was headquartered at Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart,

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

, from 1951 until it was redeployed to the US after significant success in the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

in 1991, then inactivated in 1992.

World War I

VII Corps was organized at the end of

on 19 August 1918, at Remiremont,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and was inactivated on 11 July 1919. It was commanded by Major Generals

William M. Wright William Mason Wright (September 24, 1863 – August 16, 1943) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of lieutenant general and was most notable for his service as a division and corps commander during World War I. E ...

, Omar Bundy,

William G. Haan Major General William George Haan (October 4, 1863 – October 26, 1924) was a senior United States Army officer. He commanded the 32nd Division during the final year of World War I, and served in numerous other conflicts during his career. Ear ...

, and Henry Tureman Allen. It was composed of the

6th 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second ...

, 81st and 88th Divisions, and served in the

Vosges The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a singl ...

Sector.

Post-World War I

The U.S. VII Corps was reactivated as part of the Organized Reserve (OR) on 29 July 1921 and inactivated on 18 October 1927. It was allotted to the

Seventh Corps Area The Seventh Corps Area was a Corps area, effectively a military district, of the United States Army active from 1920 to 1941. It initially was responsible for army forces in Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (but not Jefferson Barracks), North Dakota, So ...

and assigned to the Third Army. In accordance with General Order #2, HQ, Seventh Corps Area, the Corps Headquarters was activated on 9 January 1922 at the Old Customhouse, 3d and Olive Streets, St. Louis, MO, with Regular Army and OR personnel.

World War II

VII Corps was reactivated at Fort McClellan,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

25 November 1940 and participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers staged as the US Army prepared for

. In late December 1941, VII Corps HQ was moved to San Jose,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

as part of the Western Defense Command and as it continued to train and prepare for deployment. Its first return to continental Europe took place on D-Day in June 1944, as one of the two assault corps for the

U.S. First Army First Army is the oldest and longest-established field army of the United States Army. It served as a theater army, having seen service in both World War I and World War II, and supplied the US army with soldiers and equipment during the Kor ...

during Operation Overlord, targeting Utah Beach via

amphibious assault Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conducted u ...

. For Overlord, the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were attached to VII Corps. After the Battle of Normandy the airborne units were assigned to the newly created XVIII Airborne Corps. Subsequently, VII Corps participated in many battles during the advance across France; this included taking 25,000 German prisoners during the Battle of the Mons Pocket in early September 1944. The corps subsequently took part in the invasion of Germany until the surrender of the Third Reich in May 1945. The corps was inactivated in 1946.

Battle of Normandy

For the Normandy Operation, VII Corps was part of 21st Army Group under the command of

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Bernard Montgomery and the

commanded by 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" office ...

. The Corps was commanded by Major General

J. Lawton Collins General Joseph Lawton Collins (May 1, 1896 – September 12, 1987) was a senior United States Army officer. During World War II, he served in both the Pacific and European Theaters of Operations, one of a few senior American commanders to do so. ...

. VII Corps led the initial assault of Operation Cobra, the First Army-led offensive as part of the breakout of the Normandy area. Its success is credited with changing the war in France from high-intensity infantry combat to rapid

maneuver warfare Maneuver warfare, or manoeuvre warfare, is a military strategy which seeks to shatter the enemy's overall cohesion and will to fight. Background Maneuver warfare, the use of initiative, originality and the unexpected, combined with a rut ...

Assigned Units and Commanders

4th Infantry Division, Major General

Raymond O. Barton Major General Raymond Oscar "Tubby" Barton (August 22, 1889 – February 27, 1963) was a career officer in the United States Army and combat commander in World War I and World War II. As commander of the 4th Infantry Division during World War ...

:: 8th Infantry Regiment Colonel James A. Van Fleet :: 12th Infantry Regiment Colonel Russell P. Reeder (11 June) :::Lieutenant Colonel Hervey Tribolet :: 22nd Infantry Regiment Colonel Hervey A. Tribolet :::Colonel Robert T. Foster (26 June) * 9th Infantry Division patch

9th Infantry Division, Major General Manton S. Eddy :: 39th Infantry Regiment Colonel Harry A. "Paddy" Flint :: 47th Infantry Regiment Colonel George W. Smythe :: 60th Infantry Regiment Colonel Frederick J. de Rohan * 79th Infantry Division SSI

79th Infantry Division, Major General Ira T. Wyche ::313th Infantry Regiment Colonel Sterling A. Wood ::314th Infantry Regiment Colonel Warren A. Robinson ::315th Infantry Regiment Colonel Porter P. Wiggins :::Colonel Bernard B. McMahon (24 June) * 82 ABD SSI

82nd Airborne Division, Major General Matthew Ridgway :: 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment Colonel William E. Ekman :: 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment Colonel George V. Millett, Jr. :::Colonel Edson D. Raff (15 June) ::

508th Parachute Infantry Regiment The 508th Infantry Regiment (508th PIR, 508th AIR, or 508th IR) ("Red Devils" or "Fury from the Sky") is an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army, first formed in October 1942 during World War II. The 508th is a parent regiment ...

Colonel Roy E. Lindquist :: 325th Glider Infantry Regiment Colonel Harry L. Lewis *

90th Infantry Division, Brigadier General

Jay W. MacKelvie Brigadier General Jay W. MacKelvie (September 23, 1890 – December 5, 1985) was a career United States Army officer. He was prominent during World War II for being relieved of his command of the 90th Infantry Division shortly after the Norma ...

::357th Infantry Regiment Colonel Philip De Witt Ginder :::Colonel John W. Sheehy (13 June) :::Lieutenant Colonel Charles M. Schwab (15 June) :::Colonel

George B. Barth George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

(17 June) :: 358th Infantry Regiment Colonel James V. Thompson :::Colonel Richard C. Partridge (16 June) :: 359th Infantry Regiment Colonel Clark K. Fales * US 101st Airborne Division patch

101st Airborne Division, Major General

Maxwell D. Taylor Maxwell Davenport Taylor (August 26, 1901 – April 19, 1987) was a senior United States Army officer and diplomat of the mid-20th century. He served with distinction in World War II, most notably as commander of the 101st Airborne Division, n ...

:: 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment Colonel Howard R. Johnson ::

502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment The 502nd Infantry Regiment (502nd IR), previously titled the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (502nd PIR), is an infantry regiment of the United States Army. The regiment was established shortly after U.S. entry into World War II, and was as ...

Colonel

George V. H. Moseley, Jr. George Van Horn Moseley Jr. (January 4, 1905 - December 6, 1976) a United States Army officer who served in World War II, and later served as commandant of cadets at Norwich University. Early life Moseley was born in Fort Sam Houston, Texas o ...

(WIA 6 June) :::Lieutenant Colonel

John H. Michaelis John Hersey Michaelis (August 20, 1912 – October 31, 1985) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, United Nations Command/Commander, United States Forces Korea/Commanding General, Eighth United States Ar ...

(6 June) :: 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment Colonel Robert Sink :: 327th Glider Infantry Regiment Colonel George S. Wear ::::Colonel Joseph H. Harper (10 June) * US VII Corps SSI

4th Cavalry Group (Mechanized), Colonel Joseph M. Tully ::4th Cavalry Squadron Lieutenant Colonel E. C. Dunn ::24th Cavalry Squadron Lieutenant Colonel F. H. Gaston, Jr. * Armored Group DUI

6th Armored Group, Colonel Francis F. Fainter :: 70th Tank Battalion Lieutenant Colonel John C. Welborn :: 746th Tank Battalion Lieutenant Colonel C. G. Hupfer

Cold War

From reactivation in 1950 and throughout the

, the corps guarded part of

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 N ...

's front with the

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republi ...

. Headquartered in Stuttgart at Kelley Barracks it was one of the two main US combat formations in Germany along with

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 Army ...

, which was headquartered in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

at Abrams Building. As finally envisaged in the General Defense Plan circa 1989, the

1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short ...

with its main headquarters at

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Tor ...

, would have been assigned to the Commander,

Central Army Group Headquarters Allied Force Command Heidelberg (HQ FC Heidelberg) was a formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) responsible for providing deployable joint staff elements (DJSE) in support of NATO operations worldwide. It was head ...

's tactical reserve, fighting alongside either the German

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

or VII Corps.

