VII Corps ( United States ) The VII Corps of the United States Army was one of the two principal corps of the United States Army Europe during the Cold War . Activated in 1918 for World War I , it was reactivated for World War II and again during the Cold War . During both World War II and the Cold War it was subordinate to the Seventh Army , or USAREUR and was headquartered at Kelley Barracks in Stuttgart , West Germany , from 1951 until it was redeployed to the US and inactivated in 1992 . History . World War I . VII Corps was organized at the end of World War I on 19 August 1918 , at Remiremont , France and was inactivated in 1919 . World War II . VII Corps was reactivated at Fort McClellan , Alabama 25 November 1940 and participated in the Louisiana Maneuvers staged as the US Army prepared for World War II . In late December 1941 , VII Corps HQ was moved to San Jose , California as part of the Western Defense Command and as it continued to train and prepare for deployment . Its first return to continental Europe took place on D - Day in 1944 , as one of the two assault corps for US First Army during Operation Overlord , targeting Utah Beach via amphibious assault . For Overlord , the 101st Airborne and 82nd Airborne Divisions were attached to VII Corps . After the Normandy Campaign the Airborne units were assigned to the newly created XVIII Airborne Corps . Subsequently , the unit participated in many battles during the advance across France and Germany until the surrender of the Third Reich . The corps was inactivated in 1946 . Battle of Normandy . For the Normandy Operation , VII Corps was part of 21st Army Group under the command of Gen . Sir Bernard L . Montgomery and the First Army commanded by Maj . Gen . Courtney Hodges . The Corps was commanded by Maj . Gen . J . Lawton Collins . Battle casualties , 6 June – 1 July 1944 Assigned Units and Commanders . Source : VII Corps , G - 1 Reports , June 1944 Operation Cobra . VII Corps led the initial assault of Operation Cobra , the First United States Army - led offensive as part of the breakout of the Normandy area . Its success is credited with changing the war in France from high - intensity infantry combat to rapid maneuver warfare . Cold War . From reactivation in 1950 and throughout the Cold War , the corps guarded part of NATO ' s front with the Warsaw Pact . Headquartered in Stuttgart at Kelley Barracks it was one of the two main US combat formations in Germany along with V Corps , which was headquartered in Frankfurt am Main at Abrams Building . At the end of the Cold War , VII Corps would have commanded the following units in case of war : Gulf War . After Saddam Hussein ' s troops invaded Kuwait in 1990 , the corps was deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of the second major wave of deployments of American forces . Its presence took US forces in theatre from a force capable of defending Saudi Arabia to a force capable of ejecting Iraqi troops from Kuwait . In the Gulf War , VII Corps was probably the most powerful formation of its type ever to take to the battlefield . Normally , a corps commands three divisions when at full strength , along with other units such as artillery of various types , corps - level engineers and support units . However , VII Corps had far more firepower under its command . Its principal full strength fighting formations were U . S . 1st Armored Division , U . S . 3rd Armored Division and U . S . 1st Infantry Division . In addition , the corps had U . S . 2nd Cavalry Regiment to act as a scouting force , and two further heavy divisions ; US 1st Cavalry Division and British 1st Armoured Division , as well as the U . S . 11th Aviation Group . Although both 1st Cavalry Division and 1st Armoured Division had only two maneuver brigades , they were still immensely powerful formations in their own right . VII corps was originally deployed to give the CinC an offensive option if needed . In the 100 hour war they were given a force mission : To wipe out the Iraqi Republican Guards Heavy Divisions . That meant that the 1st Infantry Division had to make a forced entry to make room for the British attack on the right wing and to secure the main forces advance on the left . That attack force was led by the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment followed by the 1st Armored Division and the 3rd Armored Division . That main force was later joined by the 1st Infantry Division after they had completed their breach . That gave VII Corps commander General Frederick M . Franks , Jr . a three division strike force to confront several Iraqi Armored Divisions . After the corp had turned 90 degrees east according to FRAGPLAN 7 and after the Cavalry Regiment had fought the single sided Battle of 73 Easting the three Divisions ( plus the British on the right wing ) fought one of the most one sided battles in the history of the US Army . VII Corps cut a swathe through Iraqi forces . It advanced with U . S . XVIII Airborne Corps on its left wing and Arab forces on its right wing . It pulverized all Iraqi forces that tried to stand and fight and destroyed a good proportion of the Iraqi Republican Guard divisions . A ceasefire was called before the destruction of the Republican Guard units could be completed . VII Corps ' attack cost about a hundred US and British soldiers ' lives . But it destroyed several divisions including the Medina and the Tawalkna Republican Guards division along with support units . It also destroyed most of the Iraqi VII Corps that had guarded the frontline as well as other units . The attack was one of the most single sided battles in history of warfare . The Battle of 73 Easting was studied as a textbook armored battle in the US armored units . Redeployment and inactivation . After the fighting was over , most VII Corps units were redeployed directly to the United States for reassignment or inactivation . VII Corps HQ returned to Germany and was disbanded as part of the post - Cold War American defense spending cuts . Some VII Corps units remained in Germany and were reassigned to V Corps or USAREUR . A farewell ceremony was held in downtown Stuttgart at Schlossplatz , where the VII Corps colors were retired on March 18 , 1992 . The official inactivation was held at Fort McPherson , Ga . , in April 1992 . Casey , Melanie ( 13 July 2004 ) , " From Helenen Kaserne to Kelley Barracks " , