View source for First Army (United States)

{{Short description|Field army of the United States Army}}
{{For|the fictitious World War II–era unit intended to deceive Axis forces of the Invasion of Normandy|First United States Army Group}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = First Army
| image                         = 1st Army.svg
| image_size                    = 180
| caption                       = [[Shoulder sleeve insignia]] and [[combat service identification badge]] of the First United States Army.
| dates                         = 1918–1919 <br> 1933–present
| country                       = {{flag|United States}}
| allegiance                    = 
| branch                        = {{army|United States}}
| type                          = Security operations
| role                          = Training support
| size                          = [[Theater Army]]
| command_structure             = [[United States Army Forces Command]]
| website                       = {{URL|http://www.first.army.mil/|first.army.mil}}
| commander1                    = [[Lieutenant general (United States)|LTG]] [[Mark H. Landes]]
| commander1_label              = Commanding General
| commander2                    = MG [[Mark D. McCormack]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=MG Mark D. McCormack |url=https://www.first.army.mil/People/Leadership/Biography-View/Article/3048405/maj-gen-mark-mccormack/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=www.first.army.mil |language=en-US}}</ref>
| commander2_label              = Deputy Commanding General (Operations)
| commander3                    = MG Timothy E. Brennan<ref>{{Cite web |title=MG Timothy E. Brennan |url=https://www.first.army.mil/People/Leadership/Biography-View/Article/3049018/maj-gen-timothy-brennan/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=www.first.army.mil |language=en-US}}</ref>
| commander3_label              = Deputy Commanding General (Support)
| commander4                    = [[Command sergeant major|CSM]] Christopher A. Prosser<ref>{{Cite web |title=CSM Christopher A. Prosser |url=https://www.first.army.mil/People/Leadership/Biography-View/Article/3045718/command-sgt-maj-christopher-prosser/ |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=www.first.army.mil |language=en-US}}</ref>
| commander4_label              = Command Sergeant Major
| garrison                      = [[Rock Island Arsenal]]<br />{{nowrap|[[Rock Island County, Illinois]], U.S.}}
| nickname                      = Doughboys
| patron                        = 
| motto                         = ''First in Deed''
| colors                        = 
| march                         = 
| battles                       = [[World War I]]<br />[[World War II]]
| notable_commanders            = [[John J. Pershing]]<br />[[Omar Bradley]]<br />[[Courtney Hodges]]<br />[[Russel L. Honoré]]<br/ >
| anniversaries                 = 10 August 1918
| identification_symbol         = [[File:1st Army Distinctive Unit Insignia.jpg|100px|center]]
| identification_symbol_label   = [[Distinctive unit insignia]]
| identification_symbol_2       = [[File:Flag of the First United States Army.svg|border|150px|center]]
| identification_symbol_2_label = Flag
}}

'''First Army''' is the oldest and longest-established [[field army]] of the [[United States Army]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Salzer |first=Darron |date=August 16, 2018 |title=First Army celebrates 100 years of history |url=https://www.army.mil/article/209836/first_army_celebrates_100_years_of_history |work=Army.mil |publisher=U.S. Army |location=Arlington, VA}}</ref> It served as a theater army, having seen service in both [[World War I]] and [[World War II]], and supplied the US army with soldiers and equipment during the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]] under some of the most famous and distinguished [[Officer (armed forces)|officers]] of the U.S. Army. It now serves as a mobilization, readiness and training command.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mission statement |url=https://www.usar.army.mil/USARSCFA/ |access-date=September 3, 2021 |publisher=The United States Army Reserve Support Command, First Army (USARSCFA)}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Establishment and World War I ===
The First Army was established on 10 August 1918 as a field army when sufficient American military manpower had arrived on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] during the final months of [[World War I]]. The large number of troops assigned to the [[American Expeditionary Forces]] (AEF) required the activation of subordinate commands. To fill this need, First Army was the first of three field armies established under the AEF. The first commander was General [[John J. Pershing]], who also served as [[Commander-in-chief|Commander-in-Chief]] (C-in-C) of the AEF. The headquarters planned and directed the first major American offensive, the St Mihiel Offensive (September 12 to 16, 1918).<ref name=AHP>{{cite web|title=A HIDEOUS PRICE|author1=Lt. Col. Peter F. Owens, USMC (RET)|author2= Lt. Col. John Swift, USMC (RET) | url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/A%20Hideous%20Price_WEB.pdf|page=6|access-date=13 January 2025}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War American Expeditionary Forces: General Headquarters Armies, Army Corps, Services of Supply|publisher=Government Printing Office|year=1931|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=107, 149}}</ref> It later went on to fight in the largest and deadliest battle in the United States Army's history, the [[Meuse–Argonne offensive]]. Serving in its ranks throughout World War I were many figures who later played important roles in [[World War II]]. First Army, now under Lieutenant General [[Hunter Liggett]], was inactivated on April 20, 1919, five months after the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|Armistice with Germany]] which ended hostilities.<ref name=":0" />

