V Corps (United States)

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This article is about the United States Army formation established in 1918. For other uses, see V Corps.

V Corps
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Active
  • 1918–1919
  • 1922–1924
  • 1940–2013
  • 2020–present
Country United States
Branch Army
RoleHeadquarters
SizeCorps
Garrison/HQFort Knox
Camp Kościuszko (forward)
Nickname(s)"Victory Corps"
Motto(s)It Will Be Done
Colors   Blue and white
March"Victory!"
DecorationsMeritorious Unit Commendation (2),
Army Superior Unit Award (2)
CampaignsWorld War I

World War II

Kosovo

War on Terrorism

Commanders
CommanderLt. Gen. Charles Costanza
Deputy CommanderBrig. Gen. Kevin J. Lambert
Deputy Commander for InteroperabilityMaj. Gen. Maciej W. Jablonski
Insignia
Distinctive insignia
U.S. Corps (1939–present)
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IV Corps (United States) VI Corps (United States)

V Corps (/ˈfɪfθ kɔːr/), formerly known as the Fifth Corps, is a regular corps of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky and Camp Kościuszko, Poland.[1]

It previously served during World War I, World War II, the Cold War, the Kosovo War, and the "War on terrorism."[2]

Shoulder sleeve insignia[edit]

The corps's shoulder patch, a pentagon whose points lie on an imaginary circle 2+1⁄8 inches (5.4 cm) in diameter whose edges are white lines 3⁄16 inch (0.48 cm) in width and whose radial lines are white 1⁄8 inch (0.32 cm) in width, was approved on 3 December 1918. The triangles thus outlined in white are flag blue. The pentagon represents the number of the Corps, while blue and white are the colors associated with Corps flags.[3]

History[edit]

World War I[edit]

V Corps was organized 7–12 July 1918 in the Regular Army in France, as part of the American Expeditionary Forces. By the end of World War I, the Corps had fought in three named campaigns.

Interwar period[edit]

The V Corps was constituted in the Organized Reserve on 29 July 1921, allotted to the Fifth Corps Area, and assigned to the Second Army. The corps headquarters was activated on 17 February 1922 at Fort Thomas, Kentucky, with Regular Army and Organized Reserve personnel. The Headquarters Company was allotted to the Ohio National Guard, but was placed on the "Deferred National Guard" list on 2 July 1923 and allotted to the Organized Reserve.

The Headquarters Company was initiated late 1924 with Reserve personnel at Columbus, Ohio. The corps headquarters was responsible for providing and planning administration, organization, supply, and training for army, corps, and other non-divisional Reserve units, less field and coast artillery, in the Fifth Corps Area. The headquarters was relieved from active duty on 15 November 1924, and all Regular Army personnel were reassigned to the Headquarters, Non-Divisional Group, Fifth Corps Area, which assumed the responsibilities previously held by the V Corps. Both the Headquarters and Headquarters Company remained active in the Organized Reserve. The corps headquarters was relocated in late 1924 to Indianapolis, Indiana, where most of the Reserve personnel assigned to the unit were located. Headquarters, V Corps was withdrawn from the Organized Reserve on 15 August 1927 and allotted to the Regular Army; Headquarters Company, V Corps was withdrawn from the Deferred National Guard list on 15 September 1927 and permanently allotted to the Organized Reserve.

The headquarters company was further withdrawn from the Organized Reserve on 1 October 1933 and allotted to the Regular Army. At the same time, the corps headquarters was partially activated at Fort Hayes, Ohio, with Regular Army personnel from the headquarters, Fifth Corps Area, and Organized Reserve personnel from the corps area at large. Though a "Regular Army Inactive" unit from 1927 to 1940, the corps headquarters was organized provisionally for short periods using its assigned Reserve officers and staff officers from Headquarters, Fifth Corps Area. These periods of provisional active duty were generally for command post exercises and major maneuvers. Headquarters, V Corps was fully activated on 20 October 1940, less Reserve personnel, at Camp Beauregard, LA.[4]

World War II[edit]

