The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, also known as the Dagger Brigade, is a maneuver brigade combat team in the 1st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army stationed in Fort Riley, Kansas.
History
World War I The 2nd Brigade was first constituted on 24 May 1917 as Headquarters, 2nd Infantry Brigade of the 1st Expeditionary Division, which was later designated as the 1st Division. Headquarters, 2nd Infantry Brigade 26th Infantry Regiment 28th Infantry Regiment 3rd Machine Gun Battalion
The 2nd Brigade deployed to France in December 1917 with the rest of the 1st Infantry Division as part of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), as the American military was known in World War I. The brigade participated in many campaigns, including the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the Battle of Saint-Mihiel.
The brigade redeployed at the end of World War I in August 1918.
Commanders 2nd Infantry Brigade 1917 7 June COL Robert L. Bullard 28 June BG Robert L. Bullard 22 July Col. Charles A. Doyen, USMC (ad interim) 9 August BG Robert L. Bullard 14 August Col. Charles A. Doyen, USMC (ad interim) 19 August BG Robert L. Bullard 26 August Col. Charles A. Doyen, USMC (ad interim) 29 August BG Robert L. Bullard 4 September BG Beaumont B. Buck 1 November COL Ferdinand W. Kobbe (ad interim) 10 November BG Beaumont B. Buck
1918 27 August BG Frank E. Bamford 12 October COL George C. Barnhardt (ad interim) 17 October BG George C. Barnhardt 26 October BG Francis C. Marshall
1919 2 February COL Fredrik L. Knudson (ad interim) 17 February BG Francis C. Marshall 29 May COL Robert A. Brown (ad interim) 6 June BG Frank E. Bamford 11 July COL Robert A. Brown (ad interim) 16 July BG Frank E. Bamford 24 July COL Robert A. Brown (ad interim) 2 August COL Adolphe H. Huguet (ad interim) 9 August to 4 September COL Robert A. Brown
World War II
At the start of World War II, the 2nd Brigade was stationed at Fort Ontario at Oswego, New York. When the United States Army reorganized from the square division to the triangular division, each division lost its brigade-based structure as well as one infantry regiment; in the case of the 1st Infantry Division, this was the 28th Infantry Regiment, which served as a separate regiment until its assignment to the 8th Infantry Division on 22 June 1940. The brigade was relieved from assignment to the division on 16 October 1939, and moved to Pierrepont, New York as a separate infantry brigade on 29 March 1940. The 2nd Infantry Brigade remained at Pierrepont until 1 June 1940, when it returned to Fort Ontario and was inactivated on the same day.
After the army's conversion to the triangular division, only two separate brigades were formed during World War II, the 1st Airborne Infantry Brigade (the former 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division) and the 2nd Airborne Infantry Brigade, both formed in 1943. The 2nd Infantry Brigade was reactivated and redesignated on 30 June 1943 as the 2nd Airborne Infantry Brigade. The brigade included the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment and the 508th Infantry Regiment.
Order of battle Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment (507th PIR) 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (508th PIR)
The 2nd Airborne Brigade deployed to Northern Ireland in January 1944 under the command of Brigadier General George P. Howell. Major General Matthew B. Ridgway, the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division and the senior airborne officer in the European Theater, decided to make organizational changes to the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions prior to D-Day.
As the 82nd had left one of its parachute regiments (the 504th) in Italy and arrived in the European Theater with one parachute regiment (the 505th) and one glider regiment (the 325th), Ridgway attached the brigade headquarters, 507th, and 508th Parachute Infantry Regiments to his division and placed Howell as a second assistant division commander. The 101st Airborne Division had arrived in theater under the original airborne division organization of one parachute infantry regiment (the 502nd) and two glider infantry regiments (the 327th and 401st). Ridgway broke up the 401st, assigning its 1st Battalion to the 327th and its 2nd Battalion to the 82nd's 325th. This gave the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions each three parachute infantry regiments and one three-battalion glider infantry regiment (instead of two glider infantry regiments, each with two battalions). The 2nd Airborne Brigade headquarters was disbanded on 15 January 1945 in Europe.
Cold War On 15 February 1958 the 2nd Infantry Brigade was re-activated at Fort Devens, Massachusetts as the Pentomic 2nd Infantry Brigade with its own shoulder sleeve insignia. It spent the next five years training in northern Massachusetts and Cape Cod. The Brigade was prepared to support the Marines landing in the 1958 Lebanon crisis but did not deploy. Fort a period, the brigade was commanded by Joseph W. Stilwell Jr..
Order of battle
Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 1st Battle Group, 4th Infantry 2nd Battle Group, 60th Infantry 1st Battalion, 76th Artillery Company F, 34th Armor Company G, 34th Armor Troop F, 5th Cavalry Brigade Trains 2 Engineer Companies
It was inactivated on 19 February 1963 at Fort Devens; in 1962 when it was reflagged as 2nd Brigade, 5th Infantry Division. It was reactivated on 23 October 1963 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division and moved (with the rest of the Division) to Fort Riley, Kansas in January 1964.
Vietnam On 12 July 1965, the 2nd Brigade landed at Cam Ranh Bay and Vũng Tàu, making it the first element of an Infantry Division to arrive in Vietnam. On 30 July 1969, the unit was visited by President Richard Nixon on his visit to South Vietnam. He met with the troops in Di An. The brigade returned to Fort Riley, Kansas in April 1970.
Gulf War The Dagger Brigade deployed from Fort Riley, Kansas to Saudi Arabia in December 1990 as part of the United States' offensive buildup. The brigade was commanded by Colonel Anthony Moreno. The brigade was composed of 2d Battalion, 16th Infantry; 3d Battalion, 37th Armor; and 4th Battalion, 37th Armor, plus supporting units. The brigade redeployed to Fort Riley in May 1991.
