1st Cavalry Division Artillery (DIVARTY)
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Cavalry Division Artillery, was constituted on 1 November 1940 in the Regular Army. It was then activated on 3 January 1941 at Fort Bliss, TX, for extensive field training. At this time, the 82nd Field Artillery Regiment was the only artillery unit assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. Throughout 1942, the 1st Cavalry Division Artillery underwent intensive training by honing its readiness to a fine edge.
Next, the 1st Cavalry Division Artillery wrote the first chapter of its history - The Admiralty Islands Campaign. This was followed by participation in the Leyte and Luzon Campaigns from 6 September 1945 to 1950. The Division Artillery performer occupation duty in Japan and girded itself for its next call to combat.
On 18 July 1950, the 1st Cavalry Division Artillery once again entered combat, this time in Korea. During the first few weeks, the Division's artillerymen found themselves fighting with small arms alongside their artillery pieces. The cannoneers of the 1st Cavalry Division Artillery continued to do their share in the fighting in Korea during 1950-1951.
In July 1965, the 1st Cavalry Division Artillery's colors were transferred to Fort Benning, GA, where it became part of the 1st Cavalry Division(Airmobile). The 1st Cavalry Division Artillery deployed to Vietnam in September 1965. Across all four Corps areas, as well as the incursion into Cambodia, the airmobile "Redlegs" checkmated the enemy at every turn.
In May 1971, the colors of the 1st Cavalry Division Artillery arrived at Fort Hood, TX.
In 1991, the Red Team helped pave the way for the1st Cavalry Division's charge into Iraq, while showering the enemy with over 9,00 cannon round and MLRS rockets. The artillery's lethal effects directly contributed to the success of the theater's deception plan. DIVARTY units were the first United States Army artillery units to fire cannon and copperhead rounds as well as MLRS rockets in combat during Desert Storm.
The 1st Cavalry Division Artillery deployed in support of the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Forge.
On 30 June 2005, the 1st Cavalry Division Artillery (Div Arty) inactivated in ceremonies at Cooper Field on Fort Hood, Texas. The Div Arty has been part of the first Cavalry Division for the past 65 years. The inactivation was part of the division’s becoming modular.
The division had recently returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom II, serving as Task Force Baghdad. While in Iraq, the Div Arty Headquarters served as the division’s 5th Brigade Combat Team (BCT) and several FA battalions served as motorized task forces.
During his inactivation speech, the Commanding General of the 1st Cavalry Division, Major General Pete Chiarelli, praised the performance of the Div Arty in Iraq. “If you were to read each of [the Div Arty] Soldier’s records, you would not see infantryman written on them…. But on the streets of Baghdad, you couldn’t tell the difference. These were professional Soldiers with missions to accomplish, and they performed absolutely magnificently.”
Also during the 30 June ceremony, the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry (1-7 Cav) and 1-21 FA had changes of commands. Both battalions were part of the 5th BCT, among other units.
