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11th Theater Aviation Command (United States)
Encyclopedia
The 11th Aviation Command (Theater) is a United States Army
aviation formation
consisting of a headquarters company
, one aviation brigade
, three separate aviation battalions, and an aviation operations battalion, as follows:
These units were originally under the control of the 244th Aviation Brigade but were transferred upon activation of the 11th Aviation Command on 16 September 2007. Army Reserve
aviation assets which remain under the direct control of the 244th Aviation Brigade include 2nd Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment (Horsham, Pennsylvania), 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment (Fort Eustis, Virginia), 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (Fort Hood, Texas), and M Company, 158th Aviation Regiment (Carswell, Texas), which is slated to be enlarged and reflagged as the 696th Aviation Support Battalion. Additionally, if federalized, the 77th Aviation Brigade of the Arkansas National Guard
may be placed under the command and control of the 11th Theater Aviation Command.
The unit's distinctive unit insignia can be seen as an external link here http://www.saundersinsignia.com/p/aviation-brigades/11th-aviation-brigade-658.php. The Command's shoulder sleeve insignia and distinctive unit insignia flow from the lineage of the 11th Aviation Group which was last headquartered in Illesheim, Germany.
during World War II
and in the Army of Occupation
in Japan after the war. The division returned to the United States in May 1949 and established its headquarters at Fort Campbell
, Kentucky
. The Angels moved to Germany in 1956 and subsequently inactivated on 1 July 1958 when it was reflagged as the 24th Infantry Division. The 24th temporarily retained a partial Airborne capability to include the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 187th Infantry; the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 503rd Infantry; and the 11th Quartermaster Company, a parachute rigger unit. Within a year 1–187th and 1–503rd rotated to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to become part of the 82nd Airborne Division while the rigger company relocated to the 8th Infantry Division in Mainz, where a new Airborne component was being formed within the division.
units was established by the Department of the Army in 1962. Secretary of the Army
Cyrus R. Vance envisioned that the Army required its own organic aviation assets to meet immediate combat needs of infantry units. The XVIII Airborne Corps began experimenting with this new concept by using borrowed helicopters. By the end of the year Secretary Vance decided to form a test division to further evaluate this new concept.
On 1 February 1963, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Aviation Group, was activated for testing purposes as a Regular Army
element of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test). Under the leadership of Major General Charles W.G. Rich, the Test Director, and Brigadier General Harry Kinnard
, the Division Commander, the group worked to formulate a unit that could move one-third of the division's infantry battalions and supporting units in one single helicopter lift. The unit operated out of Fort Benning, Georgia
.
The testing process proved highly successful and on 1 July 1965 the group was reassigned to the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) when the assets of the 11th Air Assault Division and the 2nd Infantry Division were merged into a single unit. Within several months the division deployed to the Republic of Vietnam.
The mission of the 1st Cavalry in Vietnam
was to "fight battles of movement, ranging swiftly to places where they are needed." Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara described the new 428 helicopter-equipped 1st Cavalry Division as "an entirely new approach to the conduct of land battle which will result in the exploitation of the principle of surprise to an unprecedented degree."
As part of the 1st Cavalry, the 11th Aviation Group controlled the 227th, 228th and 229th Aviation Battalions, whose helicopters were the lifeblood of the Army's first airmobile division.
From 1965 through 1968 the 11th Aviation Group saw combat in the I and II Corps areas of Vietnam
. The Group was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for the Pleiku Campaign of 1965 and the Meritorious Unit Commendation
for the period September 1965 to November 1966. In 1968, the Group moved to Phuc Vinh in III Corps and remained there until early 1971 where the Group was awarded the Valorous Unit Award for the period 6 May 1969 through 1 February 1970.
In February 1971 the Group was assigned to the 1st Aviation Brigade and redeployed to Marble Mountain Army Airfield near Da Nang
; it was officially released from the 1st Cavalry Division on 5 May 1971. In August 1972 the Group departed Marble Mountain Army Airfield and resettled at Da Nang Air Base.