=== Inter-war years ===
As part of the realization of the [[National Defense Act of 1920|1920 amendment]] to the [[National Defense Act of 1916]], the Army Chief of Staff, General [[Douglas MacArthur]], directed the establishment of six field armies that each commanded three [[corps area]]s that were geographically located. The "First Army Area" (First, Second, and Third Corps Areas) contained the First and Fourth Armies, the "Second Army Area" (Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Corps Areas) contained the Second and Fifth Armies, and the "Third Army Area" (Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Corps Areas) contained the Third and Sixth Armies. Between 1921 and 1932, the six field armies were constituted in the [[United States Army Reserve|Organized Reserve]] rather than in the Regular Army, as the War Department did not see a need for active-duty field army headquarters in peacetime. The Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army, was originally constituted in the Organized Reserve on 15 October 1921 and allotted to the Second Corps Area. The headquarters was initiated on 28 August 1924 at [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. In August 1927, the War Department realized it would need at least one active-duty field army, in command of three corps, in case of any contingencies, and so the First Army was withdrawn from the Organized Reserve on 15 August 1927 and demobilized.

{{Military unit sidebar|title=US Field Armies 1919-present|next=[[Second United States Army]]}}

A new field army, designated Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Seventh Army, was constituted in the Regular Army on 15 August 1927 and allotted to the Second [[Corps Area]] in place of First Army. It was redesignated Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army on 13 October 1927. Headquarters, First Army, was activated on 8 September 1932 at [[Governor’s Island]], New York, and assumed control over the First, Second, and Third Corps Areas. The [[First Corps Area]] was headquartered in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Second Corps Area]] was headquartered at [[Fort Jay]], on [[Governors Island]] in [[New York Harbor]], and [[Third Corps Area]] headquarters was at [[Fort Howard (Maryland)|Fort Howard]] near [[Baltimore, Maryland]]. The overall mission of First Army was commanding and training the Regular Army, National Guard, and Organized Reserve units in its three corps areas.

First Army's first commander, from 1932 to 1936, was Major General [[Dennis E. Nolan]], who had been the American Expeditionary Force's (AEF) chief of intelligence during World War I. He was followed by Major General [[Fox Conner]], previously First Corps Area commander, who had been the AEF's Chief of Operations in World War I. In the years between the wars, Conner was a crucial mentor in the careers of [[Dwight Eisenhower]] and [[George C. Marshall]]. Passed over as a candidate for Army Chief of Staff for Douglas MacArthur in 1930, Conner was assigned to command the First Corps Area instead, later commanding First Army in 1936. Conner retired in 1938.

In 1938, First Army came under command of General [[Hugh A. Drum]]. Drum began to develop the First Army into a bona fide field army with the expansion of the Army in 1939 and through the early 1940s. It began to establish and develop its own staff and participated in the large-scale Army maneuvers in Louisiana and North Carolina between 1939 and 1941. As the United States entered World War II, Drum was assigned command of the newly established [[Eastern Defense Command]], responsible for coastal and domestic defense, which relieved the First Army of this responsibility on 24 December 1942. Drum retired in 1943 when he reached the mandatory retirement age. General [[George Grunert]], commander of the Second Service Command, assumed command of the First Army until Headquarters, First Army was activated in Bristol, England in January 1944 under the command of General [[Omar Bradley]].

=== World War II ===
First Army's entry into World War II began in October 1943 as [[Omar Bradley|Bradley]] returned to Washington, D.C., to receive his command and began to assemble a staff and headquarters to prepare for [[Operation Overlord]], the codename assigned to the establishment of a large-scale [[lodgement]] on the European Continent following [[Normandy landings|Operation Neptune]], which was the [[invasion of Normandy]]. The headquarters were activated in January 1944 at Bristol, England.

