History of the First Division

Interwar: 1918-1941

After the Armistice was declared on November 11, 1918, the First Division led the American Army of Occupation across the Rhine River into Germany. Now known as the Big Red One from its distinctive shoulder patch, the Division occupied a bridgehead at Coblenz, Germany. In 1919 at Coblenz, the First Division soldiers established the Society of the First Division. The Society thrives today and hosts annual reunions of member First Division veterans. In the fall of 1919, the Division was the last American combat unit to return to the United States, where it marched in victory parades in New York City and Washington, DC.

The Division was one of only four retained on active duty between 1919 and 1940. Its headquarters was on Governor’s Island in New York harbor with the 16th Infantry Regiment. Its other units were scattered along the East Coast. In 1939, as war raged in Europe, the Big Red One was re-organized as a “triangular division” of three infantry regiments (the 16th, 18th and 26th) and redesignated as the 1st Infantry Division. It was the first Army division to undergo amphibious training.

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