After Nazi Germany declared war on the United States on 11 December 1941, the corps deployed (January 1942) the first American soldiers to the European Theater of Operations, United States Army. That initial deployment was known as the U.S. Army Northern Ireland Force or MAGNET. On 6 June 1944, V Corps assaulted Omaha Beach, Normandy. Corps soldiers then broke out from the beachhead, liberated Paris and Sedan, Ardennes, and raced to the German border. After liberating Luxembourg, V Corps fought in the Battle of the Bulge, captured Leipzig, made first contact with the Red Army at Torgau, and, south in Czechoslovakia, liberated Plzeň by May 1945.

Cold War[edit]

V Corps Cold War NATO assignment
V Corps Garrison Footprint in the 1980s

In March 1947, United States European Command directed that its combat forces were to convert to "Occupation duties." On 1 December 1950, due to concern of a Soviet threat to Western Europe during the Korean War, Seventh Army was activated as a field army in Europe. Seventh Army absorbed the two main Occupation Duty forces then in Germany, namely the 1st Infantry Division and the United States Constabulary.

By middle 1948 limited combat training had been restored within the European Command.

In December, 1950 President Truman declared a National Emergency due to the Korean War, and four divisions were dispatched to reinforce U.S. forces in Europe, including the National Guard's 28th and 43rd Infantry Divisions. In May 1951 the 4th Infantry Division arrived in United States Army Europe (USAREUR) in Germany, and on 3 August 1951, V Corps was reactivated and assigned to the Seventh Army in USAREUR. In July the 2d Armored Division arrived in Germany, and on 25 August 1951 the 4th Infantry Division (HQ: Frankfurt) and 2d Armored Division (HQ: Bad Kreuznach) were assigned as V Corps divisions.

The Constabulary was inactivated upon the arrival of the four U.S. division augmentation forces to Germany. V Corps was assigned to the northern area of the U.S. Occupation Zone of Germany (which included the Fulda Gap), and the VII Corps was assigned to the southern area of the U.S. Zone (one of the National Guard divisions (the 43rd) was stationed in the Munich area, and the other (the 28th) was between Munich and Stuttgart). Several years later the newly forming West German Army displaced the GDP positions of some of the U.S. units stationed in the far southern area of West Germany. As a consequence, the U.S. units' GDP positions were moved further north, as was the U.S. VII Corps' wartime southern boundary line (even though the U.S. units remained in their original kasernes). This shifting action likely coincided with the same time frame as the Summer and Fall conversion of all Seventh Army units to the ROAD organization.

Although, as referenced above, in 1951 the 1st Infantry Division was assigned to the newly activated VII Corps, the significance of the V Corps assigned Fulda Gap and Meiningen Gap (AKA Grabfeld Gap) defense influenced not only the reassignment of the Wuerzburg-headquartered 1st Infantry Division to V Corps on 2 February 1952, but also the 1 October 1953 assignment of the newly formed 19th Armor Group, headquartered at Frankfurt, to V Corps.

As of June 1954, the main unit assignments to V Corps were 1st Infantry Division, 4th Infantry Division, 2d Armored Division, and 19th Armor Group (19th AG was the size of a large brigade, with 3 tank battalions and one mech. infantry battalion stationed from Mannheim to Wildflecken). The first U.S. armored division to be stationed east of the Rhine River in the Cold War, namely V Corps' 3d Armored Division, arrived in May/June 1956. (The 3d Armored Div. replaced the 4th Infantry Div.; later, the 2d Armored Div. was replaced by the Bad Kreuznach arriving 8th Infantry Div.) The 19th Armor Group (HQ Frankfurt) was replaced by the 4th Armor Group on 1 July 1955 (the 4th AG was approximately the size of the replaced 19th AG); the 4th Armor Group was deactivated in the 1963 ROAD conversion. In 1955 the 1st Infantry Division gyroscoped to CONUS, and was replaced in V Corps by the 10th Infantry Division from CONUS. In 1958 the 3rd Infantry Division gyroscoped from CONUS and the 10th Infantry Division gyroscoped to CONUS.