The second iteration of the First Army as constituted in the Regular Army after World War I did not continue the lineage of the World War I-era First Army; on 27 June 1944, the World War I-era First Army was reconstituted in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army, and was consolidated with the active Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army. Upon going ashore on 6 June 1944, [[Normandy Landings|D-Day]], First Army came under General [[Bernard Montgomery]]'s [[21st Army Group]] (alongside the [[British Second Army]]) which commanded all American ground forces during the invasion. Three American divisions were landed by sea at the western end of the beaches, and two more were landed by air. On [[Utah Beach]], the assault troops of [[VII Corps (United States)|VII Corps]] made good progress, but [[V Corps (United States)|V Corps]] on [[Omaha Beach]] came nearest of all of the five landing areas to disaster. The two American airborne divisions that landed, the 82nd and 101st, were scattered all over the landscape, and caused considerable confusion among the German soldiers, as well as largely securing their objectives, albeit with units completely mixed up with each other. First Army captured much of the early gains of the Allied forces in [[Normandy]]. Once the beachheads were linked together, its troops struck west and isolated the [[Cotentin Peninsula]], and then captured [[Cherbourg]]. When the American [[Mulberry harbour]] was wrecked by a storm, Cherbourg became even more vital.

After the capture of Cherbourg, First Army struck south. In [[Operation Cobra]], its forces finally managed to break through the German lines. The newly established [[US Third Army|Third Army]] was then fed through the gap and raced across France.

With the arrival of more US troops in France, the Army then passed from the control of the 21st Army Group to the newly arrived [[12th Army Group]] which commanded the First Army and the newly formed Third Army under Lieutenant General [[George S. Patton]].  General Bradley assumed command of the 12th Army Group and Lieutenant General [[Courtney Hodges]] was placed in command of the First Army. First Army followed Third Army, the American armies forming the southern part of the encirclement of Germans at the [[Falaise pocket]].

After capturing Paris (the ''[[Wehrmachtbefehlshaber]] von Groß-Paris'', [[Dietrich von Choltitz]], capitulated 25 August, ignoring Hitler's ''Trümmerfeldbefehl''),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.choltitz.de/bilderseiten/redentexte/truemmerfeldbefehl.htm|title=Dietrich von Choltitz - Trümmerfeldbefehl|website=www.choltitz.de}}</ref><ref>[http://www.dhm.de/lemo/html/wk2/index.html Dokument], Deutsches Historisches Museum</ref> During the [[Battle of the Mons Pocket]] VII Corps took approximately 25,000 prisoners.<ref name="Europe Remembers">{{cite web |title=The Mons Pocket, or the "Petit Stalingrad" of the Borinage |url=https://europeremembers.com/story/the-mons-pocket-or-the-petit-stalingrad-of-the-borinage/ |website=Europe Remembers |publisher=Liberation Route Europe Foundation |access-date=21 March 2021}}</ref> First Army headed towards the south of the [[Netherlands]]. First Army liberated most of Luxembourg in three days from 9–12 September 1944.

When the Germans attacked during the [[Battle of the Bulge]], First Army found itself on the north side of the salient, and thus isolated from [[12th Army Group]], its commanding authority. It was, therefore, temporarily transferred, along with [[Ninth United States Army|Ninth Army]], back to 21st Army Group under Montgomery on 20 December.<ref>[http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/ardennes/aral.htm Ardennes-Alsace] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206183021/http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/ardennes/aral.htm |date=6 December 2008 }}, Sullivan, Gordon R.</ref> The salient was reduced by early February 1945. Following the Battle of the Bulge, the [[Rhineland Campaign]] began, and First Army was transferred back to 12th Army Group. In [[Operation Lumberjack]], First Army closed up to the lower [[Rhine]] by 5 March, and the higher parts of the river five days later.

On 7 March, in a stroke of luck, Company A, 27th Armored Infantry Battalion, part of [[Combat Command]] B, [[9th Armored Division (United States)|9th Armored Division]], found the [[Ludendorff Bridge]] across the Rhine at [[Remagen]] still standing. It quickly [[Battle of Remagen|captured the bridge]] and established a secure bridgehead. in the next 15 days, over 25,000 troops and their equipment crossed the river. By 4 April, an enormous pocket had been created by First Army and [[Ninth United States Army|Ninth Army]], which contained the [[German Army Group B]] under [[Walter Model|Field Marshal Model]], the last significant combat force in the northwest of Germany. While some elements of First Army concentrated on reducing the [[Ruhr pocket]], others headed further east, creating another pocket containing the [[11th SS Panzer Army|German Eleventh Army]]. First Army reached the [[Elbe]] by 18 April. There the advance halted, as that was the agreed demarcation zone between the American and Soviet forces. First Army and Soviet forces met on 25 April.

In May 1945, advance elements of First Army headquarters had returned to New York City and were preparing to redeploy to the [[Pacific War|Pacific theater of the war]] to prepare for Operation Coronet, the planned second phase of [[Operation Downfall]] the proposed invasion of [[Honshū]], the main island of Japan in the spring of 1946, but the [[Surrender of Japan|Japanese surrender]] in August 1945 thanks to the [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]] terminated that effort.