Bosnia and Herzegovina On 15 February 1996 the Dagger Brigade was relocated with the rest of the 1st Infantry Division to Europe. The Dagger Brigade replaced the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division's Raider Brigade in Schweinfurt, Germany.
Also in February 1996 the Dagger Brigade deployed units to Bosnia and Herzegovina to participate in Operation Joint Endeavor with the US 1st Armored Division.
On 7 October 1996, the Brigade Combat Team deployed to Bosnia to cover the US 1st Armored Division's redeployment to Germany. The brigade participated in Operation Joint Endeavor and Operation Joint Guard, and served as a stabilization force. The brigade redeployed to Schweinfurt in May 1997, except for the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor task force, which stayed in Bosnia until November 1997.
Kosovo The Dagger Brigade served in Kosovo in 1999–2000 and again in 2002–03. The Dagger Brigade deployed to the Balkans twice in 1999, first as part of Task Force Sabre in Macedonia, then in Kosovo as part of Task Force Falcon. Task Force Falcon served as the U.S. component of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) with the mission of conducting peacekeeping operations in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia'a Serbian Kosovo province.
TF Falcon was under the command of the 1st Infantry Division and included elements from the 1st Armored Division. The Dagger Brigade entered the war-torn province of Kosovo on 12 June 1999. TF Falcon headquartered at Camp Bondsteel, and grew into a Multi-National Brigade, including units from Greece, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, and the UK.
Initial efforts focused on monitoring and verifying the withdrawal of former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro) forces and later the demilitarization and transformation of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
The Dagger Brigade rotated to Kosovo again in 2002, this time focused on maintaining the secure environment established by coalition forces.
Operation Iraqi Freedom II In January 2003, elements of the Dagger Brigade deployed to Turkey to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. Initial efforts were to prepare the way for the U.S. 4th Infantry Division to invade Iraq from the north. When the Turkish government denied access through their border, the 2nd brigade returned to Germany.
In February 2004, the Dagger Brigade deployed to northern Iraq to serve as part of the occupation force. The Brigade Combat Team included: Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment Troop E, 4th Cavalry Regiment (Brigade Recon Troop) 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment 9th Engineer Battalion 299th Forward Support Battalion (299th BSB) 121st Signal Battalion
Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08 In August 2006 the 2nd Brigade Combat Team again deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from their home station in Schweinfurt, Germany. Task Force 1–26 (BLUE SPADERS) was sent ahead of the main body in an effort to curb the growing violence in Adamiyah, Shab and Uhr in North East Baghdad, Iraq. The Dagger BCT followed in September 2006 and assumed the mission as the CENTCOM reserve, positioned in Kuwait. Shortly after arrival in Kuwait, TF 1–77 AR (STEEL TIGERS) was deployed to Ramadi and TF 1–18 IN (VANGUARDS) was deployed to FOB Falcon, in the Rashid District of Baghdad, Iraq. The BCT Headquarters along with the 9th Engineers (GILAS), 1–7 FA (FIRST LIGHTNING), the 299th Forward Support Battalion (LIFELINE) and the BCT's four separate companies, were deployed to Camp Liberty, Baghdad. Echo troop 4th cavalry regiment was assigned as the brigade reconnaissance team at the liberty base complex, with the 2nd brigade combat team MP platoon, who were later re-attached to Alpha battery 1-7 field artillery, serving as route reconnaissance/route clearance and the quick reaction force element at Forward Operating Base Justice in Khadamiyah district of Baghdad, Iraq.
The DAGGER BCT assumed responsibility for Coalition force activities in northwest Baghdad in late October 2006 following Operation Together Forward II. The BCT assumed command of 3 task forces already in Sector; TF 1–22 (REGULARS) in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad, TF 8–10 CAV (ROUGH RIDERS) in the Ameriyah district and TF 1-23IN (TOMAHAWK), a Stryker infantry task force which operated mainly in the Ghazaliyah and Shulla districts of Baghdad.
Throughout the BCT's tour of duty, they effectively integrated and employed a total of nine attached task forces including TF 1-22IN, TF 8-10CAV, TF 1-23IN, TF 2-8CAV, TF 2–12 CAV, TF 1-325AIR, TF 1-5CAV, TF 2-32FA and TF 1–64 AR.
TF 1-22IN (1st BCT, 4th ID) transitioned the Abu Ghraib district to TF 2-8CAV (1st BCT, 1st CAV). TF 8–10 CAV (4th BCT, 4th ID) transitioned Ameriyah and Khadra to TF 1–5 CAV (2nd BCT, 1st CAV). TF 1-23IN (3/2 STRYKER) transitioned Ghazaliyah to TF 2-12CAV (4th BCT, 1st CAV) and the Tomahawks assumed responsibilities in Hurriyah and Khadamiyah. TF 1-325AIR (2nd BCT, 82nd) arrived as part of the surge and assumed responsibilities for Khadamiyah, Hurriyah and some of the most dangerous Shia zones in Baghdad. TF 1-64AR (3ID) relieved TF 1-5CAV for Khadra and Mansour, enabling TF 1-5CAV to fully focus efforts against Sunni extremists in Ameriyah. TF 2-32FA (4th BCT, 1st ID) assumed responsibilities for Yarmouk and Hateen, completing the DAGGER BCT stance for OIF 06-08. For the bulk of its deployment, DAGGER BCT employed five maneuver task forces, from five different BCTs from five different installations in the Continental United States.