, Germany, where they were used to reflag an existing aviation group. The Group's mission was to support Headquarters US Army Europe and the Seventh Army. In November 1979 the 11th Aviation Group became a major subordinate command of VII Corps.
During the period 1980–1987, while the 11th Aviation Group was at Dolan Barracks in Schwäbisch Hall in the German State of Baden-Württemberg
, another unit, the 11th Aviation Battalion (later the 11th Aviation Regiment) was based in the neighboring German State of Hesse
at Wiesbaden Air Base under the 12th Aviation Group and V Corps. The proximity of the unit's locations in the former West Germany
may be a source of confusion, as the distinctive unit insignias of the 11th Aviation Brigade and 11th Aviation Regiment (formerly the 11th Aviation Battalion) are sometimes confused, with the insignia of the latter being mistaken as the insignia for the former. The insignia of the 11th Aviation Regiment can be seen here http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Heraldry/ArmyDUISSICOA/ArmyHeraldryUnit.aspx?u=3064, while the insignia of the 11th Aviation Brigade can be seen as an external link here http://www.saundersinsignia.com/p/aviation-brigades/11th-aviation-brigade-658.php. The 11th Aviation Regiment still exists and currently performs a training support role at Fort Rucker
, Alabama
, as the 1st Battalion, 11th Aviation Regiment.
The 11th Aviation Group was reorganized and redesignated 16 October 1987 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Aviation Brigade, and three months later the brigade fielded the first AH-64 attack helicopter unit in Europe, the 2d Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment. This firmly established the brigade's role as a decisive combat element in the NATO alliance. In August 1988, the 11th Aviation Brigade moved to Storck Barracks
in Illesheim
.
During its years in Germany, the Group had a pathfinder platoon of about a dozen personnel. The unit traced its lineage back to the 11th Airborne Division pathfinders of World War II and the post-war years, as well as the pathfinders of the 11th Aviation Group in Viet Nam. The authorization for a pathfinder platoon was dropped in the late 1980s and personnel departed as their tours were completed.
During the 1990s the 11th began to be erroneously referred to as the 11th Aviation Regiment and the 11th Attack Helicopter Regiment. The U.S. Army Center of Military History noted it was actually organized under the TOE for an aviation group and its official designation was HHC, 11th Aviation Group.http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/av/011avgp.htm
In the summer of 1996, the 11th Aviation Group received a warning order to form and train an aviation task force for possible deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina. The deployment was to be as a part of the Task Force Eagle Covering Force, overseeing the withdrawal of the 1st Armored Division.
On 4 October 1996, the unit received its deployment orders, and within five days HHC,
11th Aviation Group; 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment; Companies A and B, 7th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment; 147th Maintenance Support Team; Company C, 3rd Battalion (Air Traffic Services), 58th Aviation Regiment; and the 45th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) began departing Germany enroute to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Endeavor.
Assembling at Comanche Base, the 700 soldiers of Task Force 11 transferred authority with their 1st Armored Division counterparts on 4 November 1996, and immediately provided critical support to MND (North), where tensions between the Former Warring Factions were high.
On 20 December, the covering force completed its mission as a part of the Implementation Force and transitioned to operations as a part of the Stabilization Force.
On 15 May 1997, the 229th Aviation Regiment executed transfer of authority with Task Force 11 as the Multi-National Division (North) Aviation Brigade. After processing at the intermediate staging base in Taszar, Hungary, the last elements of Task Force 11 closed on their home stations on 25 May 1997.
In May 1998 11th Aviation Group deployed to Tuzla
, Bosnia with HHC and 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment as part of Operation JOINT GUARD/FORGE. From May to October the Task Force performed as the Strategic Reserve for SFOR and the 1AD led Multinational Division North ensuring the continued implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords. Following transfer of authority to elements of the 1st Cavalry Division, the Group redeployed to Illesheim, Germany.
Following notification in late March 1999, the Group was once again deployed on 8 April 1999 to Tirana
, Albania in support of NATO Operation ALLIED FORCE
in Kosovo. Over the next three months the Group remained postured for combat operations as the main effort for Task Force Hawk
. TF Hawk deployed two attack helicopters squadrons of pilots, both aviation unit maintenance (AVUMs), 24 of their 48 AH-64s and a partial aviation maintenance (AVIM) unit to Albania. The remaining aircraft and AVIM(-) were left in Germany, where the AVIM(-) took control of the 24 AH-64s and readied them for possible deployment. Early on TF Hawk determined that the 11th Aviation Group, the two squadrons and the CORPS DOCC did not have enough aviation staff officers to simultaneously plan, rehearse and execute the current mission and the upcoming missions.
Following the success of the air campaign, 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment deployed forward to Camp Able Sentry, Macedonia and were the first members of the NATO alliance to enter Kosovo in the implementation of peace accords as part of Operation JOINT GUARDIAN. With the groundwork for peace and resettlement of refugees established, the Group once again redeployed to Illesheim with the final aircraft returning 4 August 1999.
Colonel Douglas MacGregor (US Army, Retired), who served as Director of Strategic Planning and Joint Operations at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe prior to and during the Kosovo War, provided an analysis and after-action summary of TF Hawk's performance. He wrote, in part, "TF Hawk, the Army helicopters that never saw action due to their acute vulnerability to Serb air defenses that annihilated anything that flew under 15,000 feet, deserves more critical attention. Other than killing Army pilots in training while in Albania, after 30 days of training TF Hawk did nothing to attack a single Serb tank or armored fighting vehicle. It never crossed into Kosovo!" He attributed success in the campaign, not to military action, but diplomatic negotiations that ended Russian support for the Serbs, adding that "Serb forces withdrew in good order and intact suffering modest losses (fewer than 14 tanks and about 500 military casualties contrary to what General Clark insisted at the time.)http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/13/it%E2%80%99s-budgetary-war-bloody-and-terrible/
The 11th Aviation Group was inactivated in Germany on 9 June 2005 with a casing of the colors. At the time, it consisted of two attack helicopter
battalions, service support units, and a headquarters, and was part of the V Corps.
The unit was reactivated in the United States Army Reserve as the 11th Theater Aviation Command on 16 September 2007 with a colors ceremony at Fort Knox
, Kentucky
. The presiding officer was Lieutenant General
Jack Stultz, Commanding General, United States Army Reserve
while the former Commanding General of the 11th Theater Aviation Command was Brigadier General
Matthew C. Matia. In October 2009, Brig. Gen. Peter T. Quinn assumed command of the 11th Aviation Command.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
aviation formation
Command (military formation)
A command in military terminology is an organisational unit that the individual in Military command has responsibility for. A Commander will normally be specifically appointed into the role in order to provide a legal framework for the authority bestowed...
consisting of a headquarters company
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
In United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC...
, one aviation brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
, three separate aviation battalions, and an aviation operations battalion, as follows:
- Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Aviation Command, headquartered at Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... - 244th Aviation Brigade (Theater), headquartered at Fort Dix, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
- 6th Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment (United States)52nd Aviation Regiment (United States)The 52nd Aviation Regiment is an aviation regiment of the U.S. Army.-Lineage:Constituted 31 May 1940 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 204th Quartermaster BattalionActivated 10 June 1942 at Compton, California...
, headquartered at Los Alamitos, California - 1st Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (Attack), headquartered at Conroe, Texas
- 8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment (Attack), headquartered at Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... - 2nd Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, headquartered at Fort RuckerFort RuckerFort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...
, AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
These units were originally under the control of the 244th Aviation Brigade but were transferred upon activation of the 11th Aviation Command on 16 September 2007. Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
aviation assets which remain under the direct control of the 244th Aviation Brigade include 2nd Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment (Horsham, Pennsylvania), 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment (Fort Eustis, Virginia), 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment (Fort Hood, Texas), and M Company, 158th Aviation Regiment (Carswell, Texas), which is slated to be enlarged and reflagged as the 696th Aviation Support Battalion. Additionally, if federalized, the 77th Aviation Brigade of the Arkansas National Guard
Arkansas National Guard
The Arkansas National Guard comprises both Army and Air components. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guard is the only United States military force empowered to function in a state status...
may be placed under the command and control of the 11th Theater Aviation Command.
The unit's distinctive unit insignia can be seen as an external link here http://www.saundersinsignia.com/p/aviation-brigades/11th-aviation-brigade-658.php. The Command's shoulder sleeve insignia and distinctive unit insignia flow from the lineage of the 11th Aviation Group which was last headquartered in Illesheim, Germany.
World War II legacy era (1941–1961)
The 11th Aviation Command incorporates the history of the 11th Aviation Group which can be traced to the 11th Airborne Division, which served in the Pacific TheaterPacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and in the Army of Occupation
Army of Occupation
Army of Occupation is a term for an army occupying conquered territory, and has been used for many armies in many eras including:*The Army of Occupation of the U.S...
in Japan after the war. The division returned to the United States in May 1949 and established its headquarters at Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The Angels moved to Germany in 1956 and subsequently inactivated on 1 July 1958 when it was reflagged as the 24th Infantry Division. The 24th temporarily retained a partial Airborne capability to include the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 187th Infantry; the 1st Airborne Battle Group, 503rd Infantry; and the 11th Quartermaster Company, a parachute rigger unit. Within a year 1–187th and 1–503rd rotated to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to become part of the 82nd Airborne Division while the rigger company relocated to the 8th Infantry Division in Mainz, where a new Airborne component was being formed within the division.
Vietnam era (1962–1972)
The colors remained dormant until the requirement for air mobility (heliborne tactical movement) of infantryInfantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
units was established by the Department of the Army in 1962. Secretary of the Army
United States Secretary of the Army
The Secretary of the Army is a civilian official within the Department of Defense of the United States of America with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and...
Cyrus R. Vance envisioned that the Army required its own organic aviation assets to meet immediate combat needs of infantry units. The XVIII Airborne Corps began experimenting with this new concept by using borrowed helicopters. By the end of the year Secretary Vance decided to form a test division to further evaluate this new concept.
On 1 February 1963, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Aviation Group, was activated for testing purposes as a Regular Army
Regular Army
The Regular Army of the United States was and is the successor to the Continental Army as the country's permanent, professional military establishment. Even in modern times the professional core of the United States Army continues to be called the Regular Army...
element of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test). Under the leadership of Major General Charles W.G. Rich, the Test Director, and Brigadier General Harry Kinnard
Harry Kinnard
Harry William Osborne Kinnard II was an American military officer who, during the Vietnam War, pioneered the airmobile concept of sending troops into battle using helicopters. Kinnard retired from the military as a lieutenant-general.Kinnard grew up in Dallas, Texas...
, the Division Commander, the group worked to formulate a unit that could move one-third of the division's infantry battalions and supporting units in one single helicopter lift. The unit operated out of Fort Benning, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
The testing process proved highly successful and on 1 July 1965 the group was reassigned to the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) when the assets of the 11th Air Assault Division and the 2nd Infantry Division were merged into a single unit. Within several months the division deployed to the Republic of Vietnam.
The mission of the 1st Cavalry in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
was to "fight battles of movement, ranging swiftly to places where they are needed." Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara described the new 428 helicopter-equipped 1st Cavalry Division as "an entirely new approach to the conduct of land battle which will result in the exploitation of the principle of surprise to an unprecedented degree."
As part of the 1st Cavalry, the 11th Aviation Group controlled the 227th, 228th and 229th Aviation Battalions, whose helicopters were the lifeblood of the Army's first airmobile division.
From 1965 through 1968 the 11th Aviation Group saw combat in the I and II Corps areas of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The Group was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for the Pleiku Campaign of 1965 and the Meritorious Unit Commendation
Meritorious Unit Commendation
The Meritorious Unit Commendation is a mid-level unit award of the United States military which is awarded to any military command which displays exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service, heroic deeds, or valorous actions....
for the period September 1965 to November 1966. In 1968, the Group moved to Phuc Vinh in III Corps and remained there until early 1971 where the Group was awarded the Valorous Unit Award for the period 6 May 1969 through 1 February 1970.