=== Post-war and peacetime missions ===
First Army returned to the United States in late 1945; first to [[Fort Jackson (South Carolina)]], then to [[Fort Bragg]], North Carolina, returning to [[Fort Jay]], [[Governors Island]], New York, in the spring of 1946.  Twenty years later, in 1966, First Army relocated to [[Fort George G. Meade|Fort Meade]], Maryland, and took over the responsibilities of [[Second United States Army|Second Army]], which was inactivated.  In 1973, First Army's mission changed from training and preparation of active units to Army Reserve units. In a 1993 reorganization, five divisions carried out that training and support mission:

:[[75th Infantry Division (United States)|75th Division]], Houston, Texas
:[[U.S. 78th Infantry Division|78th "Lightning" Division]], Edison, New Jersey
:[[85th Infantry Division (United States)|85th "Custer" Division]], Arlington Heights, Illinois
:[[U.S. 87th Infantry Division|87th "Golden Acorn" Division]], Birmingham, Alabama
:[[91st Infantry Division (United States)|91st "Wild West" Division]], Dublin, California

In 1993, Headquarters First Army relocated to [[Fort Gillem]], near Atlanta, Georgia, and became responsible for the training and mobilization of all Army Reserve and National Guard units in the United States and providing assistance to the civilian sector during national emergencies and natural disasters. In the latter role, First Army's contributions during the 2005 [[Hurricane Katrina]] disaster was a rare bright spot in leading federal relief efforts in the aftermath of the storm. Its commander, [[Russel L. Honoré]], a Louisiana native, became a nationally recognized figure in his direct, no-nonsense approach to disaster relief which earned First Army a [[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]].

In the 21st century, First Army was subjected to more changes as base closures and force structures were instituted to modernize, economize and change its mission. In 2005, a [[Base Realignment and Closure|Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)]] Commission decision called for the relocation of First Army headquarters to [[Rock Island Arsenal]], Illinois, in 2011. Its former quarters at Fort Gillem was to transition to a single national location for the mobilization and demobilization of Army National Guard and Reserve units.

In a second change, as part of the 2006 [[Reorganization plan of United States Army|reorganization of the United States Army]] program, First Army exchanged its civilian assistance mission for the training and support missions for military units in the western United States formerly held by US [[Fifth United States Army|Fifth Army]]. Fifth Army then became U.S. Army, North with responsibilities for homeland defense and domestic emergency assistance.

First Army inactivated its training divisions and reactivated them as separate training brigades under two commands. [[First Army Division East]], headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky (relocated from Fort Meade, Maryland in 2016), has responsibilities in all states east of the Mississippi River; and [[First Army Division West]] assuming Fifth Army's role and relocating from Fort Carson to its new headquarters at [[Fort Hood]], Texas, oversees units in all states west of the Mississippi River.

First United States Army was redesignated as First Army on 3 October 2006.

== Heraldic items ==

=== Shoulder sleeve insignia ===
* Description: On a background equally divided horizontally white and red, {{frac|3|1|4}} inches high and {{frac|2|1|2}} inches wide at base and {{frac|2|1|8}} inches wide at top, a black block letter "A", {{frac|2|3|4}} inches high, 2&nbsp;inches wide at base and {{frac|1|5|8}} inches wide at top, all members 7/16&nbsp;inch wide, all enclosed within a 1/8&nbsp;inch Army Green border.
* Symbolism:
#The red and white of the background are the colors used in flags for Armies.
#The letter "A" represents "Army" and is also the first letter of the alphabet suggesting "First Army."

* Background:
[[File:US Army 1st Army SSI Prior to 1950.png|thumb|US Army 1st Army Shoulder Sleeve Insignia Prior to 1950 red and white background]]
#A black letter "A" was approved as the authorized insignia by the Commanding General, American Expedition Force, on 16 November 1918 and approved by the War Department on 5 May 1922.
#The background was added on 17 November 1950.

