| V Corps | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1918–1919 1922–1924 1940–2013 2020–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  Army |
| Type | Corps |
| Role | Headquarters |
| Part of | United States Army Europe and Africa |
| Nickname | "Victory Corps" |
| Motto | "It Will Be Done" |
| Colors | Blue andwhite |
| March | "Victory!" |
| Decorations | |
| Campaigns | World War I
|
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | LTGCharles Costanza |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive insignia |  |
| V Corps Flag |  |
| U.S. Corps (1939–present) | ||||
|
V Corps (/ˈviːkɔːr/), formerly known as theFifth Corps, is aregularcorps of theUnited States Armyheadquartered atFort Knox,Kentucky andCamp Kościuszko,Poland.[1]
It previously served duringWorld War I,World War II, theCold War,Kosovo War, and thewar on terrorism.[2]
The corps's shoulder patch, apentagon whose points lie on an imaginary circle2+1⁄8 inches (2.1 in) in diameter whose edges are white lines3⁄16 inch (0.19 in) in width and whose radial lines are white1⁄8 inch (0.13 in) in width, was approved on 3 December 1918. The triangles thus outlined in white are flag blue. The pentagon represents the number of the Corps, while blue and white are the colors associated with Corps flags.[3]
V Corps was organized 7–12 July 1918 in theRegular Army inFrance, as part of theAmerican Expeditionary Forces. By the end of World War I, the Corps had fought in three named campaigns.
The V Corps was constituted in theOrganized Reserve on 29 July 1921, allotted to the FifthCorps Area, and assigned to theSecond Army. The corps headquarters was activated on 17 February 1922 atFort Thomas, Kentucky, with Regular Army and Organized Reserve personnel. The Headquarters Company was allotted to theOhio National Guard, but was placed on the "Deferred National Guard" list on 2 July 1923 and allotted to the Organized Reserve.The Headquarters Company was initiated late 1924 with Reserve personnel atColumbus, Ohio. The corps headquarters was responsible for providing and planning administration, organization, supply, and training for army, corps, and other non-divisional Reserve units, less field and coast artillery, in theFifth Corps Area. The headquarters was relieved from active duty on 15 November 1924, and all Regular Army personnel were reassigned to the Headquarters, Non-Divisional Group, Fifth Corps Area, which assumed the responsibilities previously held by the V Corps. Both the Headquarters and Headquarters Company remained active in the Organized Reserve. The corps headquarters was relocated in late 1924 toIndianapolis, Indiana, where most of the Reserve personnel assigned to the unit were located. Headquarters, V Corps was withdrawn from the Organized Reserve on 15 August 1927 and allotted to the Regular Army; Headquarters Company, V Corps was withdrawn from the Deferred National Guard list on 15 September 1927 and permanently allotted to the Organized Reserve.The headquarters company was further withdrawn from the Organized Reserve on 1 October 1933 and allotted to the Regular Army. At the same time, the corps headquarters was partially activated atFort Hayes,Ohio, with Regular Army personnel from the headquarters, Fifth Corps Area, and Organized Reserve personnel from the corps area at large. Though a "Regular Army Inactive" unit from 1927 to 1940, the corps headquarters was organized provisionally for short periods using its assigned Reserve officers and staff officers from Headquarters, Fifth Corps Area. These periods of provisional active duty were generally for command post exercises and major maneuvers. Headquarters, V Corps was fully activated on 20 October 1940, less Reserve personnel, atCamp Beauregard, LA.[4]
AfterNazi Germany declared war on the United States on 11 December 1941, the corps deployed (January 1942) the first American soldiers to theEuropean Theater of Operations, United States Army. That initial deployment was known as the U.S. Army Northern Ireland Force or MAGNET. On 6 June 1944, V Corps assaultedOmaha Beach,Normandy. Corps soldiers then broke out from the beachhead, liberatedParis andSedan, Ardennes, and raced to the German border. After liberatingLuxembourg, V Corps fought in theBattle of the Bulge, capturedLeipzig, made first contact with theRed Army atTorgau, and, south in Czechoslovakia, liberatedPlzeň by May 1945.