In February 1971 the Group was assigned to the 1st Aviation Brigade and redeployed to Marble Mountain Army Airfield near Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
; it was officially released from the 1st Cavalry Division on 5 May 1971. In August 1972 the Group departed Marble Mountain Army Airfield and resettled at Da Nang Air Base.
Germany era (1973–1989)
The colors of the 11th Aviation Group left Vietnam in March 1973, bound for Dolan Barracks in Schwäbisch HallSchwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and capital of the district of Schwäbisch Hall. The town is located in the valley of the river Kocher in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg....
, Germany, where they were used to reflag an existing aviation group. The Group's mission was to support Headquarters US Army Europe and the Seventh Army. In November 1979 the 11th Aviation Group became a major subordinate command of VII Corps.
During the period 1980–1987, while the 11th Aviation Group was at Dolan Barracks in Schwäbisch Hall in the German State of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, another unit, the 11th Aviation Battalion (later the 11th Aviation Regiment) was based in the neighboring German State of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
at Wiesbaden Air Base under the 12th Aviation Group and V Corps. The proximity of the unit's locations in the former West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
may be a source of confusion, as the distinctive unit insignias of the 11th Aviation Brigade and 11th Aviation Regiment (formerly the 11th Aviation Battalion) are sometimes confused, with the insignia of the latter being mistaken as the insignia for the former. The insignia of the 11th Aviation Regiment can be seen here http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Heraldry/ArmyDUISSICOA/ArmyHeraldryUnit.aspx?u=3064, while the insignia of the 11th Aviation Brigade can be seen as an external link here http://www.saundersinsignia.com/p/aviation-brigades/11th-aviation-brigade-658.php. The 11th Aviation Regiment still exists and currently performs a training support role at Fort Rucker
Fort Rucker
Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, as the 1st Battalion, 11th Aviation Regiment.
The 11th Aviation Group was reorganized and redesignated 16 October 1987 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Aviation Brigade, and three months later the brigade fielded the first AH-64 attack helicopter unit in Europe, the 2d Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment. This firmly established the brigade's role as a decisive combat element in the NATO alliance. In August 1988, the 11th Aviation Brigade moved to Storck Barracks
Storck Barracks
Storck Barracks/Illesheim Kaserne is a United States Army facility in Germany, located about 15 miles northwest of Ansbach , about 240 miles south-southwest of Berlin....
in Illesheim
Illesheim
Illesheim, founded 1283 AD, is a municipality in the district of Neustadt -Bad Windsheim in Bavaria in Germany. The earliest leader affiliated with Illesheim's foundation was Götz von Berlichingen, known as "the Knight with the Iron Hand." Also known locally as "Illesa"...
.
During its years in Germany, the Group had a pathfinder platoon of about a dozen personnel. The unit traced its lineage back to the 11th Airborne Division pathfinders of World War II and the post-war years, as well as the pathfinders of the 11th Aviation Group in Viet Nam. The authorization for a pathfinder platoon was dropped in the late 1980s and personnel departed as their tours were completed.
Desert Storm era (1990–1995)
At the conclusion of Operation Desert Storm, the Brigade was assigned to sector security in the former XVIII Airborne Corps area of responsibility. The front covered more than 200 kilometers. The 11th Aviation Brigade began redeployment to Germany on 22 April 1991. It was then reorganized and redesignated 17 November 1993 back to being Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Aviation Group.During the 1990s the 11th began to be erroneously referred to as the 11th Aviation Regiment and the 11th Attack Helicopter Regiment. The U.S. Army Center of Military History noted it was actually organized under the TOE for an aviation group and its official designation was HHC, 11th Aviation Group.http://www.history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/av/011avgp.htm
Bosnia and Kosovo era (1996–1999)
In April 1996, C Troop (+), 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment deployed to Camp Hampton, Bosnia and Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Endeavor and the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division. The deployment was critical to Implementation Force's success in establishing stability in the Multi-National Division (North) sector.In the summer of 1996, the 11th Aviation Group received a warning order to form and train an aviation task force for possible deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina. The deployment was to be as a part of the Task Force Eagle Covering Force, overseeing the withdrawal of the 1st Armored Division.