=== Insignia ===
* Description:
#A gold color metal and enamel device {{frac|1|1|4}} inches high overall consisting of a black enamel capital letter "A" bearing three gold stars on the top cross bar and five gold on the center cross bar, in front of and interlaced with a gold fleur-de-lis.
#The vertical petal is charged in base with a red enamel arrowhead behind and extending above the letter "A" and the tops of the two outside or flanking petals above the cross bar extending over the vertical legs of the letter "A".
#The lower ends of the outside petals curve under and over the lower ends of the vertical legs of the letter "A" and are joined by a gold arched scroll inscribed "First In Deed" in black enamel letters.
#The areas within the letter "A" above the center cross bar are white enamel and the areas below the cross bar are red enamel.
* Symbolism:
#The basic design was suggested by the authorized shoulder sleeve insignia of the First Army.
#The Interlaced fleur-de-lis represent wartime service in France and alludes to the initial organization of the Headquarters Company as the Headquarters Troop, First Army at [[La Ferte-sous-Jouarre]], France 10 August 1918.
#The three stars at the top of the letter "A" are for [[Lorraine Campaign|Lorraine 1918]], [[Battle of Saint-Mihiel|St. Mihiel]] and [[Meuse-Argonne Campaign|Meuse-Argonne campaigns]] in which the First Army participated in [[World War I]].
#The five stars on the center cross bar are for the [[Invasion of Normandy|Normandy]], [[Northern France Campaign|Northern France]], [[Rhineland Campaign|Rhineland]], [[Ardennes-Alsace Campaign|Ardennes-Alsace]] and [[Central Europe Campaign|Central Europe campaigns]] in which the First Army participated in [[World War II]], the red arrowhead referring to the assault landing on the [[Normandy]] beaches.
#The motto "First In Deed" is based on the numerical designation, purpose and achievements of the First United States Army.
* Background: The insignia was approved on 27 January 1969.

== Lineage ==
* The '''First United States Army''' was organized on 10 August 1918 in the Regular Army in France as '''Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, First Army'''.
* Headquarters Troop was reorganized and redesignated in September 1918 as '''Troop A, Headquarters Battalion, First Army.''' It saw action in the [[American Expeditionary Force]] in the latter stages of [[World War I]] and included many figures who were later to become very famous, such as [[Douglas MacArthur]].
* Troop A, Headquarters Battalion, First Army was redesignated on 1 March 1919, as Headquarters Troop, First Army, and Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, First Army, demobilized on 20 April 1919 in France.
* First Army was Constituted 15 August 1927 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Seventh Army, but was Redesignated 13 October 1927 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army.
* Headquarters, First Army activated 1 October 1933 at [[Fort Jay]], [[Governors Island]], New York. It had the mission of training Army formations at the time, as did all the other field armies.
* Headquarters Company activated 18 November 1940 at [[Fort Jay]], [[Governors Island]], New York.
* October 1943, Headquarters First Army relocated from [[Fort Jay]], [[Governors Island]], New York to Bristol, England in anticipation of Normandy invasion.
* A separate First Army was Reconstituted on 27 June 1944 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army; concurrently consolidated with the original Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army. The consolidated unit designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First Army.
* First Army Headquarters returns to [[Fort Jay]], [[Governors Island]], New York in 1946.
* First Army was Redesignated 1 January 1957 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, First United States Army.
* Merger of First and Second Army, relocation of headquarters to Fort Meade and closure of [[Fort Jay]], [[Governors Island]], New York announced 20 November 1964.
* 1 January 1966, the First and Second U.S. Armies merged and First Army headquarters moved to [[Fort George G. Meade|Fort Meade]], Maryland.
* Headquarters Company inactivated 5 June 1970 at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, while Headquarters, First U.S. Army continued to function.
* In 1973 the First Army again changed its orientation to improving the readiness of the Reserve Components.
* In 1993, First Army headquarters was moved to [[Fort Gillem]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] (the former Atlanta Army Depot).
* In 2005, First Army is awarded a [[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]] for leading federal response to [[Hurricane Katrina]].<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=https://prhome.defense.gov/Portals/52/Documents/MRA_Docs/MPP/OEPM/Approved%20JMUAs%20-%20Updated%202018%2001%2004.pdf?ve |title=Joint Meritorious Unit Award – Approved DoD Activities |author=Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness |date=January 4, 2018 |website=PRhome.defense.gov |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |location=Alexandria, VA |access-date=July 25, 2022 |page=16 |quote=HQ, Joint Task Force Katrina, Fort Gillem, Georgia 31 Aug 05 – 13 Oct 05}}</ref>
* In 2006, it was announced that subject to Base Realignment and Closure Act, Fort Gillem would eventually be closed and First Army headquarters relocated to [[Rock Island Arsenal]] Illinois.
* 1 December 2006, First Army reorganizes and reflags its five Reserve Component Training Support Divisions into 16 training brigades and establishes two sub-commands, First Army Division East and First Army Division West. First Army East at Fort Meade, Maryland administers eight brigades east of the Mississippi River and First Army West at Fort Hood, Texas, assumes the training responsibilities with eight brigades formerly held by U.S. Fifth Army. Fifth Army becomes U.S. Army, North, and assumes First Army's domestic assistance duties.