Due to the 1963 ROAD reorganization in USAREUR, V Corps ultimately lost two assigned units: (1) the 4th Armor Group was inactivated; (2) the 3rd Infantry Division, with its headquarters at Wuerzburg, was reassigned to VII Corps.[5]

After the Cold War collapse of the Warsaw Pact, V Corps soldiers deployed both units and individuals to Saudi Arabia for the Gulf War; and to other operations in Kuwait, northern Iraq, Croatia, Somalia, Republic of Macedonia, Rwanda, and Zaire.

Organization 1989[edit]

See also: CENTAG wartime structure in 1989 § V US Corps
Organisation of V Corps in 1989 (click to enlarge)

At the end of the Cold War in 1989 V Corps consisted of the following units:

1990s[edit]

Cold War footprint

In December 1994, as part of the realignment of United States Armed Forces, V Corps moved from the IG Farben Building to Campbell Barracks in Heidelberg, severing a forty-three-year tie with Frankfurt. The corps reached out to the armed forces of eastern Europe with numerous initiatives to foster closer ties and better understanding. Maintaining the NATO commitment, V Corps in 1994 created two bi-national corps with Germany. For Command Component Land Heidelberg missions, the corps commanded the 13th (German) Armored Infantry Division, while II (German) Corps commanded the 1st Armored Division. [citation needed]

In December 1995, V Corps deployed 1st Armored Division and elements of six separate brigades for the Implementation Force (IFOR). The corps headquarters and Headquarters Company, the 3d Support Command, and the separate brigades helped form the National Support Element headquartered in Hungary for United States Armed Forces in Bosnia. Brigades of the two divisions rotated in the peace enforcement mission for a number of years in Bosnia. Headquarters and Headquarters Company, V Corps, was decorated with the Army Superior Unit Award in 1998 in recognition of the unit's performance in Implementation Force (IFOR). In April 1999, V Corps deployed the headquarters and subordinate units to Albania as Task Force Hawk, a force involved in the ongoing crisis in Kosovo. The 1st Infantry Division served in Kosovo twice and the 1st Armored Division served once, in addition to V Corps separate brigades.

War on Terrorism[edit]

War on Terrorism command structure

At the end of 2002, V Corps deployed to Kuwait under United States Central Command for the Iraq War. The United States-led coalition brought about a regime change in Iraq and satisfied international concerns about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. The corps and its maneuver brigades crossed into Iraq on 21 March 2003 as the main effort. In sixteen days of fighting, V Corps advanced more than 540 miles straight-line distance from Kuwait to Baghdad, decisively defeated the Iraqi Armed Forces, and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein.[citation needed]

On 15 June 2003, the corps formed Combined Joint Task Force 7, based in Baghdad, and continued military operations to pacify the remainder of Iraq, rebuild the country, and create democratic institutions. As part of Combined Joint Task Force 7 mission, V Corps soldiers sought out and arrested or killed the major figures in the previous Iraqi regime, culminating in the arrest of Saddam Hussein himself. On 1 February 2004, V Corps was succeeded in Combined Joint Task Force 7 by III Corps and redeployed to its home station in Heidelberg, Germany. In recognition of its combat achievements in Iraq, the Department of the Army, in 2004, awarded the Headquarters and Headquarters Company the Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army).[citation needed]

In January 2006, the corps, deployed to Iraq and replaced XVIII Airborne Corps as the command and control element for Multi-National Corps–Iraq. During its second year-long deployment, which ended on 14 December 2006, V Corps continued to lead coalition forces and made great strides battling a widespread insurgency, and conducting a massive rebuilding effort.[citation needed]

From 2012 to 2013, V Corps served in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, providing command and control of all U.S. ground forces stationed there.[7] On 16 February 2012, it was announced that Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, V Corps would inactivate upon redeployment from Afghanistan per guidance issued by the Department of the Army earlier that same year.[8] On 12 June 2013, V Corps was awarded an Army Superior Unit Award, a Meritorious Unit Commendation, then ceremonially inactivated at Biebrich Palace, Wiesbaden, Germany.[9]

Reactivation[edit]

On 11 February 2020, the United States Department of the Army announced the activation of corps headquarters (V Corps). V Corps Headquarters will have approximately 635 soldiers, with approximately 200 who will support an operational command post in Europe. The Corps Headquarters is projected to be operational by autumn 2020.