Structure 1989

At the end of the Cold War in 1989 VII Corps consisted of the following units: * US VII Corps SSI

VII Corps, Stuttgart,

** 1st Armored Division, Ansbach ** 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Riley, Kansas ( Operation Reforger unit) *** 1st Infantry Division (Forward), Göppingen, West Germany ** 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), Würzburg ** VII Corps Artillery,

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

*** 17th Field Artillery Brigade,

*** 72nd Field Artillery Brigade, Wertheim *** 210th Field Artillery Brigade, Herzogenaurach **

2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment The 2nd Cavalry Regiment, also known as the 2nd Dragoons, is an active Stryker infantry and cavalry regiment of the United States Army. The Second Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army Europe and Africa, with its garrison at the ...

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

** 11th Aviation Brigade,

Illesheim Illesheim, founded 1283 AD, is a municipality in the district of Neustadt (Aisch)-Bad Windsheim in Bavaria in Germany. The earliest leader affiliated with Illesheim's foundation was Götz von Berlichingen, known as "the Knight with the Iron Han ...

** 7th Engineer Brigade, Kornwestheim **

14th Military Police Brigade The 14th Military Police Brigade is a military police unit stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, in Missouri. The 14th Military Police Brigade provides the Army with Soldiers, DA Civilians, and leaders of character who provide the basic and advanced s ...

, Kornwestheim ** 93rd Signal Brigade (Corps), Ludwigsburg ** 207th Military Intelligence Brigade, Ludwigsburg ** 2nd Corps Support Command, Nellingen auf den Fildern ** 602nd Air Support Operations Group, USAF Stuttgart

Gulf War

After Saddam Hussein's troops invaded

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 Iraq–Ku ...

in 1990, the corps was deployed to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

as part of the second major wave of deployments of American forces. Its presence took US forces in theatre from a force capable of defending Saudi Arabia to a force capable of ejecting

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 ...

i troops from Kuwait. Kelley Barracks armor

In the

, VII Corps was probably the most powerful formation of its type ever to take to the battlefield. Normally, a corps commands three divisions when at full strength, along with other units such as artillery of various types, corps-level engineers and support units. However, VII Corps had far more firepower under its command. It consisted of 1,487 tanks, 1,384 infantry fighting vehicles, 568 artillery pieces, 132 MLRS, 8 missile launchers, and 242 attack helicopters. It had a total troop strength of 146,321 troops. Its principal full strength fighting formations were the 1st Armored Division (United States), the 3rd Armored Division (United States) and the

1st Infantry Division (United States) The 1st Infantry Division is a combined arms division of the United States Army, and is the oldest continuously serving division in the Regular Army. It has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917 during World War I. It was ...

. The 2nd Armored Division (Forward) was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division as its third maneuver brigade. In addition, the corps had the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (United States) to act as a scouting and screening force, and two further heavy divisions, the 1st Cavalry Division (United States) and the

1st Armoured Division (United Kingdom) The 1st Armoured Division was an armoured division of the British Army. The division was formed as the Mobile Division on 24 November 1937, after several years of debate on such a formation. It was then renamed, in April 1939, as the 1st Armou ...

, as well as the 11th Aviation Group. Although both 1st Cavalry Division and 1st Armoured Division had only two maneuver brigades, they were still immensely powerful formations in their own right. VII Corps was originally deployed to provide an offensive option if needed. In the 100-hour war they were given a mission: To destroy the Iraqi Republican Guard's heavy divisions. That meant that the 1st Infantry Division had to make a forced entry to make room for the British attack on the right wing and to secure the main forces advance on the left. That attack force was led by the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and

Task Force 1-41 Infantry Task Force 1-41 Infantry was a U.S. Army heavy battalion task force which took part in the Gulf War of January – March 1991. It was also known as Task Force Iron. Task Force 1-41 Infantry was the first coalition force to breach the Saudi Arab ...

followed by the other two brigades of the 1st Infantry Division. The 1st Armored Division would head north to engage the Iraqi Republican Guard in the Battle of Medina Ridge. The 3rd Armored Division would protect the flank of the 1st Infantry Division. That gave VII Corps commander General

Frederick M. Franks, Jr. Frederick Melvin Franks Jr. (born 1 November 1936) is a retired general of the United States Army. He commanded the Gulf War coalition VII Corps in the highly successful "Left Hook" maneuver against fourteen Iraqi divisions, a number of which w ...

a three division strike force to confront several Iraqi Armored Divisions. After the corps had turned 90 degrees east according to FRAGPLAN 7 and after the Cavalry Regiment had fought the single sided Battle of 73 Easting the three Divisions (plus the British on the right wing) fought one of the most one-sided battles in the history of the U.S. Army. VII Corps cut a swath through Iraqi forces. It advanced with U.S. XVIII Airborne Corps on its left wing and

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

forces on its right wing. Led by

it pulverized all Iraqi forces that tried to stand and fight and destroyed a good proportion of the Iraqi Republican Guard divisions. This confrontation was known as the

Battle of Norfolk The Battle of Norfolk was a tank battle fought on February 27, 1991, during the Persian Gulf War, between armored forces of the United States and United Kingdom, and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard in the Muthanna Province of southern Iraq. ...