== First U.S. Army honors ==

=== Campaign participation credit ===
{| class=wikitable
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Conflict
! Streamer
! Year(s)
|-
| rowspan="3" | [[World War I]] <br /> [[File:Streamer WWI V.PNG|150px]]
|| [[Battle of Saint-Mihiel|St. Mihiel]]
|| 1918
|-
|| [[Meuse-Argonne Offensive|Meuse-Argonne]]
|| 1918
|-
|| Lorraine 1918
|| 1918
|-
| rowspan="5" | [[World War II]] <br /> [[File:European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png|150px]]<br /> [[File:Streamer WWII V.PNG|150px]]
|| [[Operation Overlord|Normandy]] (with arrowhead)
|| 1944
|-
|| [[Northern France Campaign|Northern France]]
|| 1944
|-
|| [[Battle of the Rhineland|Rhineland]]
|| 1945
|-
|| [[Battle of the Bulge|Ardennes-Alsace]]
|| 1944–1945
|-
|| [[Central Europe Campaign|Central Europe]]
|| 1945
|-
|}
{{Clear}}

=== Decorations ===
{| class="wikitable"
! Ribbon
! Award
! Year
! Orders
|-
||[[File:Streamer JMUA.PNG|150px]]
||[[Joint Meritorious Unit Award]]
||2005
||For leading the federal response<br /> to [[Hurricane Katrina]] 2005.<ref name="auto" />
|--
||[[File:Streamer SUC.png|150px]]
||[[Army Superior Unit Award]]
||2001–2004
||Lineage & Honors Statement<br />30 April 2012<ref>United States Army Center of Military History, [http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/army/firstarmy.htm Lineage and Honors] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203175158/http://www.history.army.mil///html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/army/firstarmy.htm |date=3 February 2017 }}, First United States Army, dated 30 April 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2017.</ref>
|-
||[[File:Streamer SUC.png|150px]]
||[[Army Superior Unit Award]]
||2004–2008
||Permanent Orders 120-10<br />30 April 2009<ref>US Army Human Resources Command, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100607231858/http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/HRC/2009/120-010_20090430_HRCMD.pdf Permanent Orders 120-10], dated 30 April 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2017.</ref>
|-
||[[File:Streamer SUC.png|150px]]
||[[Army Superior Unit Award]]
||2008–2011
||[[File:332-07 20121127 HRCMD CC.pdf|thumb|Permanent Orders 332-07 announcing award of the Army Superior Unit award]]
|-
|}
{{Clear}}

== Organization ==
On order,<ref>[https://www.army.mil/article/212527/army_reserve_preparing_to_fight_on_a_new_battlefield Sgt. Audrey Hayes (October 17, 2018) Army Reserve preparing to fight on a new battlefield]</ref> First Army expands to nine Mobilization force generation installations (MFGI) to mobilize the Reserve component of the US Army. The Army Reserve mobilizes Focused readiness units (FRU) to meet Operational plan (OPLAN) requirements of the [[Unified combatant command#Combatant commanders|combatant commander]] (CCDR).

=== Current ===
[[File:1st Army.svg|20px]] [[First Army Division East]] – Fort Knox, Kentucky<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.first.army.mil/diveast/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228014540/http://www.first.army.mil/diveast/|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 December 2014|title=First Army Division East}}</ref>
:[[4th Cavalry Brigade (United States)|4th "Saber" Cavalry Brigade]]  – Fort Knox, Kentucky. Formerly the 85th Division's 4th Brigade.
:[[157th Infantry Brigade (United States)|157th "Spartan" Infantry Brigade]] – Camp Atterbury, Indiana. Formerly the 87th Division's 5th Brigade.
:[[174th Infantry Brigade (United States)|174th "Patriot" Infantry Brigade]] – Fort Dix, New Jersey. Formerly the 78th Division's 2nd Brigade.
:[[177th Armored Brigade (United States)|177th "Mudcats" Armored Brigade]] – Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Formerly the 87th Division's 3rd Brigade.
:[[188th Infantry Brigade (United States)|188th "Battle Ready" Infantry Brigade]] – Fort Stewart, Georgia. Formerly the 87th Division's 4th Brigade.

