1st Army Corps (Ukraine)
The 1st Army Corps was one of the first three army corps of the Ukrainian Ground Forces headquartered in Chernihiv, Ukraine. The Corps was established in 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union from a redesignation of the former Soviet 1st Guards Army and disbanded in 1996 during Ukrainian Ground Forces reorganization, being replaced Operational Command North (current name since 1998).


1st Army Division (Argentina)
The 1st Army Division (Spanish: División de Ejército 1) is a unit of the Argentine Army.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia)
The 1st Army Group was a Royal Yugoslav Army formation mobilised prior to the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941 during World War II. It consisted of the 4th Army, 7th Army, and the 1st Cavalry Division, which was the army group reserve. It was responsible for the defence of northwestern Yugoslavia, with the 4th Army defending the eastern sector along the Yugoslav–Hungarian border, and the 7th Army defending the western sector along the borders with Germany and Italy. Like all Yugoslav formations at the time, the 1st Army Group had serious deficiencies in both mobility and firepower as well as internal friction among the different ethnic groups, particularly between Serbs and Croats.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia)
Despite concerns over a possible Axis invasion, orders for the general mobilisation of the Royal Yugoslav Army were not issued by the government until 3 April 1941, not to provoke Germany any further and precipitate war. When the invasion commenced on 6 April, the component formations of 1st Army Group were only partially mobilised, and on the first day the Germans seized bridges over the Drava River in both sectors and several mountain passes in the 7th Army sector.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia)
In the 4th Army sector, the formation and expansion of German bridgeheads across the Drava were facilitated by fifth column elements of the Croat fascist and ultranationalist Ustaše. Mutiny by Croat soldiers broke out in all three divisions of the 4th Army in the first few days, causing significant disruption to mobilisation and deployment. The 1st Army Group was also weakened by fifth column activities within its major units when the chief of staff and chief of operations of the headquarters of 1st Army Group aided both Ustaše and Slovene separatists in the 4th and 7th Army sectors respectively.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia)
The revolts within the 4th Army were of great concern to the commander of the 7th Army, Diviziski đeneral Dušan Trifunović, but the army group commander, Armijski đeneral Milorad Petrović, did not permit him to withdraw from border areas until the night of 7/8 April, which was followed by the German capture of Maribor as they continued to expand their bridgeheads.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia)
The 4th Army also began to withdraw southwards on 9 April, and on 10 April it quickly ceased to exist as an operational formation in the face of two determined armoured thrusts by the XXXXVI Motorised Corps, one of which captured Zagreb that evening where a newly formed Croatian government hailed the entry of the Germans. Italian offensive operations also began, with thrusts towards Ljubljana and down the Adriatic coast, capturing over 30,000 Yugoslav troops near Delnice.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia)
When fifth column elements arrested the staffs of the 1st Army Group, 4th Army and 7th Army on 11 April, the 1st Army Group effectively ceased to exist. On 12 April, a German armoured column linked up with the Italians near the Adriatic coast, encircling the remnants of the withdrawing 7th Army. Remnants of the 4th Army attempted to establish defensive positions in northeastern Bosnia, but were quickly brushed aside by German armour as it drove towards Sarajevo. The Yugoslav Supreme Command unconditionally surrendered on 18 April.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Background
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was created with the merger of Serbia, Montenegro and the South Slav-inhabited areas of Austria-Hungary on 1 December 1918, in the immediate aftermath of World War I. The Army of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was established to defend the new state. It was formed around the nucleus of the victorious Royal Serbian Army, as well as armed formations raised in regions formerly controlled by Austria-Hungary. Many former Austro-Hungarian officers and soldiers became members of the new army. From the beginning, much like other aspects of public life in the new kingdom, the army was dominated by ethnic Serbs, who saw it as a means by which to secure Serb political hegemony.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Background
The army's development was hampered by the kingdom's poor economy, and this continued during the 1920s. In 1929, King Alexander changed the name of the country to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, at which time the army was renamed the Royal Yugoslav Army (Serbo-Croatian Latin: Vojska Kraljevine Jugoslavije, VKJ). The army budget remained tight, and as tensions rose across Europe during the 1930s, it became difficult to secure weapons and munitions from other countries.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Background
Consequently, at the time World War II broke out in September 1939, the VKJ had several serious weaknesses, which included reliance on draught animals for transport, and the large size of its formations. Infantry divisions had a wartime strength of 26,000–27,000 men, as compared to contemporary British infantry divisions of half that strength. These characteristics resulted in slow, unwieldy formations, and the inadequate supply of arms and munitions meant that even the very large Yugoslav formations had very limited firepower. Generals with mindsets better suited to the trench warfare of World War I were combined with an army that was neither equipped nor trained to resist the fast-moving combined arms approach used by the Germans in their invasions of Poland and France.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Background
The weaknesses of the VKJ in strategy, structure, equipment, mobility and supply were exacerbated by serious ethnic disunity within Yugoslavia, resulting from two decades of Serb hegemony and the attendant lack of political legitimacy achieved by the central government. Attempts to address the disunity came too late to ensure that the VKJ was a cohesive force. Fifth column activity was also a serious concern, not only from the Croatian fascist Ustaše and the ethnic German minorities but also potentially from the pro-Bulgarian Macedonians and the Albanian population of Kosovo.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Formation and composition
Yugoslav war plans saw the headquarters of the 1st Army Group being raised at the time of mobilisation. It was to be commanded by Armijski đeneral Milorad Petrović, and was to control the 4th Army, commanded by Armijski đeneral Petar Nedeljković, the 7th Army, commanded by Diviziski đeneral Dušan Trifunović, and the 1st Cavalry Division. The 4th Army was organised and mobilised on a geographic basis from the peacetime 4th Army District.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Formation and composition
On mobilisation it would consist of three divisions, a brigade-strength infantry detachment, one horsed cavalry regiment and one infantry regiment, and was supported by artillery, anti-aircraft artillery, border guards, and air reconnaissance elements of the Royal Yugoslav Army Air Force (Serbo-Croatian Latin: Vazduhoplovstvo vojske Kraljevine Jugoslavije, VVKJ). The troops of the 4th Army included a high percentage of Croats. The 7th Army did not have a corresponding peacetime army district, and, like the headquarters of the 1st Army Group, was to be formed at the time of mobilisation.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Formation and composition
It would consist of two divisions, two brigade-strength mountain detachments and a brigade-strength infantry detachment, with field and anti-aircraft artillery support, and also had VVKJ air reconnaissance assets available. The 7th Army included a high proportion of Slovenes, but also some ethnic Germans. The 1st Cavalry Division was a horsed cavalry formation that existed as part of the peacetime army, although significant parts of the peacetime division were earmarked to join other formations when they were mobilised. The 1st Army Group did not control any army group-level support units.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Mobilisation and deployment plan
After unrelenting political pressure from Adolf Hitler, Yugoslavia signed the Tripartite Pact on 25 March 1941. On 27 March, a military coup d'état overthrew the government that had signed the pact, and a new government was formed under the commander of the VVKJ, Armijski đeneral Dušan Simović. A general mobilisation was not initiated by the new government until 3 April 1941 not to provoke Germany any further and thus precipitating war.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Mobilisation and deployment plan
However, on the same day as the coup, Hitler issued Führer Directive 25 that called for Yugoslavia to be treated as a hostile state; on 3 April, Führer Directive 26 was issued, detailing the plan of attack and command structure for the German-led Axis invasion, which was to commence on 6 April.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Mobilisation and deployment plan
The deployment plan for 1st Army Group saw the 4th Army deployed in a cordon behind the Drava between Varaždin and Slatina, with formations centred around the towns of Ivanec, Varaždin, Koprivnica and Virovitica. The 7th Army deployment plan saw its formations placed in a cordon along the border region from the Adriatic coast near Senj north to Kranj in the Julian Alps and along the German border to Maribor. It was envisaged that the 1st Cavalry Division  would be located in and around Zagreb as the reserve for the 1st Army Group.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Mobilisation and deployment plan
The Yugoslav historian Velimir Terzić describes the mobilisation of all formations of the 1st Army Group on 6 April as "only partial", and notes that there was a poor response to mobilisation orders for both men and animals. To the right of the 1st Army Group was the 2nd Army of the 2nd Army Group, with the army group boundary running from just east of Slatina through Požega towards Banja Luka. On the left flank of the 1st Army Group, the Adriatic coast was defended by Coastal Defence Command.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion
The invasion of Yugoslavia,  was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put forward in "Führer Directive No. 25", which Adolf Hitler issued on 27 March 1941, following the Yugoslav coup d'état.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion
The invasion commenced with an overwhelming air attack on Belgrade and facilities of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force (VVKJ) by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) and attacks by German land forces from southwestern Bulgaria. These attacks were followed by German thrusts from Romania, Hungary and the Ostmark. Italian forces were limited to air and artillery attacks until 11 April, when the Italian army attacked towards Ljubljana (in modern-day Slovenia) and through Istria and Lika and down the Dalmatian coast. On the same day, Hungarian forces entered Yugoslav Bačka and Baranya, but like the Italians they faced practically no resistance. A Yugoslav attack into the northern parts of the Italian protectorate of Albania met with initial success, but was inconsequential due to the collapse of the rest of the Yugoslav forces.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion
Scholars have proposed several theories for the Royal Yugoslav Army's sudden collapse, including poor training and equipment, generals eager to secure a quick cessation of hostilities, and a sizeable Croatian nationalist fifth column. The invasion ended when an armistice was signed on 17 April 1941, based on the unconditional surrender of the Yugoslav army, which came into effect at noon on 18 April. Yugoslavia was then occupied and partitioned by the Axis powers.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion
Some areas of Yugoslavia were annexed by neighboring Axis countries, some areas remained occupied, and in other areas Axis puppet states such as the Independent State of Croatia (Serbo-Croatian Latin: Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, or NDH) were created during the invasion on 10 April. Along with Italy's stalled invasion of Greece on 28 October 1940, and the German-led invasion of Greece (Operation Marita) and invasion of Crete (Operation Merkur), the invasion of Yugoslavia was part of the German Balkan Campaign (German: Balkanfeldzug).