. VII Corps' attack destroyed several divisions including the Medina and the Tawakalna Republican Guards division along with support units. It also destroyed most of the Iraqi VII Corps that had guarded the frontline as well as other units. The Battle of 73 Easting was studied as a textbook armored battle within the US armored units. The cost in lives was 36 US and UK dead; trifling in terms of expected casualties for the war the two armies had trained for against the Soviets. 'Virtually every manoeuvre battalion in the 1st and 3rd Armored Divisions, 1st Inf Div (M), and 2 ACR received the Valorous Unit Award. In addition, 'six of the ten VII Corps manoeuvre brigade headquarters that saw substantial combat against the Republican Guard received the VUA in contravention of the spirit, if not the letter, of AR672-5-1's guidance that ' ly on rare occasions will a unit larger than a battalion qualify for award of the VUA.' During the Gulf War VII Corps destroyed nearly 1,350 Iraqi tanks, 1,224 armored troop carriers, 285 artillery pieces, 105 air defense systems, 1,229 trucks, and lost nearly 36 armored vehicles. They suffered a total of 47 dead and 192 wounded.

VII Corps

LTG

:: 1st Armored Division ::MG

Ronald H. Griffith Ronald Houston Griffith (March 16, 1936 – July 18, 2018) was an American general in the United States Army who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army (VCSA) from 1995 to 1997. He was born in Lafayette, Georgia. Military caree ...

:::

3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division (Mech) – Acting 1st Brigade ::::4th BN, 66th Armor Regiment ::::1st BN, 7th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::4th BN, 7th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::2nd BN, 41st Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) :::2nd Brigade ::::1st BN,

35th Armor Regiment The 35th Armored Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army first established in 1941. The lineage of the regiment is carried on by the 1st Battalion 35th Armored Regiment, currently attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Di ...

::::2nd BN,

70th Armor Regiment The 70th Armor Regiment is an armored (tank) unit of the United States Army. It was constituted as the 70th Tank Battalion in July 1940, an independent tank battalion intended to provide close support to infantry units. In this role, it saw acti ...

::::4th BN,

::::6th BN, 6th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::2nd BN, 1st Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) :::3rd Brigade ::::3rd BN,

::::1st BN,

37th Armor Regiment The 37th Armor is an armor (tank) regiment of the United States Army. It is often remembered as the successor to the 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, commanded by then Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Abrams (the namesake of the M1 Abrams ...

::::7th BN, 6th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::3rd BN, 1st Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) :: 3rd Armored Division ::MG Paul E. Funk :::1st Brigade ::::4th BN, 32nd Armor Regiment ::::4th BN, 34th Armor Regiment ::::3rd BN, 5th Cavalry Regiment (Mech) ::::5th BN, 5th Cavalry Regiment (Mech) ::::3rd BN, 1st Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) :::2nd Brigade ::::4th BN, 18th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::3rd BN, 8th Cavalry Regiment (Armor) ::::4th BN, 8th Cavalry Regiment (Armor) ::::4th BN, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) :::3rd Brigade ::::5th BN, 18th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::2nd BN, 67th Armor Regiment ::::4th BN, 67th Armor Regiment ::::2nd BN, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) :: US 1st Infantry Division SSI

1st Infantry Division (Mech) ::MG Thomas Rhame ::: 1st Brigade ::::5th BN, 16th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::1st BN, 34th Armor Regiment ::::2nd BN, 34th Armor Regiment ::::1st Bn, 5th Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) ::: 2nd Brigade ::::2nd BN, 16th Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::3rd BN, 37th Armor Regiment ::::4th BN, 37th Armor Regiment ::::4th Bn, 5th Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) ::: 3rd Brigade, 2nd Armored Division – Acting 3rd Brigade ::::1st BN, 41st Infantry Regiment (Mech) ::::2nd BN, 66th Armor Regiment ::::3rd BN, 66th Armor Regiment ::::4th Bn, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) :: 1st (UK) Armoured Division ::Maj Gen

Rupert Smith General Sir Rupert Anthony Smith, (born 13 December 1943) is a retired British Army officer and author of '' The Utility of Force''. He was a senior commander during the Gulf War, for which he was recognised with the award of the Distinguishe ...

