Division Intervention Forces

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=Division Intervention Forces/ 1^st Armoured Division
"Division der Eingreifkräfte/1. Panzerdivision"


caption=Division Intervention Forces/ 1st Armoured Division Insignia
country=Germany
allegiance=
type=Division
branch=Army
dates=1956 - present
specialization=Armoured Division
command_structure=German Army
size=About 20.000 soldiers
current_commander=Major General Wolf-Dieter Langheld
garrison=Hannover
ceremonial_chief=
nickname=The first
"Die Erste"
motto= Roughly: Come on, tackle them!
"Man drup - man to!" (Low German)
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=Operation Joint Guardian
War in Afghanistan
notable_commanders= General Henning von Ondarza, COMAFCENT 1991-1994
anniversaries=July 1st 1956

Division Intervention Forces or 1st Armoured Division, in German "Division Eingreifkräfte/1. Panzerdivision", is an armoured division of the German Army. Its staff is based at Hannover. Corresponding to the current "Transformation of the Bundeswehr", it is getting reorganised to be the spine of Germany's newly formed "Intervention Forces" which will have a manpower of 35,000 soldiers in total. The division is equipped and trained for high intensity fighting against rather military organised enemies and for peace enforcement missions. The majority of all German troops assigned to EU-Battlegroups and Nato Response Forces will come from this division. The division also represents Germany's permanent contribution to I. German/Dutch Corps.
Division Intervention Forces/ 1st Armoured Division is Germany's last full-scale conventional division.

History

The Division was formed on July 1 1956, the day of the official inauguration of the Bundeswehr. It was the first fully operational division of the new German Army. At first referred to as 1st Grenadierdivision, it was reorganized in the 1980s and renamed 1st Armoured Division in 1981. The division deployed troops to the Balkans, Afghanistan and to several Blue Helmet operations on several occasions. Troops of the division were also deployed to the support of civilian agencies during several large disasters such as the Hamburg Floods in 1962, disastrous wild fires in Northern Germany in the 1970s and the 2002 Floods in Eastern Germany.

Organisation

*1st Armoured Division
** HHC
** 1st Army Band
** 10th Armoured Reconaissance Company
** 110th Light NBC Defense Company
** 610th Light Air Defense Battery
** 3rd Reconaissance Battalion
** 3rd Logistics Battalion
** 7th NBC Defense Battalion
** 1st Signals Regiment
** 6th Air Defense Regiment
** 100th Artillery Regiment
***HHC
***131st Surveillance & Target Acquisition Bataillon
***132nd Rocket Artillery Bataillon (MLRS)
** 100th Engineer Regiment
***HHC
***1st Armoured Engineer Bataillon
***130th Engineer Support Bataillon
** 9th Armoured Brigade
*** HHC
*** 90th Armoured Engineer Company
*** 90th Reconaissance Company
*** 33rd Armoured Battalion
*** 92nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion
*** 93rd Armoured Battalion
*** 141st Logistics Battalion
*** 325th Armoured Artillery Battalion
** 21st Armoured Brigade
*** HHC
*** 200th Armoured Engineer Company
*** 210th Reconaissance Company
*** 7th Logistics Battalion
*** 203rd Armoured Battalion
*** 212th Mechanized Infantry Battalion
*** 215th Armoured Artillery Battalion

See also

* German Army
* I. German/Dutch Corps
* ISAF

External links

* [http://www.deutschesheer.de/portal/a/1div/ Official Website of Division Intervention Forces/ 1st Armoured Division]
* Concept of the Anti-Air Regiment 6: [http://teao.saic.com/jamex/briefs/10%20German%20Army%20AD%20Col%20Mehlman.pdf New Organisation of the Army-Anti-Aircraft-Troops]

References