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
German Army headquarters wanted to capture the bridges over the Drava intact, and from 1 April had issued orders to Generaloberst Maximilian von Weichs's 2nd Army to conduct preliminary operations aimed at seizing the bridge at Barcs and the railway bridge at Zákány by coup de main. As a result, limited objective attacks were launched along the line of the Drava by the XXXXVI Motorised Corps of General der Panzertruppe Heinrich von Vietinghoff, despite the fact that they were not expected to launch offensive operations until 10 April.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
In the early hours of 6 April 1941, units of the 4th Army were located at their mobilisation centres or were marching toward the Hungarian border. On the extreme left flank of the 4th Army, General der Infanterie Hans-Wolfgang Reinhard's LI Infantry Corps seized the undamaged bridge over the Mura River at Gornja Radgona, and Yugoslav border troops in the Prekmurje region were attacked by troops advancing across the German border, and began withdrawing south into the Međimurje region. Germans troops also crossed the Hungarian border and attacked border troops at Dolnja Lendava, just north of the Mura.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
Shortly after this, further attacks were made along the Drava between Ždala and Gotalovo in the area of the 27th Infantry Division Savska (27th ID) with the intention of securing crossings over the river, but they were unsuccessful. LI Infantry Corps cleared most of Prekmurje up to Murska Sobota and Ljutomer during the day, and a bicycle-mounted detachment of Generalmajor Benignus Dippold's 183rd Infantry Division captured Murska Sobota without encountering resistance. During the day, the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) bombed and strafed Yugoslav positions and troops on the march.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
By the afternoon, German troops had captured Dolnja Lendava, and by the evening it had become clear to the Germans that resistance at the Yugoslav border was weak. XXXXVI Motorised Corps was then ordered to begin seizing bridges over the Mura at Mursko Središće and Letenye, and over the Drava at Zákány and Barcs. These local attacks were sufficient to inflame dissent within the largely Croat 4th Army, who refused to resist Germans they considered their liberators from Serbian oppression during the interwar period.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
In the afternoon of 6 April, German aircraft caught the air reconnaissance assets of the 4th Army on the ground at Velika Gorica, destroying most of them. The continuing mobilisation and concentration of the 4th Army was hampered by escalating fifth column activities and propaganda fomented by the Ustaše. Some units stopped mobilising, or began returning to their mobilisation centres from their concentration areas. During the day, Yugoslav sabotage units attempted to destroy bridges over the Mura at Letenye, Mursko Središće and Kotoriba, and over the Drava at Zákány.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
These attempts were only partially successful, due to the influence of Ustaše propaganda and the countermanding of demolition orders by the chief of staff of the 27th ID. The Yugoslav radio network in the 4th Army area was sabotaged by the Ustaše on 6 April, and radio communications within the 4th Army remained poor throughout the fighting.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
On 7 April, elements of XXXXVI Motorised Corps crossed the Drava at Zákány and attacked towards Koprivnica. Available troops of the 27th ID took up defensive positions to stop this German penetration and Petrović ordered Nedeljković to mount a counter-attack against the bridgehead. By nightfall the counter-attack had not materialised, the defenders had withdrawn to Koprivnica, and Petrović had ordered Nedeljković to counter-attack on the following morning. Also on 7 April, the few remaining reconnaissance aircraft of the 4th Army mounted attacks on a bridge over the Drava at Zákány. On 8 April, the XXXXVI Motorised Corps continued with its limited objective attacks to expand its bridgehead at Zákány.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
On the morning of 8 April, the 27th ID was deployed around Koprivnica with some army-level artillery and cavalry support and a cavalry regiment detached from the 1st Cavalry Division. The counter-attack was eventually launched in the afternoon, but was abortive, with only the cavalry units maintaining contact with the Germans. The cavalry held the line throughout the night of 8/9 April, despite heavy German artillery fire. Significant Ustaše-influenced desertions occurred during the day. On 9 April, the XXXXVI Motorised Corps completed its preparations for full-scale offensive action by further expanding its bridgehead at Zákány.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
The cavalry units continued to fight the Germans, but the left sector of the 27th ID front began to crumble. There was a deal of discussion between commanders from regimental level up to Petrović about discharging the Croat troops and withdrawing to a line south of the Sava River, but despite orders to the contrary, some commanders began to discharge some or all of their personnel, and most troops began to retreat before the German advances. Others received false messages directing them to withdraw. In the afternoon, even the hard-pressed cavalry units began to withdraw, and the Germans captured Koprivnica without resistance. The German capture of the town was made easier due to revolts by Croat troops against Serb officers in the 27th ID.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
Early on 7 April, reconnaissance units of the XXXXVI Motorised Corps crossed the Mura at Letenye and Mursko Središće and captured Čakovec. Ustaše propaganda led the bulk of two regiments from the 42nd Infantry Division Murska (42nd ID) to revolt; only two battalions deployed to their allocated positions. In the face of this German advance, Yugoslav border troops withdrew towards the Drava.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
The following day, in the areas of the 42nd ID and Detachment Ormozki on the left flank of the 4th Army, the Germans cleared the territory north of the Drava, and border guard units were withdrawn south of the river. On this day, the 39th Infantry Regiment was transferred to the 42nd ID from the Detachment Ormozki, and the 36th Infantry Regiment of the former joined the 27th ID. The Mura sector was quiet on 9 April.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
The 42nd ID took the 39th Infantry Regiment under command, but another of its infantry regiments and the border guards in the divisional sector began to disintegrate due to desertions. With the deteriorating situation on the right flank of the 42nd ID, the 4th Army headquarters ordered it and Detachment Ormozki to withdraw from the Drava to behind the Bednja River conforming with the line being held by the 27th ID on its immediate right flank.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
In the early evening of 7 April, German units in regimental strength began to cross the Drava near Barcs and established a second bridgehead in the sector of the 40th Infantry Division Slavonska (40th ID). Affected by propaganda from the Ustaše, the border troops abandoned their positions and withdrew to Virovitica. Fifth column activities within units of the 4th Army were fomented by the Ustaše, which facilitated German establishment of the bridgehead at Barcs, and resulted in a number of significant revolts within units.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
The 108th Infantry Regiment of the 40th ID, which had mobilised in Bjelovar, was marching towards Virovitica to take up positions. On the night of 7/8 April, the Croats of the 108th Regiment revolted, arrested their Serb officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers. The regiment then marched back towards Bjelovar. The revolt of the 108th Regiment meant that the entire frontage of the division had to be covered by a single regiment. During the night, patrols were sent towards the German bridgehead, but Ustaše sympathisers misled them into believing the Germans were already across the Drava at Barcs in strength. The Germans were subsequently able to consolidate their bridgehead at Barcs overnight. By late evening on 7 April, Petrović's reports to the Yugoslav Supreme Command noted that the 4th Army was exhausted and its morale had been degraded significantly, and that Nedeljković concurred with his commander's assessment.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
On 8 April, the German XXXXVI Motorised Corps continued with its limited objective attacks to expand the Barcs bridgehead. A German regiment broke through the border troops in the sector of the 40th ID, and approached Virovitica. At this point, the entire divisional sector was defended by the divisional cavalry squadron, which had been transported there in requisitioned cars due to the lack of horses. Two understrength and wavering battalions arrived at Pčelić, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southwest of Virovitica.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
By noon, the rebels of the 108th Infantry Regiment were approaching Bjelovar, where they were joined by elements of the 42nd Infantry Regiment and other units of the 40th ID. When Nedeljković became aware of their approach, he ordered the local gendarmerie commander to maintain order, but was advised this would not be possible, as local conscripts would not report for duty. The headquarters of the 4th Army reported the presence of the rebelling units to Headquarters 1st Army Group, and it was suggested that the VVKJ could bomb them. The 8th Bomber Regiment at Rovine was even warned to carry out a bombing mission against the rebels, but the idea was subsequently abandoned. Instead, it was decided to request that the leader of the Croatian Peasant Party, Vladko Maček, intervene with the rebels.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
On that day, Josip Broz Tito and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, then located in Zagreb, along with the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Croatia, sent a delegation to the headquarters of the 4th Army urging them to issue arms to workers to help defend Zagreb. Pavle Gregorić, who was a member of both Central Committees, went to 4th Army headquarters twice, and was able to speak briefly with Nedeljković, but could not convince him to do so. On that same day, Maček, who had returned to Zagreb after briefly joining Simović's post-coup d'état government, agreed to send an emissary to the 108th Infantry Regiment urging them to obey their officers, but they did not respond to his appeal.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
Later in the day, two trucks of rebels arrived at 4th Army headquarters in Bjelovar with the intention of killing the staff. The headquarters guard force prevented this, but the operations staff immediately withdrew from Bjelovar to Popovača. After the mutinous troops issued several unanswered ultimatums, around 8,000 of them attacked Bjelovar, assisted by fifth-columnists within the city. The city then surrendered, and many Yugoslav officers and soldiers were captured by the rebels.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
When Nedeljković heard of the fall of the city, he called the Mayor of Bjelovar, Julije Makanec and threatened to bomb the city if the prisoners were not immediately released. Detained officers from 4th Army headquarters and the 108th Infantry Regiment were then sent to Zagreb. About 16:00, Nedeljković informed the Ban of Croatia, Ivan Šubašić of the revolt, but Šubašić was powerless to influence events. About 18:00, Makanec proclaimed that Bjelovar was part of an independent Croatian state.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
On the morning of 9 April, the German bridgehead at Barcs had expanded to Lukač, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of Virovitica. Following up the withdrawal of the divisional cavalry squadron, the Germans seized Suho Polje, west of Virovitica, cutting the main road to Slatina, and the rebel Croat troops at Bjelovar made contact with them. By 11:00, the 40th ID front line consisted of a single regiment with some cavalry support. The 89th Infantry Regiment, marching from its concentration area in Sisak, arrived at divisional headquarters at Pivnica Slavonska, to replace the 43rd Infantry Regiment, which had been transferred to the 17th Infantry Division Vrbaska (17th ID) of the right flanking 2nd Army, which belonged to the 2nd Army Group.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
Other reinforcements included elements of the 4th Army anti-aircraft units sent from Lipik, but the divisional artillery regiment had not completed mobilisation. The rebels in Bjelovar issued false orders to one of the forward battalions of the 40th ID, directing it to fall back to Bjelovar. At 11:15, Nedeljković arrived at divisional headquarters and shortly afterwards ordered the division to launch a counter-attack on the German bridgehead at Barcs at dawn the following day.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
Nedeljković also visited the commander of the 17th ID on the right flank of the 4th Army, to arrange support from that division during the pending attack. However, because the majority of that division's troops had yet to arrive from Bosnia, all it was able to do was advance its left flank west of Slatina. The 40th ID spent the remainder of the day preparing for the counter-attack, but was hindered by German artillery and air attacks.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 4th Army sector
In an indication of the state of the division, during a visit to the front line, the commander and chief of staff of 40th ID were fired at by their own troops. On the night of 9/10 April, those Croats that had remained with their units began to desert or turn on their commanders.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
The largely mountainous border between Germany and Yugoslavia was unsuitable for motorised operations. Due to the short notice of the invasion, the elements of the invading 2nd Army that would make up XXXXIX Mountain Corps and LI Infantry Corps had to be assembled from France, Germany and the German puppet Slovak Republic, and nearly all encountered difficulties in reaching their assembly areas. In the interim, the Germans formed a special force under the code name Feuerzauber (Magic Fire). This force was initially intended to merely reinforce the 538th Frontier Guard Division, who were manning the border.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
On the evening of 5 April, a particularly aggressive Feuerzauber commander led his Kampfgruppe Palten across the Mura from Spielfeld and, having secured the bridge, began attacking bunkers and other Yugoslav positions on the high ground, and sent patrols deep into the Yugoslav border fortification system. Due to a lack of Yugoslav counter-attacks, many of these positions remained in German hands into 6 April. On the morning of 6 April, German aircraft conducted surprise attacks on Yugoslav airfields in the 7th Army area, including Ljubljana and Cerklje, where the 7th Army air reconnaissance assets were based.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
The German LI Infantry Corps was tasked with attacking towards Maribor then driving towards Zagreb, while the XXXXIX Mountain Corps of General der Infanterie Ludwig Kübler was to capture Dravograd then force a crossing on the Sava. On the first day of the invasion, LI Infantry Corps captured the Mura bridges at Mureck and Radkersburg (opposite Gornja Radgona) undamaged. In the sector of the 38th Infantry Division Dravska (38th ID), one German column pushed towards Maribor from Mureck, and the other pushed on from Gornja Radgona through Lenart towards Ptuj.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
Some time later, other elements of LI Infantry Corps attacked the area between Sveti Duh and Dravograd. Border troops met these attacks with fierce resistance, but were forced to withdraw due to the German pressure. The 183rd Infantry Division captured 300 prisoners. A bicycle-mounted detachment of the 183rd Infantry Division reached the extreme right flank of the 7th Army at Murska Sobota without striking any resistance. Generalmajor Rudolf Sintzenich's 132nd Infantry Division also pushed south along the Sejanski valley towards Savci.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
Late that day, mountain pioneers destroyed some isolated Yugoslav bunkers in the area penetrated by Kampfgruppe Palten, and German aircraft again attacked the 7th Army's air reconnaissance assets on the ground at Cerklje, destroying most of them at the second attempt. This was followed by Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air Force) air attacks on 7th Army troop concentrations. The VVKJ was unable to interdict the Axis air attacks because their fighters were based too far away.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