On 4 October 1996, the unit received its deployment orders, and within five days HHC,
11th Aviation Group; 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment; 2nd Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment; Companies A and B, 7th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment; 147th Maintenance Support Team; Company C, 3rd Battalion (Air Traffic Services), 58th Aviation Regiment; and the 45th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) began departing Germany enroute to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of Operation Joint Endeavor.
Assembling at Comanche Base, the 700 soldiers of Task Force 11 transferred authority with their 1st Armored Division counterparts on 4 November 1996, and immediately provided critical support to MND (North), where tensions between the Former Warring Factions were high.
On 20 December, the covering force completed its mission as a part of the Implementation Force and transitioned to operations as a part of the Stabilization Force.
On 15 May 1997, the 229th Aviation Regiment executed transfer of authority with Task Force 11 as the Multi-National Division (North) Aviation Brigade. After processing at the intermediate staging base in Taszar, Hungary, the last elements of Task Force 11 closed on their home stations on 25 May 1997.
In May 1998 11th Aviation Group deployed to Tuzla
Tuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
, Bosnia with HHC and 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment as part of Operation JOINT GUARD/FORGE. From May to October the Task Force performed as the Strategic Reserve for SFOR and the 1AD led Multinational Division North ensuring the continued implementation of the Dayton Peace Accords. Following transfer of authority to elements of the 1st Cavalry Division, the Group redeployed to Illesheim, Germany.
Following notification in late March 1999, the Group was once again deployed on 8 April 1999 to Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
, Albania in support of NATO Operation ALLIED FORCE
Operation Allied Force
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
in Kosovo. Over the next three months the Group remained postured for combat operations as the main effort for Task Force Hawk
Task Force Hawk
Task Force Hawk was the unit constructed and deployed by General Wesley Clark to provide additional support to NATO's Operation Allied Force by NATO operations against the former Yugoslavian government during the 1999 unrest in Kosovo...
. TF Hawk deployed two attack helicopters squadrons of pilots, both aviation unit maintenance (AVUMs), 24 of their 48 AH-64s and a partial aviation maintenance (AVIM) unit to Albania. The remaining aircraft and AVIM(-) were left in Germany, where the AVIM(-) took control of the 24 AH-64s and readied them for possible deployment. Early on TF Hawk determined that the 11th Aviation Group, the two squadrons and the CORPS DOCC did not have enough aviation staff officers to simultaneously plan, rehearse and execute the current mission and the upcoming missions.
Following the success of the air campaign, 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment deployed forward to Camp Able Sentry, Macedonia and were the first members of the NATO alliance to enter Kosovo in the implementation of peace accords as part of Operation JOINT GUARDIAN. With the groundwork for peace and resettlement of refugees established, the Group once again redeployed to Illesheim with the final aircraft returning 4 August 1999.