On 12 February 2020, the Army announced that V Corps' new headquarters would be located at Fort Knox, Kentucky.[10]

United States Army Chief of Staff, General James McConville stated:

"The activation of an additional Corps headquarters provides the needed level of command and control focused on synchronizing U.S. Army, allied, and partner nation tactical formations operating in Europe. It will enhance U.S. Army Europe and U.S. European Command as they work alongside allies and partners to promote regional stability and security."

The establishment of V Corps supports United States European Command's request for increased command and control capability.[11] In May 2020, MG John Kolasheski, commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division was nominated to command the newly reactivated V Corps. Once confirmed by the Senate he would receive a third star.[12] Kolasheski was confirmed to the rank of lieutenant general on 21 May 2020.[13][14] He was promoted by Army Chief of Staff James C. McConville on 4 August 2020 in Kraków, Poland. McConville announced that V Corps forward headquarters would be established in Poland after the next fiscal year starts on 1 October 2020.[15] 200 of the expected 630 headquarters staff members would be stationed in Poznan on a rotational basis.[16][15][17]

DCG for Interoperability Adam Joks (Poland) visits soldiers of the US and Ukraine, 10 Dec 2021
Polish Minister of National Defense Mariusz Blaszczak speaks at the naming ceremony for Camp Kosciuszko

The forward headquarters will "conduct operational planning, mission command and oversight of the rotational forces in Europe", and work alongside allies and partners to build readiness and enhance interoperability.[17]

On 21 July 2021 MG Jeffery Broadwater was announced as DCG, V Corps.[18] (In May 2021, MG Matthew Van Wagenen was appointed as DCG-Manoeuvre to be based in Poznan, Poland,[19] but who presently serves as a DCG for the Army component of SHAPE.)

On 7 March 2022 a V Corps headquarters element deployed to Germany, joining the forward element already in Europe, to "provide additional command and control of U.S. Army forces in Europe." The headquarters is also tasked to "provide a more robust presence in Europe and enable the Corps to synchronize current contingency operations, support the ongoing mission to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank and coordinate multinational exercises across the continent." This deployment is in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[20]

At the 29 June 2022 NATO summit in Madrid US President Joe Biden announced that a permanent military base would be established in Poland that would serve as the new headquarters of V Corps and "strengthen the US-NATO interoperability across the entire eastern flank," in further response to the Russian campaign in Ukraine.[21] On 30 July 2022 the headquarters of V Corps (Forward) in Poznan was renamed Camp Kosciuszko.[22]

On 13 to 15 December 2023 V Corps and the Polish Armed Forces General Command co-hosted their first Warfighting Symposium, in Warsaw.[23] The symposium included briefings on training, technical interoperability, operational development, scenario-based practical exercises, and intelligence assessments.[23]

Organization 2023[edit]

V Corps organization 2023

As of May 2023 V Corps consists of the following units:

List of commanders[edit]

Main article: List of commanders of V Corps (United States)
No. Commander Term
Portrait Name Took office Left office Term length
1
John S. Kolasheski
Lieutenant General
John S. Kolasheski
(born 1966)		4 August 20208 April 20243 years, 248 days
2
Charles D. Costanza
Lieutenant General
Charles D. Costanza		8 April 2024Incumbent10 days