After having been grounded for most of the day by poor weather, in the afternoon the Yugoslav bombers flew missions against airfields and railway stations across the German frontier. By the close of 6 April, the 7th Army was still largely mobilising and concentrating, and fifth column actions meant that nearly all the fighting was conducted by border troops. The 38th ID was deployed along the southern bank of the Drava around Ptuj and Maribor, and a reinforced infantry regiment was approaching Dravograd from the west.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
German and Italian air attacks interfered with the deployment of troops and command was hampered by reliance on civilian telegraph and telephone services. LI Infantry Corps had occupied Gornja Radgona, Murska Sobota and Radenci, and had crossed the Drava near Sveti Duh. The XXXXIX Mountain Corps captured border crossings on the approaches to Dravograd, but were held up by border troops in mountain passes located further west.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
During 6 April, the Ban (governor) of the Drava Banovina, Marko Natlačen met with representatives of the major Slovene political parties, and created the National Council of Slovenia, whose aim was to establish a Slovenia independent of Yugoslavia. When he heard the news of fifth column-led revolts within the flanking 4th Army, Trifunović was alarmed, and proposed withdrawal from the border areas, but this was rejected by Petrović. The front along the border with Italy was relatively quiet, with only patrol clashes occurring, some sporadic artillery bombardments of border fortifications, and an unsuccessful raid by the Italians on Mount Blegoš.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
Over the next three days, the LI Infantry Corps held the lead elements of its two divisions back, to some extent, while the rest of each division detrained in Graz and made their way to the border. Despite this, German forces along the 7th Army front continued to push towards Ptuj, Maribor and Dravograd on 7 April, against significant resistance from border troops. The German thrusts towards Ptuj and Maribor broke through the Yugoslav defensive line, but those advancing towards Dravograd were held up by border troops and a battalion of the 38th ID.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
Along the Italian border there were only skirmishes caused by Italian reconnaissance-in-force to a depth of 3 km (1.9 mi). The Yugoslav Supreme Command ordered Petrović to use Mountain Detachment Rišnajaski to capture Fiume, across the Rječina River from Sušak, but the order was soon rescinded due to the deteriorating situation in the flanking 4th Army.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
In the afternoon of 7 April, Trifunović again pressed Petrović to order a withdrawal from the border. Petrović accepted that this might become necessary if the situation on the immediate right flank of the 7th Army deteriorated further, but the idea was opposed by the Slovene chief of staff of the headquarters of the 1st Army Group, Armijski đeneral Leon Rupnik, who wryly suggested that Trifunović, a Serb, should personally lead night attacks to push the Germans back. At 19:30, the Yugoslav Supreme Command advised Petrović that he had approval to withdraw endangered units on the right wing of the 7th Army. Morale in the 7th Army had started to decline due to fifth column elements encouraging soldiers to stop resisting the enemy.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
As a result of the revolts in the 4th Army, on the night of 7/8 April, Petrović ordered the 7th Army to begin to withdraw, first to a line through the Dravinja River, Zidani Most bridge and the right bank of the Krka River. This was subsequently moved back to the line of the Kupa River. This ended the successful defence of the 38th ID along the line of the Drava, and meant their withdrawal from Maribor.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
On 8 April, disregarding orders from above, Palten led his kampfgruppe south towards Maribor, and crossed the Pesnica River in inflatable boats, leaving his unit vehicles behind. In the evening, Palten and his force entered Maribor unopposed, taking 100 prisoners. For disregarding orders, Palten and his kampfgruppe were ordered to return to Spielfeld, and spent the rest of the invasion guarding the border. In the meantime, the forward elements of the two divisions consolidated their bridgeheads, with the 132nd Infantry Division securing Maribor, and the 183rd Infantry Division pushing past Murska Sobota.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
Some bridges over the Drava were blown before all of the border troops had withdrawn, but some soldiers were able to swim across, the rest being captured by the advancing Germans. German patrols reached the Drava at Ptuj, and further east at Ormož they found the bridge had been blown. Elements of the XXXXIX Mountain Corps had pushed forward to Poljana and Dravograd. The German troops received close air support from dive bombers and fighters during their advance, while bombers hit targets throughout the 7th Army area.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
During the day, the regimental-sized Italian 3rd Alpine Group captured Kranjska Gora at the headwaters of the Sava in the sector of Mountain Detachment Triglavski. The German orders for the following day were for LI Infantry Corps to force a crossing of the Drava near Varaždin and advance on Zagreb, while XXXXIX Mountain Corps were to drive towards Celje.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
On 9 April, the Germans continued their advance, and all elements of both divisions of LI Infantry Corps had finally unloaded in Graz. In view of German success, the Italian 2nd Army in northeastern Italy accelerated its preparations and issued orders for its V and XI Corps to conduct preliminary operations aimed at improving their starting positions for the planned attack on Yugoslavia. In the meantime, the 7th Army continued rapidly withdrawing its right wing, while withdrawing its centre and keeping the Mountain Detachment Rišnajaski in place on its left flank.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
The 38th ID continued to withdraw south from Ptuj through Krapina towards Zagreb, while the 32nd Infantry Division Triglavski (32nd ID) and Mountain Detachment Triglavski fell back to the southern bank of the Krka River. Units of LI Infantry Corps crossed the Drava along the line Maribor–Ptuj and further east, and continued to expand their bridgehead south of Maribor. Elements of XXXXIX Mountain Corps secured the southern exit of the Karawanks railway tunnel near Jesenice and expanded their bridgehead at Dravograd. Italian units made several attacks on the weakened sector of the 32nd ID and against Mountain Detachment Rišnajaski, and Detachment Lika took up positions on the coast. On the same day, the 6th Air Reconnaissance Group airfield at Cerklje was again attacked by German aircraft.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 6–9 April, 7th Army sector
As the activities of Natlačen and his National Council of Slovenia were continuing, the Yugoslav Supreme Command ordered their arrest. However, Rupnik and the head of the operations staff of the headquarters of the 1st Army Group, Pukovnik Franjo Nikolić, hid the orders from Petrović and did not carry them out.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 4th Army sector and the fall of Varaždin
Early on 10 April, Nikolić left his post and visited the senior Ustaše leader Slavko Kvaternik in Zagreb. He then returned to the headquarters, and announced that talks with the Germans for an armistice has started and that there was no longer any need for action. He also redirected 4th Army units around Zagreb to either cease operations or to deploy to innocuous positions. These actions reduced or eliminated armed resistance to the German advance.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 4th Army sector and the fall of Varaždin
About 09:45, the LI Infantry Corps began crossing the Drava, but the construction of a bridge near Maribor was suspended because the river was in flood. Despite this, the 183rd Infantry Division managed to secure an alternative crossing point, and established a bridgehead. This crossing point was a partially destroyed bridge, guarded by a single platoon of the 1st Bicycle Battalion of Detachment Ormozki. This crossing, combined with the withdrawal of the 7th Army's 38th ID from the line Slovenska Bistrica–Ptuj exposed the left flank of Detachment Ormozki.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 4th Army sector and the fall of Varaždin
The Detachment attempted to withdraw south, but began to disintegrate during the night 10/11 April, and the 1st Bicycle Battalion left to return to Ljubljana. In the afternoon, the remaining elements of the 42nd ID also began to withdraw though Varaždinske Toplice to Novi Marof, leaving the Ustaše to take control of Varaždin.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 4th Army sector and the fall of Varaždin
On the same day, Generalmajor Friedrich Kühn's 14th Panzer Division of XXXXVI Motorised Corps, supported by dive bombers, crossed the Drava at Zákány and drove southwest towards Zagreb on snow-covered roads in extremely cold conditions. Initial air reconnaissance indicated large concentrations of Yugoslav troops on the divisional axis of advance, but these troops proved to be withdrawing towards Zagreb. Degraded by revolt and fifth-column activity, the 27th ID numbered about 2,000 effectives when the German attack began. The 14th Panzer Division vanguard reached their positions around 08:00, and the remnants of the division began withdrawing under heavy air attack.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 4th Army sector and the fall of Varaždin
Around 14:00, the Yugoslavs were quickly encircled by German motorised troops that had outflanked them. The divisional headquarters staff escaped, but were captured a little further down the road. The remnants of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment had to fight its way towards Bjelovar, but was attacked by German tanks on the outskirts, captured and detained. The 14th Panzer Division continued its almost completely unopposed drive on Zagreb using two routes, Križevci – Dugo Selo – Zagreb and Bjelovar – Čazma – Ivanić-Grad – Zagreb.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 4th Army sector and the fall of Varaždin
About 17:45 on 10 April, Kvaternik and SS-Standartenführer Edmund Veesenmayer went to the radio station in Zagreb and Kvaternik proclaimed the creation of the Independent State of Croatia (Croatian: Nezavisna Država Hrvatska, NDH). The 35th Infantry Regiment of the 27th ID was disbanded by its commander when he heard news of the proclamation. By 19:30 on 10 April, lead elements of the 14th Panzer Division had reached the outskirts of Zagreb, having covered nearly 160 kilometres (99 miles) in a single day. By the time it entered Zagreb, the 14th Panzer Division was met by cheering crowds, and had captured 15,000 Yugoslav troops, including 22 generals.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 4th Army sector and the fall of Varaždin
About 19:45, the 1st Army Group held a conference in Zagreb, just as German tanks were entering the city. Nedeljković told Petrović that he could no longer hold his positions, but despite this, Petrović ordered him to hold for at least 2–3 days to enable the withdrawal of the 7th Army to the Kupa river. Nedeljković replied that he no longer had an army, and suggested that all Serb officers and men be ordered back to form a defensive line along the Sava and Una rivers. Petrović refused to consider this, but ordered the understrength 1st Cavalry Division to form a defensive line along the Sava between Jasenovac and Zagreb.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 4th Army sector and the fall of Varaždin
Held up by freezing weather and snowstorms on 10 April, the LI Infantry Corps was approaching Zagreb from the north, and bicycle-mounted troops of the 183rd Infantry Division had turned east to capture Varaždin, along with an entire Yugoslav brigade including its commanding general. On the same day, the German-installed interim Croatian government called on all Croats to stop fighting, and in the evening, LI Infantry Corps entered Zagreb and relieved the 14th Panzer Division. In the face of the assault by the 14th Panzer Division, the 4th Army quickly ceased to exist as an operational formation. The disintegration of the 4th Army was caused largely by fifth column activity, as it was involved in little fighting.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 4th Army sector and the fall of Varaždin
The 40th ID was battered by German artillery fire during the night 9/10 April. Seriously depleted by desertion and weakened by revolt, it was unable to mount the ordered counter-attack against the Barcs bridgehead on the morning of 10 April. The two forward infantry regiments could only muster about 600 men each. The divisional cavalry squadron was also heavily reduced in strength, and divisional artillery amounted to one anti-aircraft battery. The border units, responsible for demolition tasks on the line from Bjelovar south to Čazma, refused to follow orders. Having abandoned the counter-attack, the divisional commander decided to establish a defensive line at Pćelić to hinder German movement east towards Slatina.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 4th Army sector and the fall of Varaždin
Soon after dawn, the main thrust of the XXXXVI Motorised Corps, consisting of Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow's 8th Panzer Division leading Generalmajor Sigfrid Henrici's 16th Motorised Infantry Division, crossed the Drava at Barcs. Anti -tank fire destroyed a few of the lead tanks, but after the Germans reinforced their vanguard, the resistance of the 40th ID had been broken by noon. The remaining forward infantry troops were either captured or fled into the hills to the south. Units of the infantry regiment that had been providing depth to the defensive position began retreating south towards Slavonska Požega.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 4th Army sector and the fall of Varaždin
Ustaše sympathisers and Yugoslav Volksdeutsche (ethnic German) troops either ran away or surrendered. By 13:30, the hard-pressed divisional cavalry squadron began to withdraw south towards Daruvar, attacking rebelling troops along their route. The divisional commander himself fled to Nova Gradiška via Voćin and Slavonska Požega, during which his car was again fired on by rebel troops. The 8th Panzer Division continued southeast between the Drava and Sava rivers, and meeting almost no further resistance, had reached the right flank of the 4th Army sector at Slatina by evening. Right flank elements of the 8th Panzer Division penetrated south into the Bilogora range, reaching Daruvar and Voćin by evening.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 7th Army sector
During the night of 9/10 April, lead elements of the XXXXIX Mountain Corps, consisting of Generalmajor Hubert Lanz's 1st Mountain Division de-trained and crossed the border near Bleiburg and advanced southeast towards Celje, reaching a point about 19 kilometres (12 mi) from the town by evening. Luftwaffe reconnaissance sorties revealed that the main body of the 7th Army was withdrawing towards Zagreb, leaving behind light forces to maintain contact with the German bridgeheads. When it received this information, the 2nd Army headquarters ordered the LI Infantry Corps to form motorised columns to pursue the 7th Army south, but extreme weather conditions and flooding of the Drava at Maribor on 10 April slowed the German pursuit.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 7th Army sector
About 06:00 on 11 April, the LI Infantry Corps recommenced its push south towards Zagreb, with lead elements exiting the mountains northwest of the city in the evening of the same day, while the 1st Mountain Division captured Celje after some hard marching and difficult fighting. Emissaries from the newly formed National Council of Slovenia approached Kübler to ask for a ceasefire.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, 10–11 April, 7th Army sector
Also on 11 April, the Italian 2nd Army commenced offensive operations around 12:00, with the XI Corps pushing through Logatec towards Ljubljana, VI Corps advancing in the direction of Prezid, while strong formations attacked south through Fiume towards Kraljevica and towards Lokve. By this stage, the 7th Army was withdrawing, although some units took advantage of existing fortifications to resist. To assist the Italian advance, the Luftwaffe attacked Yugoslav troops in the Ljubljana region, and the 14th Panzer Division, which had captured Zagreb on 10 April, drove west to encircle the withdrawing 7th Army. The Italians faced little resistance, and captured about 30,000 Yugoslav troops waiting to surrender near Delnice.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, Fate
On 10 April, as the situation had become increasingly desperate throughout the country, Simović, who was both the Prime Minister and Yugoslav Chief of the General Staff, broadcast the following message:


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, Fate
All troops must engage the enemy wherever encountered and with every means at their disposal. Don't wait for direct orders from above, but act on your own and be guided by your judgement, initiative, and conscience.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, Fate
On 12 April, the 14th Panzer Division linked up with the Italians at Vrbovsko, closing the ring around the remnants of the 7th Army, before thrusting southeast towards Sarajevo. The remaining elements of the 4th Army had organised defences around the towns of Kostajnica, Bosanski Novi, Bihać and Prijedor, but the 14th Panzer Division quickly broke through at Bosanski Novi and captured Banja Luka, and by 14 April it had captured Jajce. In the wake of the panzers, the 183rd Infantry Division pushed through Zagreb and Sisak to capture Kostajnica and Bosanska Gradiška.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, Fate
On 15 April, the 14th Panzer Division was closing on Sarajevo. The Ustaše arrested the staffs of the 1st Army Group, and 4th and 7th Armies at Petrinja, and the 1st Army Group effectively ceased to exist as a formation. After a delay in locating appropriate signatories for the surrender document, the Yugoslav High Command unconditionally surrendered in Belgrade effective at 12:00 on 18 April. Records of Yugoslav killed and wounded during the invasion were lost, but about 375,000 Yugoslav troops were captured. The Germans lost only 151 killed, 392 wounded and 15 missing in action during the entire invasion.


