VII Corps (United States)

VII Corps was organized at the end of World War I on 19 August 1918, at Remiremont, France and was inactivated on 11 July 1919.[1] It was commanded by Major Generals William M. Wright, Omar Bundy, William G. Haan, and Henry Tureman Allen.[2] It was composed of the 6th, 81st and 88th Divisions, and served in the Vosges Sector.[2]

The VII Corps was reactivated as part of the Organized Reserve (OR) on 29 July 1921 and inactivated on 18 October 1927.[1] It was allotted to the Seventh Corps Area 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.[3]

VII Corps was reactivated at Fort McClellan, Alabama 25 November 1940 and participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers staged as the US Army prepared for World War II. In late December 1941, VII Corps HQ was moved to San Jose, California as part of the Western Defense Command and as it continued to train and prepare for deployment.[4]

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 during Operation Overlord, targeting Utah Beach via amphibious assault. For Overlord, the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were attached to VII Corps.[5] 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.[6] 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

Major General J. Lawton Collins, VII Corps, describes the taking of Cherbourg to General Omar Bradley, First Army.

For the Normandy Operation, VII Corps was part of 21st Army Group under the command of General Bernard Montgomery and the U.S. First Army commanded by Lieutenant General Courtney Hodges. The Corps was commanded by Major General J. Lawton Collins.

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.

VII Corps Cold War NATO assignment

Organisation of VII Corps in 1989 (click to enlarge)

VII Corps Garrison Footprint in the 1980s

From reactivation in 1950 and throughout the Cold War, the corps guarded part of NATO's front with the Warsaw Pact. Headquartered in Stuttgart at Kelley Barracks it was one of the two main US combat formations in Germany along with V Corps, which was headquartered in Frankfurt am Main at Abrams Building.

As finally envisaged in the General Defense Plan circa 1989, the 1st Canadian Division with its main headquarters at Kingston, Ontario, would have been assigned to the Commander, Central Army Group's tactical reserve, fighting alongside either the German II Corps or VII Corps.[8]

VII Corps Gulf War Map.

After Saddam Hussein's troops invaded Kuwait in 1990, the corps was deployed to Saudi Arabia 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 Iraqi troops from Kuwait.

Captured Iraqi T-72 Tank at VII Corps Cold War HQ, Kelley Barracks.

An Iraqi Republican Guard tank destroyed by Task Force 1-41 Infantry during the 1st Gulf War, February 1991.

In the Gulf War, 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.[11] It had a total troop strength of 146,321 troops.[12]

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 2nd Armored Division (Forward) was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division as its third maneuver brigade.[13] 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 British 1st Armorued Division, as well as the 11th Aviation Group.[14][15][16] 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 followed by the other two brigades of the 1st Infantry Division.[14] The 1st Armored Division would head north to engage the Iraqi Republican Guard in the Battle of Medina Ridge.[17] The 3rd Armored Division would protect the flank of the 1st Infantry Division. That gave VII Corps commander General Frederick M. Franks, Jr. 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 forces on its right wing. Led by Task Force 1-41 Infantry it pulverized all Iraqi forces that tried to stand and fight and destroyed a good proportion of the Iraqi Republican Guard divisions.[14] This confrontation was known as the Battle of Norfolk.[18]

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 "[o]nly on rare occasions will a unit larger than a battalion qualify for award of the VUA."[19]

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.[20]

VII Corps[21]

LTG Frederick M. Franks, Jr.

1st Armored Division

MG Ronald H. Griffith

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

2nd BN, 70th Armor Regiment

4th BN, 70th Armor Regiment

6th BN, 6th Infantry Regiment (Mech)

2nd BN, 1st Field Artillery Regiment (155SP)

3rd Brigade

3rd BN, 35th Armor Regiment

1st BN, 37th Armor Regiment

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)

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[22]

Maj Gen Rupert Smith

4th Armoured Brigade

Brig. Christopher Hammerbeck

14th/20th King's Hussars & squadron of Life Guards (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

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/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 (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)

Order of battle graphic showing VII U.S Army Corps during Operation Desert Storm

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 V Corps or USAREUR. A farewell ceremony was held in downtown Stuttgart at Schlossplatz, where the VII Corps colors were retired on 18 March 1992.[27] The official inactivation was held at Fort McPherson, Ga., in April 1992.[28]

• Bourque, Stephen A. (2002). Jayhawk! The VII Corps in the Persian Gulf War. Washington, DC: Center of Military History Publication. 70-73-1.
• Bourque, Stephen A.; Burdan, John (2007). The road to Safwan the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Denton, TX: University of North Texas Press. ISBN 9781574412321.
• Casey, Melanie (13 July 2004), "From Helenen Kaserne to Kelley Barracks", Stuttgart Citizen (Stuttgart, Germany): P 10
• "Desert Storm/Shield Valorous Unit Award (VUA) Citations". US Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
• Clancy, Tom (2007). Into The Storm: A Study in Command. Berkley Trade.
• Clay, Steven E. (2010). US Army Order of Battle 1919–1941, Vol. 1: The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations (PDF). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• Dinackus, Thomas D. (2000). Order of Battle: Allied Ground Forces of Operation Desert Storm. Central Point, Oregon: Hellgate Press. ISBN 1-55571-493-5.
• 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.
• Ryan, John (May 1998). Battle Command in the Storm: Lieutenant General Franks and VII Corps. School of Advanced Military Studies United States Army Command and General Staff College.
• Gavin, James M. (1978). On To Berlin. New York, NY: Viking Press/Penguin Books Canada Limited. ISBN 0-670-52517-0.

• GlobalSecurity.org: VII Corps
• Cold War History of VII Corps
• World War II operations history of VII Corps
• History site for VII Corps
• Order of Battle information on VII Corps