Engineer Brigade, 1st Armored Division
"Iron Sappers"
As part of the transformation to the modular force structure, modular brigade combat teams were to have their own organic engineer assets as part of the brigade special troops battalion. Additional engineer assets for modular divisions would also be assigned to division level sustainment brigades. As a result, the Engineer Brigade, 1st Armored Division was inactivated, along with its subordinate battalions. It had been the last active divisional engineer brigade in the US Army at the time of its inactivation.
The Engineer Brigade, 1st Armored Division was officially activated in September 1992 with 3 battalions, the 12th, 23rd, and 40th Engineer Battalions. In the summer of 1994, the 12th Battalion moved with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division to Fort Lewis, Washington, where it was reflagged as the 168th Engineer Battalion.
In 1995, the Engineer Brigade deployed to the former Republic of Yugoslavia in support of peace enforcement operations during Operation Joint Endeavor. With attached units from both US Army Europe (USAREUR) and the continental United States (CONUS), the Brigade quickly grew to over 5,000 soldiers. Most significantly, the Brigade planned and executed the historic crossing of the flooded Sava River on 31 December 1995. During the initial Bosnia deployment, the Brigade was responsible for construction of base camps for over 20,000 soldiers, construction and maintenance of roads, and establishing freedom of movement through the many minefields found throughout Bosnia.
In the spring of 1997, the 23rd Engineer Battalion was reflagged as the 16th Engineer Battalion. In October 1997, the Engineer Brigade began its deployment to Bosnia with the 16th Engineer Battalion and elements of HHD, Engineer Brigade to support Operation Joint Guard. Engineer missions included the monitoring of demining efforts by the Entity Armed Forces, as well as road and bridge repair. The 40th Engineer Battalion replaced the 16th Engineer Battalion in June 1998 and began transition efforts by the Entity Armed Forces towards meeting humanitarian de-mining standards in Bosnia. In addition, the Engineer Brigade took on the significant mission of managing $34 million worth of construction projects to improve quality of life and operational facilities for soldiers assigned to Task Force Eagle. Major projects included repair of the Tuzla Airfield allowing for strategic air capacity; upgrades of Eagle, Commanche, and McGovern basecamps; closure of the Blue Factory, Guardian, and Colt basecamps; and construction of a hospital at Eagle basecamp.
After returing to Germany, the Brigade immediately began a 5 month train-up for the Division and CORPS Warfighter Exercises. The Brigade also completed the planning and execution of the 55th Anniversary Ceremony of D-Day Invasion in Normandy, France. The Iron Sappers of the Engineer Brigade had a legacy of dedicated service in the United States Army Europe and they continued the rich tradition of combat engineers in America's 1st Armored Division.
In the late 2000s the 1st Armored Division as a whole began a transformation to the US Army's new modular force structure. As part of this reorganization, the restructured Brigade Combat Teams would gain organic engineer assets as part of brigade special troops battalions. Additional engineer assets might be held in a division level sustainment brigade. As a result, the Engineer Brigade, 1st Armored Division and its subordinate battalions were inactivated. At the time of its inactivation, the unit was the last divisional engineer brigade in the US Army.
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