1st Army Group (Kingdom of Yugoslavia), Operations during German invasion, Fate
Yugoslavia was then occupied and dismembered by the Axis powers, with Germany, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria and Albania all annexing parts of its territory. Most of the Slovene members of the 1st Army Group taken as prisoners of war, along with virtually all of its Croat members, were soon released by the Axis powers, as 90 per cent of those held for the duration of the war were Serbs.


1st Army Group Royal Artillery
1st Army Group Royal Artillery was a brigade-sized formation organised by Britain's Royal Artillery during World War II to command medium and heavy guns. It served in the final stages of the Tunisian Campaign and throughout the Italian Campaign. It reformed in the Territorial Army in the 1950s to command air defence units.


1st Army Group Royal Artillery, History, Background and formation
The need for a higher organisational command structure for medium and heavy artillery became apparent during the Battle of France and the early part of the Western Desert Campaign. The 'Army Group Royal Artillery' (AGRA) concept was developed during Exercise 'Bumper' held in the UK in 1941, organised by the commander of Home Forces, General Alan Brooke (himself a Gunner) with Lt-Gen Bernard Montgomery as chief umpire. This large anti-invasion exercise tested many of the tactical concepts that would be used by the British Army in the latter stages of the war.


1st Army Group Royal Artillery, History, Background and formation
The gunnery tacticians developed the AGRAs as powerful artillery brigades, usually comprising three medium regiments and one heavy regiment, which could be rapidly moved about the battlefield, and had the punch to destroy enemy artillery with counter-battery (CB) fire. AGRAs were provided to field armies at a scale of about one per Army corps. AGRAs were improvised until 26 November 1942, when they were officially sanctioned, to consist of a commander (CAGRA) and staff to control non-divisional artillery.


1st Army Group Royal Artillery, History, World War II
The Headquarters (HQ) of 1st AGRA was formed at Hamilton Park, Glasgow, on 24 August 1942. It was assigned to First Army for the landings in North Africa (Operation Torch), and arrived in Tunisia in January 1943, together with 56th Heavy Regiment, equipped with 7.2-inch howitzers – the first heavy regiment of the RA to serve overseas since the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. 1st AGRA went into action in February in support of XIX French Corps with one heavy, three medium and three field regiments under command. Later it supported V Corps in the closing stages of the campaign. It then prepared for the Allied invasion of Italy.


1st Army Group Royal Artillery, History, World War II
The make-up of an AGRA during the Italian Campaign was extremely flexible: it could include army field regiments (25-pounders), medium regiments (4.5-inch or 5.5-inch guns) and heavy regiments with 7.2-inch howitzers. It might also be augmented with 3.7-inch heavy anti-aircraft (HAA) guns loaned by the AA brigades for additional ground support fire.


1st Army Group Royal Artillery, History, World War II
1st AGRA landed in Italy in October 1943, operating with V Corps again, this time under Eighth Army. For V Corps' attack on the Sangro in November 1943, 1st AGRA contributed 51st (Midland) Medium Regiment alongside the guns of 6th AGRA for a massive artillery concentration. It transferred temporarily to X Corps in February 1944, operating on the River Garigliano.


1st Army Group Royal Artillery, History, World War II
Both 1st and 6th AGRAs supported XIII Corps in July 1944 as it approached the Gothic Line. This time the front was so wide that control of the medium guns had to be decentralised to the individual divisions, so the two AGRAs only retained two medium regiments in addition to their two heavy regiments. However, when the 2nd New Zealand Division attacked on 29 July, it was supported by a concentration including the field artillery of 6th South African Armoured and 8th Indian Divisions as well as 1st AGRA, which was responsible for coordinating CB fire. 1st AGRA was assigned to V Corps for the assault on the Gothic Line (Operation Olive) in August 1944, and remained with it for the rest of the war.


1st Army Group Royal Artillery, History, World War II
1st AGRA fought at the Battle of the Argenta Gap in early 1945, ending the war at Padua.


1st Army Group Royal Artillery, History, Postwar
On 1 January 1947, 1st AGRA merged with 3rd AGRA as 3 AGRA (Field) in Central Mediterranean Forces, but was disbanded by late October that year.


1st Army Group Royal Artillery, History, Postwar
Reformed at Troon, Ayrshire, between 24 April and 31 May 1955 by converting 68 Anti- Aircraft Brigade (the wartime 42nd AA Brigade at Glasgow) after Anti- Aircraft Command had been abolished on 1 March. It joined British Army of the Rhine as a Corps artillery HQ in 1958. In 1959 1 AGRA Signal Squadron of the Royal Corps of Signals was redesignated 218 Signal Squadron. On 19 September 1960 1 AGRA was redesignated 1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom) at Hildesheim, and 218 Signal Squadron was disbanded (a new squadron with the same number as reformed in 1969).


1st Army Group Royal Artillery, Insignia
1st AGRA's formation badge was a shield in the RA colours of blue and red, divided vertically, with a vertical yellow cannon barrel superimposed in the centre; this was also used by 3 AGRA (Field) in 1947. 1 AGRA (Field), formed in 1955, adopted a ram's skull in black and white on a red background.


1st Army Tank Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 1st Army Tank Brigade was a formation of the British Army during the Second World War. A Tank Brigade was intended to support the Infantry and was mostly equipped with slow moving Infantry tanks, unlike an Armoured Brigade, which was equipped with faster cruiser tanks and later its own motorised infantry. Initially using infantry nomenclature for its smaller units, company  and section and having 175 light and infantry tanks, it later adopted cavalry nomenclature of squadron and troop and later in the War grew to 240 tanks.


1st Army Tank Brigade (United Kingdom), History
The 1st Army Tank Brigade took part in the Battle of France, serving as part of the British Expeditionary Force. It fought against the Germans in Belgium and Northern France, providing the armour for the counter-attack at the Battle of Arras and covered the Allied retreat to Dunkirk. It lost all of its equipment on the beaches following the evacuation.


1st Army Tank Brigade (United Kingdom), History
The reformed 1st Army Tank Brigade was transferred to North Africa, equipped with Valentine infantry tanks. The brigade took part in Operation Crusader, as part of the XIII Corps. Attached to the 2nd South African Division, it took part in the conquest of Bardia (December 1941 – January 1942).


1st Artillery Brigade (Japan)
The 1st Artillery Brigade (Japanese: 第1特科団) is the only active artillery brigade of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. The brigade is subordinated to the Northern Army and is headquartered in Chitose, Hokkaidō. Its responsibility is the defense of Hokkaidō.


1st Artillery Brigade (South Korea)
The 1st Artillery Brigade (Korean: 제1포병여단) is a military formation of the Republic of Korea Army. The brigade is subordinated to the I Corps.


1st Artillery Brigade (South Korea), History
It was founded on 16 February 1953 as the 1st Corps Artillery Group. On 20 November of the same year, it was changed its name to 1st Corps Artillery Command. By 1982, the brigade had its present name.


1st Artillery Brigade (South Korea), History
The 1st Artillery Brigade is a large-scale brigade with unit size comparable to division. There are 17 battalions under the brigade command. Compared to other artillery brigades, which having fewer than 10 battalions at most, it can be said to be tremendous. Only the 5th Artillery Brigade have the same size.


1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom)
The 1st Artillery Brigade is an operational formation of the British Army which forms part of the 3rd (United Kingdom) Division, and oversees all close support artillery units of the army.


1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom), World War II
For the World War II, and later history as an army group (Major General's command, see here: 1st Army Group Royal Artillery).


1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom), Cold War
Following a reorganisation of the British Army of the Rhine following the 1957 Defence White Paper, the former 1st Army Group, Royal Artillery was reduced to a 1-star command, and redesignated as the 1st Artillery Brigade (Field). The new brigade was headquartered at Tofrek Barracks in Hildesheim. On 4 October 1961, the brigade was officially redesignated, but later dropped the '(Field)' title in 1967 following the 1966 Defence White Paper, becoming the 1st Artillery Brigade. The regiment was originally responsible for commanding the two MGM-5 Corporal tactical ballistic missile regiments and a new support regiment.


1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom), Cold War
(From 1959, there were two regiments with the missile). It gradually evolved from a command unit solely for the Corporal missile regiments to one for all GHQ field artillery within I (British) Corps. The brigade is shown as having controlled the two corporal equipped regiments along with three mixed regiments (with the MGR-1 Honest John nuclear rockets) and 8-inch howitzer regiments.


1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom), Cold War
Following the 1975 Defence White Paper "Mason Review", the old brigades were done away with and replaced by task forces. The 1st Artillery Brigade was also disbanded on 1 September 1977, subsequently merged with the 7th Anti- Aircraft Brigade and became the 1st Artillery Division. The new division was organised as follows:


1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom), Cold War
Following the 1981 Defence White Paper, the brigades were reformed, and the division was subsequently redesignated as [the] Artillery Division. In 1984, it was further redesignated as Artillery, I (British) Corps, and on 1 November 1985 became the 1st Artillery Brigade once again.