[[File:1st Army.svg|20px]] [[First Army Division West]] – Fort Hood, Texas<ref>[http://www.hood.army.mil/div_west/ First Army Division West] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091011083832/http://www.hood.army.mil/div_west/ |date=11 October 2009 }}</ref>
:[[5th Armored Brigade (United States)|5th Armored Brigade]] – Fort Bliss, Texas.  Formerly the 91st Division's 2nd Brigade.
:[[120th Infantry Brigade (United States)|120th Infantry Brigade]] – Fort Hood, Texas. Formerly the 75th Division's 2nd Brigade.
:[[166th Aviation Brigade (United States)|166th Aviation Brigade]] – Fort Hood, Texas.  Formerly the 75th Division's 3rd Brigade.
:[[181st Infantry Brigade (United States)|181st "Eagle" Infantry Brigade]] – Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. Formerly the 85th Division's 2nd Brigade.
:[[189th Infantry Brigade (United States)|189th "Bayonet" Infantry Brigade]] – Fort Lewis, Washington. Formerly the 78th Division's 4th Brigade.

==List of commanders==
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* GEN [[John J. Pershing]] 1918
* MG [[Hunter Liggett]] 1918–1919
* MG [[Dennis E. Nolan]] 1932–1936
* MG [[Fox Conner]] 1936–1938
* MG [[Frank Ross McCoy]] 1938 (interim)
* MG [[James K. Parsons]] 1938 (interim)
* LTG [[Hugh A. Drum]] 1938–1943
* LTG [[George Grunert]] 1943-1944
* LTG [[Omar N. Bradley]] 1944
* GEN [[Courtney H. Hodges]] 1944–1949
* MG [[Roscoe B. Woodruff]] 1949 (interim)
* GEN [[Walter Bedell Smith]] 1949–1950
* MG [[Roscoe B. Woodruff]] 1950 (interim)
* LTG [[Willis D. Crittenberger]] 1950–1952
* LTG [[Withers A. Burress]] 1953–1954
* LTG [[Thomas W. Herren]] 1954–1957
* LTG [[Blackshear M. Bryan]] 1957–1960
* LTG [[Edward J. O'Neill (general)|Edward J. O'Neill]] 1960–1962
* LTG [[Garrison H. Davidson]] 1962–1964
* LTG [[Robert W. Porter Jr.]] 1964–1965
* LTG [[Thomas W. Dunn]] 1965
* LTG [[William F. Train]] 1966–1967
* LTG [[Jonathan O. Seaman]] 1967–1971
* LTG [[Claire E. Hutchin Jr.]] 1971–1973
* LTG [[Glenn D. Walker]] 1973–1974
* LTG [[James G. Kalergis]] 1974–1975
* LTG [[Jeffrey G. Smith]] 1975–1979
* LTG [[John F. Forrest]] 1979–1981
* LTG [[Donald E. Rosenblum]] 1981–1984
* LTG [[Charles D. Franklin]] 1984–1987
* LTG [[James E. Thompson Jr.]] 1987–1991
* LTG [[James H. Johnson Jr.]] 1991-1993
* LTG [[John P. Otjen]] 1993–1995
* LTG [[Guy A. J. LaBoa]] 1995–1997
* LTG [[George A. Fisher Jr.]] 1997–1999
* LTG [[John M. Riggs]] 1999–2001
* LTG [[Joseph R. Inge]] 2001–2004
* LTG [[Russel L. Honoré]] 2004–2008
* LTG [[Thomas G. Miller]] 2008–2011
* LTG [[John Michael Bednarek]] 2011–2013
* MG [[Kevin R. Wendel]] 2013 (interim)
* LTG [[Michael S. Tucker]] 2013–2016
* LTG [[Stephen M. Twitty]] 2016–2018
* MG [[Erik C. Peterson (general)|Erik C. Peterson]] 2018 (acting)
* LTG [[Thomas S. James Jr.]] 2018–2021
* LTG [[Antonio A. Aguto Jr.]] 2021–2022
* MG [[Mark H. Landes]] 2023–2024 (acting)
* MG [[William A. Ryan III]] 2024 (interim)
* LTG [[Mark H. Landes]] 2024–Present
{{div col end}}