In March 1947,United States European Command directed that its combat forces were to convert to "Occupation duties." On 1 December 1950, due to concern of a Soviet threat to Western Europe during the Korean War,Seventh Army was activated as a field army in Europe. Seventh Army absorbed the two main Occupation Duty forces then in Germany, namely the1st Infantry Division and theUnited States Constabulary.
By middle 1948 limited combat training had been restored within the European Command.
In December, 1950 President Truman declared a National Emergency due to the Korean War, and four divisions were dispatched to reinforce U.S. forces in Europe, including the National Guard's 28th and 43rd Infantry Divisions. In May 1951 the4th Infantry Division arrived inUnited States Army Europe (USAREUR) in Germany, and on 3 August 1951, V Corps was reactivated and assigned to the Seventh Army in USAREUR. In July the2d Armored Division arrived in Germany, and on 25 August 1951 the 4th Infantry Division (HQ: Frankfurt) and 2d Armored Division (HQ: Bad Kreuznach) were assigned as V Corps divisions.
As of June 1954, the main unit assignments to V Corps were 1st Infantry Division, 4th Infantry Division, 2d Armored Division, and 19th Armor Group (19th AG was the size of a large brigade, with 3 tank battalions and one mech. infantry battalion stationed from Mannheim to Wildflecken). The first U.S. armored division to be stationed east of the Rhine River in theCold War, namely V Corps' 3d Armored Division, arrived in May/June 1956. (The 3d Armored Div. replaced the 4th Infantry Div.; later, the 2d Armored Div. was replaced by the Bad Kreuznach arriving 8th Infantry Div.) The 19th Armor Group (HQ Frankfurt) was replaced by the4th Armor Group on 1 July 1955 (the 4th AG was approximately the size of the replaced 19th AG); the 4th Armor Group was deactivated in the 1963 ROAD conversion. In 1955 the 1st Infantry Division gyroscoped to CONUS, and was replaced in V Corps by the 10th Infantry Division from CONUS. In 1958 the 3rd Infantry Division gyroscoped from CONUS and the 10th Infantry Division gyroscoped to CONUS.
Due to the 1963 ROAD reorganization in USAREUR, V Corps ultimately lost two assigned units:(1) the 4th Armor Group was inactivated;(2) the 3rd Infantry Division, with its headquarters at Wuerzburg, was reassigned to VII Corps. After theCold War collapse of theWarsaw Pact, V Corps soldiers deployed both units and individuals toSaudi Arabia for theGulf War; and to other operations inKuwait, northernIraq,Croatia,Somalia,Republic of Macedonia,Rwanda, andZaire.
At the end of the Cold War in 1989 V Corps consisted of the following units:
V Corps,Frankfurt,West Germany[5]
3rd Armored Division, Frankfurt
4th Infantry Division (Mechanized),Fort Carson, Colorado (Operation Reforger unit)
8th Infantry Division (Mechanized),Bad KreuznachV Corps Artillery, Frankfurt
41st Field Artillery Brigade,Babenhausen
42nd Field Artillery Brigade,Giessen
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment,Fulda
194th Armored Brigade,Fort Knox, Kentucky (Operation Reforger unit)
197th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized),Fort Benning, Georgia (Operation Reforger unit)
12th Aviation Brigade,Wiesbaden
130th Engineer Brigade,Hanau
18th Military Police Brigade, Frankfurt
22nd Signal Brigade (Corps), Frankfurt
205th Military Intelligence Brigade, Frankfurt
3rd Corps Support Command, WiesbadenIn December 1994, as part of the realignment ofUnited States Armed Forces, V Corps moved from theIG Farben Building toCampbell Barracks inHeidelberg, severing a forty-three-year tie withFrankfurt. The corps reached out to the armed forces of easternEurope with numerous initiatives to foster closer ties and better understanding. Maintaining theNATO commitment, V Corps in 1994 created two bi-national corps with Germany. ForCommand Component Land Heidelberg missions, the corps commanded the13th (German) Armored Infantry Division, while II (German) Corps commanded the1st Armored Division.[citation needed]
After theCold War collapse of theWarsaw Pact, V Corps soldiers deployed both units and individuals toSaudi Arabia for theGulf War; and to other operations inKuwait, northernIraq,Croatia,Somalia,Republic of Macedonia,Rwanda, andZaire.
