4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division
"Iron Eagle"
The 4th Brigade, headquartered in Hanau, is the division's aviation brigade. Its maneuver units are 1st Battalion, 501st Aviation (Hanau); 2nd Battalion, 501st Aviation (Hanau), and 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry (Budingen). The mission of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, is to stand ready to support any call to mission that is ordered by 1st Armored Division for soldiers or supplies no matter the destination. Fliegerhorst Kaserne is primarily made up of aviation components of 4th Aviation Brigade including the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 501st Aviation Regiment and 127th Aviation Support Battalion.
The 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, was constituted on April 16, 1986 in the regular United States Army at Ansbach, Germany. Named the "Iron Eagle Brigade," it originally provided Command and Control for the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, the 501st Attack Helicopter Battalion, the 220th Assault Helicopter Company and the 224th Assault Helicopter Company. In December 1990, the Iron Eagle Brigade deployed to southwest Asia with the 1st Armored Division to support OPERATION DESERT SHIELD. In February 1991, the Brigade participated in OPERATION DESERT STORM as part of VII Corps and engaged Iraqi units, including the Republican Guard.
In September 1991, 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, colors were relocated from Ansbach to Erlensee, Germany. The 4th Brigade assumed command of the Battalions of the 227th Aviation Regiment and the 4th Squadron, 7th Cavalry, which were formerly under the control of the 4th Brigade, 3rd Armored Division. On October 21, 1991, the 4th Squadron, 7th Cavalry was redesignated as the 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry.
From December 1995 to December 1996, the 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of a multi-national peace implementation force during OPERATION JOINT ENDEAVOR. Aviation Task Force Comanche was the Command and Control Headquarters for 120 Task Force Eagle Helicopters that flew 33,000 hours to compel peace in the war-ravaged Balkans. On February 28, 1997, 4th Brigade redesignated its affiliation from the 227th Aviation Regiment to the 501st Aviation Regiment.
From June 2000 to June 2001, the 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, was again called upon to enforce peace in the Balkans. The Brigade deployed two Task Forces, Knightmare and Dragon, to Kosovo. The overwhelming success of this operation helped stabilize the region and saved countless lives.
From April 2003 until July 2004, the Brigade deployed to Iraq in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM and OPERATION IRON SABRE, where they played a significant role in the security and stabilization of Iraq and its people. Consisting of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-501st Aviation Battalion (Flying Dragons), 2-501st Aviation Battalion (Iron Knights), 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment (Blackhawks), 69th Chemical Company (Triple Threat), 127th Aviation Support Battalion (Workhorse), and various other attached units, the 4th Brigade Combat Team flew over 39,000 hours in the course of executing 6,747 missions, pumped 3,826,000 gallons of fuel, and apprehended over 100 insurgents and their weapons.
America's Armored Division (1AD) conducted a Transfer of Authority effective May 28, 2003. A day prior, the 4BCT, 1AD, assumed control of flights over Baghdad, with an official Transfer of Authority occurring on May 27, 2003. These two transfers in authority denote a relief of duty in Baghdad for 3rd Infantry Division, particularly its Aviation Brigade.The unit from Savannah, Georgia stood solid after it rolled into Baghdad. For nearly a month after its rapid advance on Baghdad the unit worked to return the city and surrounding countryside to normal after intense conflict and battle. 4BDE, 3ID controlled multiple MEDEVAC flights,reconnaissance flights, and gunship support mission4BCT, 1AD deployed from the desert of Kuwait, rolling acrossthe over 560 kilometers stretch of pav e-ment and desert sand to relieve 4BDE, 3ID and allow them to initiate redeployment from Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). The delay of movement orders for the bulk of 3ID left twice too many soldiers occupying limited space on BIAP. This created cramped living conditions, with 4BCT, 1AD soldiers living on the hangar floor until recently beginning to occupy living quarters on the airfield.In spite of these conditions, 4BCT, 1AD soldiers have more than persevered and have accomplish unprecdented mission success. The leaders, crews, and soldiers of 4BCT, 1AD conducted a seamless a s-sumption of existing missions and operations. Immediately upon taking the mantle of responsibility for rotary wing aircraft operations over Baghdad, multiple support and reconnaissance missions were launched to ensure that noncompliant forces were controlled or detained.