:::

4th Armoured Brigade ::: Brig.

Christopher Hammerbeck Brigadier Christopher John Anthony Hammerbeck, CB, CBE (born 14 March 1943), late the Royal Tank Regiment, is a former British military officer and businessman, who works as a senior advisor at International Risk Ltd. He is currently the president ...

:::: 14th/20th King's Hussars & squadron of

Life Guards Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy transf ...

( Challenger 1) ::::1st Bn, Royal Scots ( Warrior) ::::3rd Bn, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Warrior) ::::2nd Field Regiment RA ( 155SP) :::: 23 Engineer Regiment ( AVRE) :::

7th Armoured Brigade :::Brig.

Patrick Cordingley Major General Patrick Anthony John Cordingley, (born 6 October 1944) is a retired British Army officer who commanded the 2nd Division from 1995 to 1996. Military career Cordingley was educated at Sherborne School and the Royal Military Academ ...

:::: Royal Scots Dragoon Guards & troops of 17th/21st Lancers (Challenger) :::: Queen's Royal Irish Hussars (Challenger) ::::1st Bn, Staffordshire Regiment (Warrior) :::: 40th Field Regiment RA (155SP) :::: 21 Engineer Regiment ( AVRE) :::Divisional Armoured Reconnaissance unit :::: 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers & squadron Queen's Dragoon Guards (

Scimitar A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...

/ Spartan/ Striker) :::Divisional Artillery Group :::: 32nd Heavy Regiment RA ( 203SP) :::: 39th Heavy Regiment RA ( MLRS) :::: 26th Field Regiment RA (155SP) :::: 12th Air Defence Regiment RA ( Rapier) :: 1st Cavalry Division(-) Missing 3rd Brigade ::MG John H. Tilelli, Jr. ::: 1st Brigade ::::3rd BN, 32nd Armor Regiment ::::2nd BN,

8th Cavalry Regiment The 8th Cavalry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army formed in 1866 during the American Indian Wars. The 8th Cavalry continued to serve under a number of designations, fighting in every other major U.S. conflict since, except Wo ...

(Armor) ::::2nd BN, 5th Cavalry Regiment (Mech) ::::1st BN, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) ::: 2nd Brigade ::::1st BN, 32nd Armor Regiment ::::1st BN, 5th Cavalry Regiment (Mech) ::::1st BN, 8th Cavalry Regiment (Armor) ::::3rd BN, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) VII Corps Desert Storm

Corps assets

11th Aviation Brigade :: 2nd Squadron 6th Cavalry :: 6th Squadron 6th Cavalry :7th Engineer Brigade :: 109th Engineer Group SD ARNG – Supported VII Corp :::

9th Engineer Battalion The 9th Engineer Battalion is a unit of the United States Army that deploys to designated contingency areas and conducts combat and/or stability operations in support of a brigade combat team. It is a divisional mechanized combat engineer unit, c ...

(CBT)(MECH) :::527th Engineer Battalion (CBT HVY) LA ARNG :: 176th Engineer Group VA ARNG – Supported 1st Inf Div :::19th Engineer Battalion (Corps CBT) :::54th Engineer Battalion (CBT)(MECH) :::82nd Engineer Battalion (CBT)(MECH) :::92nd Engineer Battalion (CBT HVY) :::565th Engineer Battalion :::649th Engineer Battalion (TOPO) :: 926th Engineer Group USAR – Supported 1st Arm Div ::: 249th Engineer Battalion (CBT HVY) :::317th Engineer Battalion (CBT)(MECH) :::588th Engineer Battalion (CORPS CBT) : USA - 42 FAB

42nd Field Artillery Brigade – Supported 1st Inf Div, 3rd Armd Div ::3rd BN, 20th Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) ::1st BN, 27th Field Artillery Regiment (MLRS) ::2nd BN,

29th Field Artillery Regiment The 29th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army, first constituted in 1918 in the National Army (USA). History The Regiment's Battery G was one of the last two combat units to serve in the Vietnam War. O ...