1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom), Post Cold War
Following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Options for Change paper was published in 1992, which reduced to the army by more than a 1/3. Under this reorganisation, the brigade was disbanded ca. 1993.


1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom), Post Cold War
On 1 April 1997, the brigade was reformed as 1st Artillery Brigade  The new brigade was organised as follows by the time of 2012:


1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom), Post Cold War
Under the Army 2020 programme announced in 2013, the brigade merged with 43rd (Wessex) Brigade to become 1st Artillery Brigade and Headquarters South West. The old artillery brigade became the operational portion of the formation, while 43 Brigade became the regional headquarters element. The brigade's operational role was expanded and by this point oversaw all artillery units administratively within the army. Operationally, it controlled all but the special regiments (7 Parachute Regt RHA, 29 Commando Regt, RA, the Surveillance/Drone regiments, and the Air Defence regiments). The brigade's role was described "...will deliver both close support artillery and precision fires, as well as leading Air-Land Integration". The brigade's new designation as 'Headquarters South West' indicating its shift to an administrative formation, now overseeing all of South West England and the Channel Islands.


1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom), Post Cold War
In 2019, a reorganisation of the Field Army saw the 1st Artillery Brigade loose its regional affiliation, once again becoming simply 1st Artillery Brigade. In addition to the removal of the regional basis, the brigade was reorganised, and placed under command of the 3rd (United Kingdom) Division. The brigade's current structure as of June 2021 is as follows:


1st Artillery Brigade (United Kingdom), Commanding Officers
(from 1977 to 1985 the post of commanding officer was held by Commander Artillery, I (British) Corps)


1st Artillery Regiment (France)
The 1st Artillery Regiment is a regiment of artillery in the French Army tracing its modern history to 1791 when the Régiment de La Fére was re-organised into the 1st Artillery Regiment after the French Revolution.


1st Artillery Regiment (France), History
It was raised as the Régiment de la Fère in 1765, from the 1st battalion of the Régiment Royal-Artillerie. In 1791, after the French Revolution, it had the title of its aristocratic patron removed and was given the number 1, as the seniormost French regiment of artillery. In 1785, Napoleon Bonaparte was commissioned into this regiment as a sous lieutenant. He officially served until 1790, but he spent most of that time on leave in Corsica, where he led a battalion of Republican volunteers.


1st Asia Pacific Screen Awards
The 1st Asia Pacific Screen Awards were held in  2007. The first award ceremonies saw at least 18 film nominations. The Asia Pacific Screen Awards originated in the city of Brisbane, Australia. It is an international cultural program supported by the Brisbane City Council and powered by Brisbane Marketing. The Asia Pacific Screen Awards is endorsed by Paris-based UNESCO and FIAPF-International Federation of Film Producers Associations.


1st Asian Film Awards
The 1st Asian Film Awards were given on 20 March 2007 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, on the opening night of the 31st Hong Kong International Film Festival.


1st Asian Film Awards
Given to films released in 2006 by film industries from across Asia, awards were given in 10 categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenwriter, Best Cinematographer, Best Production Designer, Best Composer, Best Editor and Best Visual Effects. Up to six nominees are honored in each category.


1st Asian Film Awards
The most awards went to The Host, directed by Bong Joon-ho. It had been nominated in five categories and won four: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Visual Effects and Best Cinematographer.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers
The 1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers was a specialised armoured formation of the British Army active in the Second World War. It was formed in mid-1943 and its structure was three Assault Regiments of the Royal Engineers. It was assigned to the 79th Armoured Division in preparation for the Normandy invasion of 6 June 1944. The unit comprised armoured vehicles modified for specialist roles (also known as Hobart's Funnies), intended to assist with the landing phase of the operation.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, History
By the end of October 1943, various engineer units had been renamed and transferred into the Brigade. This brigade comprised 3 Assault Regiments, each with 4 Assault Squadrons, plus an Assault Park Squadron. This structure remained unchanged up to the Normandy landings in June 1944.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, History
The basic vehicle of the assault unit was the Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVREs). This was a Churchill tank with its turret modified or removed and to which were attached certain special equipments.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, History
The Brigade was employed during the assault landings in Normandy, Operation Overlord and further used during the battle for the Roer Triangle (Operation Blackcock), the Rhine crossings (Operation Plunder) and the Elbe crossing.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, D-Day , Operation Overlord
Each of the three Infantry Divisions involved in the first assault on the British and Canadian front - Gold Beach, Juno Beach and Sword Beach - included two Assault Squadrons from 5 Assault Regiment and 6 Assault Regiment, Royal Engineers.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, D-Day , Operation Overlord
The objective of each pair of Assault Squadrons was to clear lanes across the beaches and to establish up to eight exits from the beaches onto the first inland road, suitable for tracked vehicles. This involved:


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, D-Day , Operation Overlord
All this had to be done under fire from buildings on the seafront, and under mortar and artillery fire from further inland.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, D-Day , Operation Overlord
Each Assault Squadron was equipped with a number of Armoured Vehicles Royal Engineers (AVREs) - which were Churchill tanks, modified in various ways to suit the needs of Assault Engineers. In addition, the assault teams included a number of Sherman 'Crabs' from 30th Armoured Brigade - these were Sherman tanks, with a full-width, heavy duty, rotary chain flail mounted in front, which destroyed any mines in its path, thus clearing the lanes up the beach.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, D-Day , Operation Overlord
The AVREs then turned their attention to the first line of land defences, using their spigot mortars, and with self-propelled guns providing artillery support. More Sappers landed to continue the clearance of the beaches. All the time, infantry were moving through into the growing bridgehead.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, D-Day , Operation Overlord
Several exits were open within an hour of the first landings, allowing the Armoured Brigades to start moving inland.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, D-Day , Operation Overlord
The Assault Regiments suffered their share of casualties. In some sectors, up to 50% of the flail tanks, AVREs and armoured bulldozers had been knocked out, with high casualties among the crews. But many of the objectives for D-Day had been achieved, which may not have been the case without 1st Assault Brigade R.E.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, D-Day , Operation Overlord
After Normandy, the Brigade was used in Operation Blackcock, Operation Infatuate and Operation Plunder.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, Assault Engineers after the War, Disbanding of 1st Assault Brigade
After the end of the Second World War, 79th Armoured Division was disbanded in August 1945. The remaining Assault Engineer Regiment was disbanded in July 1957.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, Assault Engineers after the War, Reformation as 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment
The unit was briefly reformed as 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment in 1964 before a further reorganisation in 1969 reduced the Armoured Engineers to one squadron.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, Assault Engineers after the War, Reformation as 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment
In 1980, 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment was again reformed and was the largest tank regiment in the British Army. The Regiment was the only unit equipped with specialist Sapper tanks and heir to the traditions of past assault and armoured engineers. The regimental crest included the bull's head device of 79th Armoured Division.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, Assault Engineers after the War, Reformation as 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment
32 Armoured Engineer Regiment had three squadrons each of four troops, a total of 72 tanks. Each troop had three AVREs and three AVLBs (bridge layers). These were more modern types, evolved from the original Churchill, but based on the newer Centurion and Chieftain tanks.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, Assault Engineers after the War, Reformation as 32 Armoured Engineer Regiment
As of 2008, Engineer Regiments attached to Armoured or Mechanised Brigades in the British Army have Armoured Engineer Squadrons included within their organisation.


1st Assault Brigade Royal Engineers, Order of Battle
The Order of battle of the brigade during the war was: (day/month/year).


1st Aurel Awards
The 1st Aurel Awards, honoring the best in the Slovak music industry for individual achievements for the year of 2001, took time and place on March 2, 2002 at the Istropolis in Bratislava.


1st Aurel Awards, Winners, Main categories
★ Juraj Bartoš – Ja som optimista (by M. Lasica with Bratislava Hot Serenaders)


1st Aurel Awards, Winners, Main categories
★ Ján Došek • Ján Machút – '01 (by R. Müller)


1st Aurel Awards, Winners, Main categories
★ La Belle Epoque (by Free Faces) – Bronislava Brtáňová


1st Aurel Awards, Winners, Main categories
★  "Nahý II" (by R. Müller) – Vladimír Struhár "Dobre sa jej padá" (by Ears) – Ján Greguš  "Ráno" (by Love 4 Money) – Stanislav Petrov