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
{{ACMH|url =http://www.history.army.mil/BOOKS/Lineage/ACDSB/FUSA.htm| title= First United States Army}}
* ''After Action Report First U.S. Army, 1–3 December 1944''. Fort Jackson, 1945.
* American Battle Monuments Commission. ''American Armies and Battlefields in Europe''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1938. Reprint. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1992.
* [[Martin Blumenson|Blumenson, Martin]]. ''Breakout and Pursuit''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1961. {{OCLC|78605078}}
* Borovatz, Frank M. "First United States Army: A Working Army". ''Army Digest'' 25 (February 1970): 4–8.
* ''A Brief History of the First United States Army From 1918 to 1946''. Fayetteville, N. C.: Worth Publishing Co., 1947. {{OCLC|4985955}}
* [[Hugh M. Cole|Cole, Hugh M.]] ''The Ardennes: Battle of the Bulge''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1965. {{OCLC|78624377}}
* Cole, Hugh M. ''The Lorraine Campaign''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1950. {{OCLC|1253758}}
* Dalessandro, Robert J. & Knapp, Michael G. ''Organization and Insignia of the American Expeditionary Force, 1917–1923''. Schiffer Publishing, 2008. {{ISBN|0764329375}}
* First Army, TI&E Section. ''History of the United States First Army''. Fort Jay, 1953.
* ''First United States Army Combat Operations Data, Europe, 1944–45''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1948.
* ''First United States Army Report of Operations, 20 October 1943 – 1 August 1944''. 7 vols. Paris, 1944.
* ''First United States Army Report of Operations, 1 August 1944 to 22 February 1945''. 4 vols. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1946.
* ''First United States Army Report of Operations, 23 February – 8 May 1945''. 3 vols. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1946.
* Gabel, Christopher R. ''The U.S. Army GHQ Maneuvers of 1941''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1991. {{OCLC|23651527}}
* Hallas, James H. ''Squandered Victory: The American First Army at St. Mihiel''. Westport, Conn.: Praeger Pubs., 1996. {{ISBN|0275950220}} 
* Harbord, James G. ''The American Army in France, 1917–1919''. Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1936.
* Harrison, Gordon A. ''Cross-Channel Attack''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1951.
* Historical Section, Army War College. ''Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War; American Expeditionary Forces; General Headquarters, Armies, Army Corps, Services of Supply, and Separate Forces''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1937. Reprint. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1988.
* Historical Section, Army War College. ''The Genesis of the American First Army''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1929. 2d ed. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1938.
* Liggett, Hunter. ''Commanding an American Army, Recollections of the World War''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1925.
* MacDonald, Charles B. ''The Last Offensive. United States Army in World War II''. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1973.
* MacDonald, Charles B. ''The Siegfried Line Campaign''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1963.
* "Why Didn't They Let First Army Win the War?" ''Army'' 9 (April 1959):48–52.
* Pershing, John J. ''My Experiences in the World War''. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co., 1931.
* Pogue, Forrest C. ''The Supreme Command''. United States Army in World War II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1954.
* ''Report of the Commanding General, First Army, American Expeditionary Forces: Organizations and Operations'', First Army, A.E.F. France, 1919.
* ''Report of the First Army, American Expeditionary Forces: Organization and Operations''. Fort Leavenworth: General Service Schools Press, 1923.
* ''Report of the First Army, American Expeditionary Forces, Organization and Operations'', General John J Pershing, 10 Aug. 1918; Lieutenant General Hunter Liggett, 16 Oct. 1918, 20 Apr. 1919. Fort Leavenworth, Kans.: General Service School Press, 1923.
* "Salute to the Numbered U.S. Armies". ''Army Information Digest'' 17 (October 1962):32–39.
* Walker, Glenn D. "First U.S. Army: A New Challenge". ''Army'' 23 (October 1973):72–76.
* Ziemke, Earl F. ''[http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/Occ-GY/ The U.S. Army in the Occupation of Germany 1944–1946] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609135241/http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/Occ-GY/ |date=9 June 2017 }}''. Army Historical Series. Washington, D.C.: [[United States Army Center of Military History]], 1990 (1975). CMH Pub 30–6.

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=John B. |year=1999 |chapter=First United States Army |chapter-url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/Lineage/ACDSB/FUSA.htm |title=Armies, Corps, Division and Separate Brigades |url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/Lineage/ACDSB/ACDSB-FM.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608153933/http://www.history.army.mil/BOOKS/Lineage/ACDSB/ACDSB-FM.htm |archive-date=8 June 2010 |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |id=CMH Pub 60-7-1}}

== External links ==
* {{official website}}
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.archives.arc.2569722|name=Big Picture: The Army's First}}
* [https://cdm16014.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16014coll14/search/searchterm/first%20united%20states%20army First United States Army Report of Operations] - Volumes available for operations of the First United States Army during World War II (1943–1945) on [[Cleveland Public Library]]'s Digital Gallery. The [[Federal Depository Library Program]] has cataloged the reports in three sections: Report of operations—[https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo107290 20 October 1943 – 1 August 1944], [https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo93043 1 August 1944 – 22 February 1945], [https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo93055 23 February – 8 May 1945].

{{US Army navbox}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1918 establishments in France]]
[[Category:First United States Army|001 Army]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1918]]
[[Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1919]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1933]]