(155SP) :

75th Field Artillery Brigade The 75th Field Artillery Brigade (75th FAB) is an artillery brigade in the United States Army. It is currently based in Fort Sill, Oklahoma and supports the III Armored Corps. The brigade is officially tasked to train and prepares for combat; on ...

– Supported 1st Inf Div, 1st Armd Div ::1st BN, 17th Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) ::5th BN, 18th Field Artillery Regiment (203SP) ::1st BN, 158th Field Artillery Regiment (MLRS) OK ARNG : 142FABdeSSI

142nd Field Artillery Brigade AR ARNG – Supported 1st Inf Div, 1st UK Armd Div ::1st BN,

142nd Field Artillery Regiment The 142nd Field Artillery Regiment ("Second Arkansas") is a United States Army field artillery regiment currently represented in the Arkansas Army National Guard by the 1st Battalion, 142nd Field Artillery, headquartered in Bentonville, Harriso ...

(203SP) AR ARNG ::2nd BN, 142nd Field Artillery Regiment (203SP) AR ARNG : 210th Field Artillery Brigade – Supported 2nd ACR, 1st Inf Div ::3rd BN, 17th Field Artillery Regiment (155SP) ::6th BN,

41st Field Artillery Regiment The 41st Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the United States Army. History *Prior to World War II The 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery was constituted 26 August 1918 in the Regular Army as the 41st Artillery (Coast Ar ...

(155SP) ::C Btry, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery (MLRS) :2nd Corps Support Command ::7th Corps Support Group ::: 6th Transportation Battalion :::71st Maintenance Battalion :::87th Maintenance Battalion :::213th Support Battalion :: 16th Corps Support Group :::4th Transportation Battalion :::101st Ordinance Battalion ::: 13th Support Battalion :::300th Service & Support Battalion ::30th Corps Support Group NC ARNG :::136th Quartermaster Battalion :::690th Maintenance Battalion :: 43rd Corps Support Group ::: 68th Transportation Battalion :::169th Maintenance Battalion :::544th Maintenance Battalion :::553rd Service & Support Battalion ::159th Corps Support Group USAR :::286th Supply & Service Battalion ME ARNG :: 332nd Medical Brigade USAR :::127th Medical Group AL ARNG ::::31st Combat Support Hospital ::::128th Combat Support Hospital ::::377th Combat Support Hospital USAR ::::403rd Combat Support Hospital USAR :::341st Medical Group USAR ::::159th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital LA ARNG ::::475th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital KY ARNG ::::807th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital USAR ::::912th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital USAR ::::345th Combat Support Hospital USAR – Converted to a MASH in January :::Task Forces Evac (Provisional) ::::12th Evacuation Hospital ::::13th Evacuation Hospital WI ARNG ::::148th Evacuation Hospital AR ARNG ::::312th Evacuation Hospital USAR ::::410th Evacuation Hospital USAR : 14MPBdeSSI

::93rd Military Police Battalion ::95th Military Police Battalion ::118th Military Police Battalion RI ARNG ::372nd Military Police Battalion DC ARNG ::

793rd Military Police Battalion The 793rd Military Police Battalion was a battalion-sized unit in the United States Army stationed at Fort Richardson (Alaska), Fort Richardson, Alaska. The battalion was responsible for all Regular Army (United States), Regular Army Military P ...

93rd Signal Brigade : 207th Military Intelligence Brigade ::2nd Military Intelligence Battalion ::307th Military Intelligence Battalion ::511th Military Intelligence Battalion

Redeployment and inactivation

After the fighting was over, most VII Corps units were redeployed directly to the United States for reassignment or inactivation. VII Corps HQ returned to Germany and was disbanded as part of the post-Cold War American defense spending cuts. Some VII Corps units remained in Germany and were reassigned to

or USAREUR. A farewell ceremony was held in downtown Stuttgart at Schlossplatz, where the VII Corps colors were retired on 18 March 1992. The official inactivation was held at Fort McPherson, Ga., in April 1992.

Commanders during the Cold War and Gulf War

* Maj. Gen. Withers A. Burress - June 1951 - December 1952 * Maj. Gen. James M. Gavin - December 1952 - March 1954 * Lt. Gen.

Henry I. Hodes Henry Irving Hodes (March 19, 1899 – February 14, 1962) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, United States Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group from 1956 to 1959. Military career/biography Henry ...