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit
The 1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit (1 ACAU) was raised in 1967 to coordinate the Australian Army's contribution to the US and allied Pacification Program during the Vietnam War, operating in Phuoc Tuy Province. Although other Australian units also conducted civic action projects in South Vietnam at various times, 1 ACAU had the primary responsibility for them once it was deployed. It was withdrawn from South Vietnam in November 1971.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, Background
During the 1960s and early 1970s, civic action projects were undertaken on an increasing scale by the US, Australia and other countries of the Free World Military Forces throughout South Vietnam. According to Barry Smith civic action was not primarily motivated by altruism, but rather the political imperative  of winning the support of the South Vietnamese people for the central government in Saigon. Civic action, wherever and by whomever performed, was part of a nationwide program with long-term political and military objectives. From the Australian point of view, civic action was also used to help promote goodwill towards Australian forces in South Vietnam and Australia generally.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, Background
When the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) first arrived in Phuoc Tuy Province in mid-1966, the military security situation was poor. The province had not been under government control for several years before the task force arrived. Most roads could not be travelled by single vehicles. Some roads required fully escorted convoys before they could be traversed. The province's population was about 104,000, the large majority of whom lived in and around Baria, Hoa Long, Long Dien and Dat Do in the central and southern parts of Phuoc Tuy Province. The main religions were Buddhism and Catholicism.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, Background
Members of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) had conducted civic action projects while deployed in Bien Hoa Province in 1965. However, when Australia assumed responsibility for Phuoc Tuy Province it did not have a dedicated civil affairs capability. Consequently, four warrant officers from the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) were attached to 1 ATF under Captain Bob Rooney in May 1966, and the small group began carrying out civic action-type projects to assist the local population in Phuoc Tuy Province. It was taken over in mid-1966 by Major John Donohoe.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, Background
At the time there was also a US Army unit operating in the province conducting civic action projects. This was the 14th AA Platoon, 2nd Civil Affairs Company, which was attached to 1 ACAU after the latter arrived in Nui Dat. Despite these measures the Australian civic action program remained ad hoc, and was found difficult to sustain due to the other operational demands placed on 1 ATF.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Formation
The 1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit (1 ACAU) was raised at Middle Head in Sydney on 10 April 1967 with an establishment of ten officers and 39 other ranks. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John McDonagh, Royal Australian Engineers (RAE), in June 1967 it moved to Nui Dat in Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam. During its time in South Vietnam, 1 ACAU was co-located at Nui Dat with 1 ATF; however, it was a unit of Headquarters Australian Force Vietnam (HQ AFV) in Saigon, and was not part of 1 ATF.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Formation
1 ACAU's Commanding Officer had direct access to the Commander AFV. On day-to-day operational matters, CO 1 ACAU worked closely with Commander 1 ATF. 1 ACAU consisted of a headquarters/administration group plus operational detachments with specific responsibilities. It had detachments specialising in engineering, medical support, education and agriculture. In addition to the section at Nui Dat, a small section was also established at Vung Tau with the 1st Australian Logistic Support Group (1 ALSG). This section was established with just one officer and no technical or support staff other than a driver and an interpreter, and operated entirely using contract labour.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
Funded through the Department of External Affairs, and in part by the South East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO), the activities, size and shape of civil affairs changed constantly between 1967 and 1971. During the first three years (1966–69) of Australian operations in Phuoc Tuy Province the civil affairs unit was often used as an "adjunct to military operations", providing assistance during village cordon and search operations and being heavily involved in the population resettlement program.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
It was also involved in providing aid to the local population when they were affected by the fighting, for instance in the aftermath of the Battle of Binh Ba in June 1969 when much of the village was heavily damaged. In the final years of 1 ATF's deployment (1969–71), the unit was more independent, primarily undertaking its own programs to assist the villages and South Vietnamese administration.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
The activities of 1 ACAU were based on principles calculated to achieve maximum impact on the civilian population, while bearing in mind that the primary aim of civic action was to win the support of the local population for the Saigon regime. Firstly, the local population had to "own" the project. If they felt a sense of ownership, and the project was subsequently damaged or destroyed by the Viet Cong, then the outcome would be antagonism towards them.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
Ownership involved encouraging the local population to suggest or otherwise originate projects, and to actively participate in their construction, either wholly or partly. Secondly, the projects had to extend over a reasonable period of time to allow the participating soldiers to become known and trusted by the villagers. Thirdly, they were initiated in the name of the appropriate South Vietnamese ministry, for example education and health. Fourthly, it was desirable that the projects lent themselves to publicity. Fifthly, the results had to be observable, measurable and tangible, and ideally impact beneficially on as many people as possible. Lastly, wherever possible, credit was always given to the South Vietnamese government (even if in reality it was quite obvious to the villagers that it was Australia and Australians providing the project).


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
Construction was one of 1 ACAU's main activities, and the commander of the unit was often an engineer. The Engineer Detachment typically installed Southern Cross windmills (14 were built in all) and constructed schools and school rooms, market buildings, fences, and medical dispensaries. Major projects included designing and building a new village called Soui Nghe beside Route 2 north of the task force base, and Project 399 which involved the construction of 600 houses for Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) soldiers around the province. Main areas of effort included the construction of village markets and the provision of water supplies. Other significant construction projects included repairing, widening and rebuilding roads and bridges and the renovation of the hospital in Baria.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
The Medical Detachment was heavily involved in operations known as Medical Civil Action Programs (MEDCAPS), conducted every day in provincial villages. By 1969, MEDCAPS were incorporated into Integrated Civil Action Programs (ICAPS), which were conducted by medical and other teams that would deploy overnight to a village and treat anyone who requested assistance. A movie screen would be erected nearby and those in the queue for treatment, and other villagers, would watch the films that were chosen to promote the South Vietnamese government at the expense of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces. Dental Civil Action Programs (DENTCAPS) were also carried out by 1 ATF units other than 1 ACAU. The 1 ACAU Medical Detachment co-ordinated all MEDCAPS and DENTCAPS conducted by 1 ATF units. The detachment's head was also the province Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development (CORDS) adviser on medical matters.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
Typical tasks for the Education Detachment included providing advice on where new schools could be built, providing educational supplies to schools, and conducting English language classes. These classes were delivered by Australian soldiers who would spend time alone in villages at schools and proved very popular. During 1969–70, when 1 ACAU was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Peter Gration, the Education Detachment also became responsible for youth and sports activities in Phuoc Tuy Province. At this time, the detachment commander was also the Province CORDS adviser on Education, and its second-in-command was the Province CORDS adviser on youth and sports matters, co-coordinating sporting activities in Phuoc Tuy Province.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
The Liaison Detachment consisted of Vietnamese-speaking Australian officers trained at the RAAF School of Languages in Point Cook, Victoria. Described by Gration as "the eyes and ears" of 1 ACAU, the Liaison Officers (LOs) were  responsible for interacting with the civilian population on a daily basis, assessing where projects might be warranted, preparing feasibility studies, and developing close contacts at village level. Working with only their drivers, LOs were widely known and accepted by local Vietnamese. They spent most of their time, including at one point up to three nights a week, in local villages.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
Apart from watching for opportunities for civic action projects, LOs would also deliver mail from Viet Cog prisoners of war incarcerated around the country to their families in Phuoc Tuy Province, and collect mail and gifts from the families for the prisoners to be delivered to them. LOs gave Vietnamese language presentations to former Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army who defected to the south under the Chieu Hoi (Open Arms) program, and disbursed compensation payments to local Vietnamese families when required. On occasions, when visitors to the province required an Australian interpreter, LOs were often tasked. For example, politicians and journalists visiting from Australia often preferred to use Australians as guides and interpreters.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
The Agricultural Detachment provided advice on, and delivered supplies for, projects such as "miracle" rice and sorghum demonstration crops, and other crop growing techniques. It was also responsible for animal husbandry projects when these developed from about 1969 onward. A typical project was provision of the necessary supplies and animals for local civilians to start their own chicken or pig farms.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
Due to the nature of their work 1 ACAU personnel were quite vulnerable to enemy action and potentially could have suffered heavy casualties if the Viet Cong had decided to target them. Many members spent time alone in villages while civil affairs vehicles often traveled routes with just a driver and one passenger. Yet overall, there was little hostile action against members of the unit.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
In the early days after the unit's arrival in Nui Dat, there were sniper incidents in Hoa Long, and a medical team became involved in a contact in Hoi My, south of Dat Do, during which several 1 ACAU members sustained minor gunshot wounds. There were other minor incidents later also, for example, when the Viet Cong destroyed the water reticulation system on Long Son island, just days after it came into operation. However, by 1969–70 the security situation in the province had greatly improved.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
Towards the end of the 1960s the US emphasis on Pacification increased throughout South Vietnam. The volume of civic action projects being carried out by Australian forces also increased during this time. Whilst previously they had been predominantly carried out by 1 ACAU, units from 1 ATF increasingly assisted with such activities during 1969–70.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
By this time, 1 ACAU's commanding officer was responsible for the co-ordination of all military civic action by Australian troops in Vietnam, including those at Vung Tau and Phan Rang (where the Royal Australian Air Force had units), and Saigon, although the major focus of Australian civic action efforts was in Phuoc Tuy Province. In 1969 every individual unit of 1 ATF at Nui Dat was at one stage directed to put resources into civic action projects. For example, 5 RAR built a two-room school in Ong Trinh hamlet, alongside Route 15 between Baria and Bien Hoa. However, as the civic aid program wound down as part of the process of Vietnamization, 1 ACAU again became the main agency for such programs from mid-1970 until late 1971. By 1970 the unit had grown to a strength of 55 men.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, History, Operations
By early 1971 Australian civic action programs in Vietnam had included the construction of market places, six dispensaries, 71 classrooms, four community centres, 17 playgrounds, enhanced water supplies for 14 villages, as well as providing medical treatment for 200,000 people and another 100,000 dental treatments. In addition engineers had also rebuilt a number of the provinces main roads including Route 2 which ran from Baria to the northern provincial border, Route 44 from Baria to Long Hai, and Route 23 between Dat Do and Xuyen Moc. 1 ACAU remained in Vietnam until 25 November 1971, after which it returned to Australia as part of the withdrawal of its forces from the country.


1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit, Association
Following their participation in the 1987 Welcome Home Parade in Sydney, former 1 ACAU members formed the 1st Australian Civil Affairs Unit Association on 10 April 1988. Its aims and objectives are to:


1st Australian Horse
The 1st Australian Horse was a mounted infantry regiment of the Colony of New South Wales that was formed in 1897. The 1st Australian Horse wore distinctive myrtle green uniforms with black embroidery.


1st Australian Horse, History, Formation
The regiment was raised on 28 August 1897 at Murrumburrah, New South Wales, as the 1st Australian (Volunteer) Horse. The unit recruited mainly from New South Wales, and had detachments in Murrumburrah, Gunnedah, Gundagai, Quirinidi, Mudgee, and various other NSW towns.