In December 1994, as part of the realignment ofUnited States Armed Forces, V Corps moved from theIG Farben Building toCampbell Barracks inHeidelberg, severing a forty-three year tie withFrankfurt. The corps reached out to the armed forces of easternEurope with numerous initiatives to foster closer ties and better understanding. Maintaining theNATO commitment, V Corps in 1994 created two bi-national corps with Germany. ForCommand Component Land Heidelberg missions, the corps commanded the13th (German) Armored Infantry Division, while II (German) Corps commanded the1st Armored Division.
In December 1995, V Corps deployed 1st Armored Division and elements of six separate brigades for theImplementation Force (IFOR). The corps headquarters and Headquarters Company, the3d Support Command, and the separate brigades helped form the National Support Element headquartered inHungary for United States Armed Forces inBosnia. Brigades of the two divisions rotated in the peace enforcement mission for a number of years inBosnia. Headquarters and Headquarters Company, V Corps, was decorated with theArmy Superior Unit Award in 1998 in recognition of the unit's performance in Implementation Force (IFOR). In April 1999, V Corps deployed the headquarters and subordinate units toAlbania as Task Force Hawk, a force involved in the ongoing crisis inKosovo. The1st Infantry Division served in Kosovo twice and the 1st Armored Division served once, in addition to V Corps separate brigades.
At the end of 2002, V Corps deployed to Kuwait underUnited States Central Command for theIraq War. The United States-led coalition brought about a regime change in Iraq and satisfied international concerns aboutIraq and weapons of mass destruction. The corps and its maneuver brigades crossed into Iraq on 21 March 2003 as the main effort. In sixteen days of fighting, V Corps advanced more than 540 miles straight-line distance from Kuwait toBaghdad, decisively defeated theIraqi Armed Forces, and toppled the regime ofSaddam Hussein.
On 15 June 2003, the corps formedCombined Joint Task Force 7, based in Baghdad, and continued military operations to pacify the remainder of Iraq, rebuild the country, and create democratic institutions. As part of Combined Joint Task Force 7 mission, V Corps soldiers sought out and arrested or killed the major figures in the previous Iraqi regime, culminating in the arrest of Saddam Hussein himself. On 1 February 2004, V Corps was succeeded in Combined Joint Task Force 7 byIII Corps and redeployed to its home station in Heidelberg, Germany. In recognition of its combat achievements in Iraq, theDepartment of the Army, in 2004, awarded the Headquarters and Headquarters Company the Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army).
At the end of 2002, V Corps deployed to Kuwait underUnited States Central Command for theIraq War. The United States-led coalition brought about a regime change in Iraq and satisfied international concerns aboutIraq and weapons of mass destruction. The corps and its maneuver brigades crossed into Iraq on 21 March 2003 as the main effort. In sixteen days of fighting, V Corps advanced more than 540 miles straight-line distance from Kuwait toBaghdad, decisively defeated theIraqi Armed Forces, and toppled the regime ofSaddam Hussein.[citation needed]
On 15 June 2003, the corps formedCombined Joint Task Force 7, based in Baghdad, and continued military operations to pacify the remainder of Iraq, rebuild the country, and create democratic institutions. As part of Combined Joint Task Force 7 mission, V Corps soldiers sought out and arrested or killed the major figures in the previous Iraqi regime, culminating in the arrest of Saddam Hussein himself. On 1 February 2004, V Corps was succeeded in Combined Joint Task Force 7 byIII Corps and redeployed to its home station in Heidelberg, Germany. In recognition of its combat achievements in Iraq, theDepartment of the Army, in 2004, awarded the Headquarters and Headquarters Company the Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army).[citation needed]In January 2006, the corps, deployed to Iraq and replacedXVIII Airborne Corps as the command and control element forMulti-National Corps–Iraq. During its second year-long deployment, which ended on 14 December 2006, V Corps continued to lead coalition forces and made great strides battling a widespread insurgency, and conducting a massive rebuilding effort.[citation needed]From 2012 to 2013, V Corps served in theIslamic Republic of Afghanistan, providing command and control of allU.S. ground forces stationed there.[6] On 16 February 2012, it was announced that Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, V Corps would inactivate upon redeployment from Afghanistan per guidance issued by theDepartment of the Army earlier that same year.[7] On 12 June 2013, V Corps was awarded anArmy Superior Unit Award, aMeritorious Unit Commendation, then ceremonially inactivated atBiebrich Palace,Wiesbaden,Germany.[8]