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ U.S. Army (11 February 2020) Army announces activation of additional corps headquarters
  2. ^ U.S. Dept. of the Army, Lineage and Honors Certificate, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, V Corps, 25 May 2011.
  3. ^ "Shoulder Sleeve Insignia".
  4. ^ Clay 2010a, p. 154.
  5. ^ Note: some of the dates come from Oliver J. Frederiksen's 1953 book, "The American Military Occupation of Germany 1945–1953" (Historical Division, Headquarters, United States Army, Europe).
  6. ^ Army - The Magazine of Landpower - October 1989 (1989). "Command and Staff". Association of the US Army. Retrieved 26 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "V Corps colors return to Wiesbaden". Eur.army.mil. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  8. ^ "European Posture Changes" (PDF). Department of Defense (US). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  9. ^ "V Corps inactivates after nearly a century of service to U.S. Army". Eur.army.mil. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  10. ^ Sheroan, Ben (12 February 2020). "Fort Knox lands new U.S. Army corps". 'The News-Enterprise'.
  11. ^ "Army announces activation of additional corps headquarters". United States Army.
  12. ^ "Kolasheski tapped to lead newly reactivated Fifth Corps". ausa.org. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  13. ^ "DA announces Fort Knox-related general officer promotions, assignments". Fort Knox. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  14. ^ "PN1757 — Maj. Gen. John S. Kolasheski — Army". congress.gov. US Congress. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  15. ^ a b Rempfer, Kyle (5 August 2020). "Army's resurrected V Corps will go to Poland". Army Times. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  16. ^ "US Army names head of V Corps HQ to be based in Poland". ABC News. The Associated Press. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  17. ^ a b U.S. Army V Corps Headquarters (9 September 2020) V Corps Headquarters (Forward) in Poland to be located in Poznan
  18. ^ Army Times (21 Jul 2021) Two-star moving to a new assignment
  19. ^ msn "V Corps welcomes two new deputy commanding generals to Fort Knox". www.msn.com. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  20. ^ Pilgrim, Eric. "Hundreds of V Corps Soldiers depart for Germany in support of NATO allies". army.mil. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  21. ^ thefirstnews "Permanent HQ for US Army's V Corps to be set up in Poland says Biden". Poland. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  22. ^ John Vandiver (28 Jul 2022) Polish patriot who aided American Revolution honored in renaming of US post in Poznan
  23. ^ a b Spc. Devin Klecan (27 Dec 2023) V Corps hosts first Warfighting Symposium in Warsaw

Bibliography[edit]

  • Burger, Eric H. Staff Sgt. "V Corps Song–March "Victory!"." Print.
  • Clay, Lt. Col. Steven E. (2010a). US Army Order of Battle 1919-1941 Volume 1. The Arms: Major Commands and Infantry Organizations. Command and General Staff College, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press.
  • Condon, Edward J., Jr., and Raymond A. Mathews Historical Report of the V Corps-1949. n.p., 1950.
  • Hill, John G. V Corps Operations in ETO, 6 Jan 1942 – 9 May 1945. Paris: Paul Viviers, 1945.
  • History V Corps June 6, '44. 668th Engineer Topographic Company, 1945.
  • Huebner, C.R. "V Corps From Belgium to Czechoslovakia". Army and Navy Journal 83 (4 December 1945):55ff.
  • Tucker, Spencer, ed. A Global Chronology of Conflict: From the Ancient World to the Modern Middle East. Volume V: 1861–1918. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2010.
  • United States. Dept. of Army. Center of Military History. Armies, Corps, Divisions, and Separate Brigades. Wilson, John B., Comp. Washington: GPO, 1999.
  • United States. Dept. of Army. Center of Military History. "Ruck it up!" The post-Cold War transformation of V Corps, 1990–2001. By Charles E. Kirkpatrick. Washington: GPO, 2006.
  • United States. Dept. of Army. Combined Arms Center. V Corps in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1995–1996: an oral history. Harold E. Raugh, Jr., Ed. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010.
  • United States. Dept. of Army. Headquarters, V Corps. "It Will Be Done!" U.S. Army V Corps, 1918–2009: a pictorial history. Harold E. Raugh, Jr., Ed. Grafenwoehr, Germany: Druckerei Hutzler, 2009.
  • United States. Dept. of Army. Headquarters, V Corps. The History of V Corps. By Charles E. Kirkpatrick. n.p., 2001.

External links[edit]

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