1st Australian Horse, History, Second Boer War
When the Second Boer War began in late 1899, New South Wales raised multiple contingents which included detachments from the regiment. The first contingent left Newcastle on 14 November 1899 for Cape Town, South Africa, arriving on 13 December. Two detachments of the regiment served under General John French's Cavalry Division during the Second Boer War in 1899, composed of 141 men and 157 horses. The first detachment fought in the Battle of Slingersfontein on 16 January 1900 resulting in heavy casualties, and the first Australian casualty of the war.


1st Australian Horse, History, Second Boer War
The unit then participated in the Battle of Poplar Grove and took part in occupying the towns of Driefontein and Bloemfontein. The regiment also took part in both the advance to Pretoria and the Battle of Zand River, as well as the subsequent Surrender of Pretoria on 1 June. They also saw action in the Battle of Belfast in 1901, and later withdrew from South Africa by late March of the same year.


1st Australian Logistic Support Group
The 1st Australian Logistic Support Group (1 ALSG) was a ground support unit of the Australian Army during the Vietnam War located at the 1st Australian Support Compound in Vũng Tàu. 1 ALSG commanded logistic support units to all Australian forces in South Vietnam and was composed of engineer, transport, ordnance, medical and service corps units. The unit was initially formed in 1965 as the Australian Logistic Support Company to support the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and was redesignated as 1 ALSG in April 1966 following the deployment of the 1st Australian Task Force as the Australian commitment in Vietnam expanded.


1st Australian Support Compound
1st Australian Support Compound was a complex of  logistics and support bases operated by the 1st Australian Logistic Support Group in Vũng Tàu, Phước Tuy Province, South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.


1st Australian Support Compound, History
The base was located on the beach in Vũng Tàu, southeast of Vung Tau Airport.


1st Australian Support Compound, History
In early 1966 with the expansion of the Australian military commitment in South Vietnam and the formation of the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) it was decided that 1 ATF would be allocated its own Tactical Area of Responsibility (TAOR) in Phước Tuy Province, allowing them to pursue operations more independently using their own methods.


1st Australian Support Compound, History
The Australian Logistic Support Company originally formed to support the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, was redesignated as the 1st Australian Logistic Support Group (1 ALSG) in April 1966.


1st Australian Support Compound, History
In June 1966 1 ALSG moved by road from Biên Hòa to Vũng Tàu, 45 minutes drive southwest of the main 1 ATF base at Nui Dat. The separation of the operational and logistics bases was dictated by the need for 1 ATF to be located further forward in its TAOR, while the logistics base required port and airfield access. The United States Army's 53rd General Support Group already had established operations at Vũng Tàu.


1st Australian Support Compound, History
With limited land available 1 ALSG occupied a stretch of sand dunes east of the town and airport, described by 1 ALSG commander Lieutenant Colonel David Rouse as an area "in which no sane person would ever stay on for more than a couple of hours in his right mind." The sand dunes were flattened and swamps filled to allow for the construction of logistics areas and accommodation, initially tents later replaced by more permanent huts, but the base remained a fairly desolate place.


1st Australian Support Compound, History
At its peak the base was occupied by approximately 1,500 Australian and New Zealand troops and more than 500 South Vietnamese employees.


1st Australian Support Compound, History
1 ALSG finally withdrew from the base on 12 March 1972.


1st Australian Support Compound, History, Field Hospital
The 2nd Field Ambulance established a hospital within the base. In 1967 8th Field Ambulance replaced 2nd Field Ambulance. On 1 April 1968 the 1st Australian Field Hospital was established at the base and 8th Field Ambulance moved forward to Nui Dat. The 100 bed hospital was the main facility supporting 1 ATF, while the nearby U.S. 36th Evacuation Hospital was available to provide specialist services.


1st Australian Support Compound, History, Peter Badcoe Club
Within the compound was the Peter Badcoe Club, the 1 ATF in-country rest and recreation centre, named for Peter Badcoe, posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross. Facilities included the Harold Holt memorial swimming pool, a bar area and the Kevin Wheatley Stadium named for Kevin Wheatley, another posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross. Beach recreation facilities included surfboards, speedboats and yachts.


1st Australian Support Compound, Current use
The area has largely been turned over to housing, commercial buildings and a golf course.


1st Australian Task Force
The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade-sized formation which commanded Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. 1 ATF was based in a rubber plantation at Nui Dat, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of Ba Ria in Phuoc Tuy Province and consisted of two and later three infantry battalions, with armour, aviation, engineers and artillery support. While the task force was primarily responsible for securing Phuoc Tuy Province, its units, and the Task Force Headquarters itself, occasionally deployed outside its Tactical Area of Responsibility.


1st Australian Task Force
Significant battles conducted by the Task Force were Battle of Long Tan in 1966, Battle of Suoi Chau Pha in 1967, and Operation Coburg and the Battle of Coral–Balmoral in 1968. Other significant actions included Battle of Hat Dich in late-December 1968 and early 1969, Battle of Binh Ba in June 1969, and Battle of Long Khanh in June 1971.


1st Australian Task Force
A number of 1 ATF operations resulted in major defeats for the enemy including Operation Marsden in 1969 whereupon enormous caches of weapons and supplies and the main hospital servicing the local Communist forces were discovered and destroyed; and Operation Townsville in April 1970 whereupon Australian and New Zealand platoons captured the operational signals codes and one-time cipher pads used by the VC headquarters. As a result, senior U.S commanders including General CW Abrams, Commander USMACV were alleged to have referred to it as "the biggest intelligence coup of the war." 1 ATF was withdrawn in late 1971.


1st Australian Task Force, History, Formation
In March 1966 the Australian government decided to increase its commitment to the Vietnam War, announcing that the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR), which had been serving as the third infantry battalion of the US 173rd Airborne Brigade in Biên Hòa since June 1965, would be replaced at the end of its tour by a two-battalion brigade—the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF)—with armour, aviation, engineers and artillery support; in total 4,500 men.


1st Australian Task Force, History, Formation
Additional Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) elements would also be deployed and with all three services total Australian strength in Vietnam was planned to rise to 6,300. Meanwhile, 1 RAR's attachment to US forces had highlighted the differences between Australian and American operational methods.


1st Australian Task Force, History, Formation
Whereas the Americans relied on massed firepower and mobility in big-unit search and destroy operations as part of a war of attrition which often resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, the Australians—although not eschewing conventional operations—emphasised deliberate patrolling using dispersed companies supported by artillery, APCs and helicopters to separate the Viet Cong from the population in the villages, while slowly extending government control. Consequently, 1 ATF which would be allocated its own Tactical Area of Responsibility (TAOR) in Phuoc Tuy Province, thereby allowing the Australians to pursue operations more independently using their own methods.


1st Australian Task Force, History, Formation
The southernmost province in III CTZ, Phuoc Tuy had been selected by the Australians because it was an area of significant Viet Cong activity, was located away from the Cambodian border, could be resupplied and, if necessary, evacuated by sea, and enabled them to concentrate their efforts in a single area to achieve greater national recognition.


1st Australian Task Force, History, Formation
Rather than being attached to a US division, negotiations between senior Australian and US commanders—including Lieutenant General John Wilton and General William Westmoreland—ensured 1 ATF would be an independent command under the operational control of US II Field Force, Vietnam (II FFV), a corps-level headquarters in Bien Hoa which reported directly to Commander US MACV. This would allow the force greater freedom of action and the chance to demonstrate the Australian Army's evolving concept for counter-insurgency warfare, developed in part from its operations during the Malayan Emergency.


1st Australian Task Force, History, Formation
The task force would be commanded by Brigadier David Jackson, an experienced infantry officer who had served in the Middle East and New Guinea during the Second World War, and later in Korea, and commanded the AATTV and Australian Army Force Vietnam prior to taking up the appointment. With the new force given less than two months to deploy, hasty preparations began in Australia to ready it. Meanwhile, the headquarters of the 1st Brigade was subsequently used to raise 1 ATF.


1st Australian Task Force, History, Formation
Following US and Australian negotiations, the New Zealand government was given the choice of continuing the attachment of the 161st Battery, Royal New Zealand Artillery to the US 173rd Airborne Brigade based at Biên Hòa or joining 1 ATF in Phuoc Tuy. As with 1 RAR, the New Zealand battery had served under US command since June 1965 and was New Zealand's only military contribution to operations in Vietnam at that time. The decision was subsequently made to integrate the New Zealand battery into 1 ATF in June 1966, and from 1967 New Zealand infantry and NZSAS.


1st Australian Task Force, History, Operations
1 ATF was tasked with dominating its TAOR and conducting operations throughout Phuoc Tuy as required, as well as deploying anywhere in III CTZ and neighbouring Binh Tuy in II CTZ on order. Its principal objective was to secure Route 15 for military movement to ensure allied control of the port at Vung Tau, while politically it sought to extend government authority in Phuoc Tuy.


1st Australian Task Force, History, Operations
The task force would be based in a rubber plantation at Nui Dat, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) north of Ba Ria, while a logistics and support base would be established in Vũng Tàu with a direct link forward via road. Situated on Route 2, Wilton had selected Nui Dat because its central position offered short lines of communication, it was close but not adjacent to the main population centres, and would allow 1 ATF to disrupt Viet Cong activity in the area.


1st Australian Task Force, History, Operations
Astride a major communist transit and resupply route, it was close to a Viet Cong base area yet near enough to Ba Ria to afford security to the provincial capital and facilitate liaison with the local authorities. Australian doctrine emphasised establishing a base and spreading influence outwards to separate the guerrillas from the population. By lodging at Nui Dat they aimed to form a permanent presence between the Viet Cong and the inhabitants. 1 ATF would then focus on destroying Viet Cong forces in the province, while security of the towns and villages remained a South Vietnamese responsibility.