- March 1954 - February 1955 * Lt. Gen. George H. Decker - February 1955 - May 1956 * Maj. Gen.

Halley G. Maddox Halley Grey Maddox (January 29, 1899 – May 26, 1977) was a career officer in the United States Army. A 1920 graduate of the United States Military Academy, he was originally assigned to the Infantry branch and later transferred to Cavalry. A ...

- June - July 1956 * Lt. Gen. John F. Uncles - August 1956 - August 1958 * Lt. Gen. Gordon B. Rogers - September 1958 - October 1959 * Lt. Gen. Guy S. Meloy Jr. - October 1959 - January 1961 * Lt. Gen. John C. Oakes - January 1961 - April 1962 * Lt. Gen. C. H. Bonesteel III - April 1962 - August 1963 * Lt. Gen.

Louis W. Truman Lieutenant General Louis Watson Truman (June 20, 1908 – December 2, 2004) was a senior United States Army officer. He served as Commanding General of the Third United States Army. Truman's father, Major General Ralph E. Truman, was a cousin o ...

- September 1963 - July 1965 * Lt. Gen.

Frank T. Mildren Frank Thomas Mildren (July 8, 1913 – September 14, 1990) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commander, Allied Land Forces South East Europe (COMLANDSOUTHEAST) from 1971 to 1973. Mildren was born on July 8, 1913 and ...

- July 1965 - May 1968 * Lt. Gen. Donald V. Bennett - June 1968 - September 1969 * Lt. Gen.

George G. O'Connor George Gray O'Connor (August 24, 1914 – March 24, 1971) was a United States Army lieutenant general who served as commander of the 9th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War and then as commander of VII Corps in West Germany and the Fourth ...

- October 1969 - February 1971 * Lt. Gen.

Fillmore K. Mearns Fillmore Kennady "Ken" Mearns (September 20, 1915 – November 18, 1997) was a United States Army lieutenant general who served as commander of the 25th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War and later as commander of VII Corps in West Germany ...

- February 1971- March 1973 * Lt. Gen. George S. Blanchard - March 1973 - June 1975 * Lt. Gen.

Frederick J. Kroesen Frederick James Kroesen Jr. (February 11, 1923 – April 30, 2020) was a United States Army four-star general who served as the Commanding General of the Seventh United States Army and the commander of NATO Central Army Group from 1979 to 1983, a ...

- July 1975 - October 1976 * Lt. Gen. David E. Ott - October 1976 - October 1978 * Lt. Gen.

Julius W. Becton, Jr. Julius Wesley Becton Jr. (born June 29, 1926) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and education administrator. He served as Commanding General, VII Corps in 1978 ...

- October 1978 - June 1981 * Lt. Gen. William J. Livsey - June 1981 - July 1983 * Lt. Gen.

John R. Galvin John Rogers Galvin (May 13, 1929 – September 25, 2015) was an American army general who served as the sixth dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a member of the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Ce ...

- July 1983 - February 1985 * Lt. Gen. Andrew P. Chambers - February 1985 - July 1987 * Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Watts - July 1987 - August 1989 * Lt. Gen.

Frederick M. Franks Frederick Melvin Franks Jr. (born 1 November 1936) is a retired general of the United States Army. He commanded the Gulf War coalition VII Corps in the highly successful "Left Hook" maneuver against fourteen Iraqi divisions, a number of whi ...

Jr. - August 1989 - June 1991 * Lt. Gen. Michael Spiglemire - August 1991 - 1992 (Inactivation)

References

* * *Casey, Melanie (13 July 2004), "From Helenen Kaserne to Kelley Barracks", Stuttgart Citizen (Stuttgart, Germany): P 10 * * * * Draft Report The Battle of 73 Easting, 26 February 1991, a historical introduction to a simulation. Krause, Col Michael, US Army Center of Military History, 2 May 1991. * *{{cite book , first1=James M. , last1=Gavin , title=On To Berlin , publisher = Viking Press/Penguin Books Canada Limited , location = New York, NY , year = 1978 , isbn = 0-670-52517-0

External links

GlobalSecurity.org: VII Corps

* ttp://www.xixcorps.nl/Mission_Accomplished_Story_of_the_VII_Corps.htm World War II operations history of VII Corps
History site for VII Corps

Military units and formations established in 1918 07 07 Military units and formations of the United States in the Cold War 1918 establishments in the United States Military units and formations disestablished in 1992