On 11 February 2020, theUnited States Department of the Army announced the activation of corps headquarters (V Corps). V Corps Headquarters will have approximately 635 soldiers, with approximately 200 who will support an operational command post in Europe. The Corps Headquarters is projected to be operational by autumn 2020.On 12 February 2020, the Army announced that V Corps' new headquarters would be located atFort Knox,Kentucky.[9]United States Army Chief of Staff, GeneralJames McConville stated:
The activation of an additional Corps headquarters provides the needed level of command and control focused on synchronizing U.S. Army, allied, and partner nation tactical formations operating in Europe. It will enhance U.S. Army Europe and U.S. European Command as they work alongside allies and partners to promote regional stability and security.
The establishment of V Corps supportsUnited States European Command's request for increased command and control capability.[10]In May 2020, MGJohn Kolasheski, commanding general of the1st Infantry Division was nominated to command the newly reactivated V Corps. Once confirmed by theSenate he would receive a third star.[11] Kolasheski was confirmed to the rank of lieutenant general on 21 May 2020.[12][13] He was promoted byArmy Chief of StaffJames C. McConville on 4 August 2020 inKraków,Poland. McConville announced that V Corps forward headquarters would be established in Poland after the next fiscal year started on 1 October 2020.[14] Two hundred of the expected 630 headquarters staff members would be stationed inPoznań on a rotational basis.[15][14][16]
The forward headquarters will "conduct operational planning, mission command and oversight of the rotational forces in Europe", and work alongside allies and partners to build readiness and enhance interoperability.[16]On 21 July 2021 MGJeffery Broadwater was announced as DCG, V Corps.[17] (In May 2021, MGMatthew Van Wagenen was appointed as DCG-Manoeuvre to be based in Poznan, Poland,[18] but who presently serves as a DCG for the Army component ofSHAPE.)On 7 March 2022 a V Corps headquarters element deployed to Germany, joining the forward element already in Europe, to "provide additional command and control of U.S. Army forces in Europe." The headquarters is also tasked to "provide a more robust presence in Europe and enable the Corps to synchronize current contingency operations, support the ongoing mission to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank and coordinate multinational exercises across the continent." This deployment is in response to theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[19]At the 29 June 2022NATO summit in Madrid US President Joe Biden announced that a permanent military base would be established inPoland that would serve as the new headquarters of V Corps and "strengthen the US-NATO interoperability across the entire eastern flank," in further response to the Russian campaign in Ukraine.[20] On 30 July 2022 the headquarters of V Corps (Forward) in Poznań was renamedCamp Kosciuszko.[21]On 13 to 15 December 2023 V Corps and the Polish Armed Forces General Command co-hosted their first Warfighting Symposium, in Warsaw.[22] The symposium included briefings on training, technical interoperability, operational development, scenario-based practical exercises, and intelligence assessments.[22]
As of December 2025 V Corps consists of the following units:
V Corps, inPoznań (Poland)
2nd Cavalry Regiment, inVilseck (Germany)41st Field Artillery Brigade, inGrafenwöhr (Germany)
12th Combat Aviation Brigade, inAnsbach (Germany)| No. | Commander | Term | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Term length | |
| 1 |  | Lieutenant General John S. Kolasheski (born 1961) | 4 August 2020 | 8 April 2024 | 3 years, 248 days |
| 2 |  | Lieutenant General Charles D. Costanza | 8 April 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 312 days |
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