Colonel Douglas MacGregor (US Army, Retired), who served as Director of Strategic Planning and Joint Operations at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe prior to and during the Kosovo War, provided an analysis and after-action summary of TF Hawk's performance. He wrote, in part, "TF Hawk, the Army helicopters that never saw action due to their acute vulnerability to Serb air defenses that annihilated anything that flew under 15,000 feet, deserves more critical attention. Other than killing Army pilots in training while in Albania, after 30 days of training TF Hawk did nothing to attack a single Serb tank or armored fighting vehicle. It never crossed into Kosovo!" He attributed success in the campaign, not to military action, but diplomatic negotiations that ended Russian support for the Serbs, adding that "Serb forces withdrew in good order and intact suffering modest losses (fewer than 14 tanks and about 500 military casualties contrary to what General Clark insisted at the time.)http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/09/13/it%E2%80%99s-budgetary-war-bloody-and-terrible/
Operation Iraqi Freedom Sep 2002 – Dec 2003
WARNO was issued in Aug 2002 for Apache assets to be forward deployed to Kuwait in preparation for an invasion of Iraq. The 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment deployed to Camp Doha Kuwait (later Ali Al Salem Airbase, Kuwait) to prepare for an eventual move into Iraq. 2/6 Cav flew numerous training scenarios and prepared themselves for operation in the challenging environment. In Feb 2003, 2/6 Cav moved from Ali Al Salem to Camp Udari, a forward staging base for the units preparing to move into Iraq. In March 2003, they were joined by 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, their sister unit, who had just returned from testing their new AH64D Longbow helicopters at "Victory Strike" in Poland. After months of tedious waiting, the ground portion of the 11th Aviation Group crossed the berm in late march, drove to An Nasariyah, and another two days up the Euphrates to a location ~12 SW of An Najaf, Iraq. This field was named Objective Rams and was the landing site for the helicopters that overflown the convoy on their three-day drive up and landed after a deep strike mission. About four hours after the convoy arrived, the famous "dust storm" moved in. After three days of "dustout" the Group got to the business of blowing things up... this went on until late April, when the Group again packed up a convoy and rolled through Baghdad north to Balad Air Base, Iraq. The Group lived inside tents erected under old Hardened Aircraft Shelters (a real boon to the troops, who had suffered the Iraqi spring sun too much already). I left shortly after that (7 May 2003), but from what others told me, the Group moved into permanent buildings within a few months. The 11th Aviation Group continued its mission until Dec 2003, when it redeployed to Illesheim, Germany to reset for the next challenge. Both 2/6 and 6/6 were awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC) for their actions while deployed.Inactivation and reactivation
Prior to inactivation, the 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) VI in March 2005 until March 2006. The squadron deployed with their AH-64D Longbow Apaches and formed the headquarters of Task Force Sabre at Bagram Airfield. Charlie Troop was attached to Task Force Storm in Kandahar. This was the first deployment of AH-64Ds to Afghanistan. 2–6 Cav was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC) for their actions while deployed.The 11th Aviation Group was inactivated in Germany on 9 June 2005 with a casing of the colors. At the time, it consisted of two attack helicopter
Attack helicopter
An attack helicopter is a military helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the capability of engaging targets on the ground, such as enemy infantry and armored vehicles...
battalions, service support units, and a headquarters, and was part of the V Corps.
The unit was reactivated in the United States Army Reserve as the 11th Theater Aviation Command on 16 September 2007 with a colors ceremony at Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The presiding officer was Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Jack Stultz, Commanding General, United States Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
while the former Commanding General of the 11th Theater Aviation Command was Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Matthew C. Matia. In October 2009, Brig. Gen. Peter T. Quinn assumed command of the 11th Aviation Command.
Campaign participation credit
- Vietnam:
- Defense;
- Counteroffensive;
- Counteroffensive, Phase II;
- Counteroffensive, Phase III;
- Tet Counteroffensive;
- Counteroffensive, Phase IV;
- Counteroffensive, Phase V;
- Counteroffensive, Phase VI;
- Tet 69/Counteroffensive;
- Summer-Fall 1969;
- Winter-Spring 1970;
- Sanctuary Counteroffensive;
- Counteroffensive, Phase VII;
- Consolidation I;
- Consolidation II;
- Cease-Fire
- Southwest Asia:
- Defense of Saudi Arabia;
- Liberation and Defense of Kuwait;
- Cease-Fire
Unit decorations
- Presidential Unit Citation (Army) for PLEIKU PROVINCE
- Valorous Unit Award for FISH HOOK
- Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army) for VIETNAM 1965–1966
- Army Superior Unit Award for TASK FORCE EAGLE 1995–1996
- Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1965–1969
- Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1969–1970
- Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1970–1971
- Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for VIETNAM 1971–1972
- Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal, First Class for VIETNAM 1969–1970
External links
- Lineage of the 11th Aviation Group (not to be confused with the 11th Aviation Regiment)
- Inactivation of the 11th Aviation Group in 2005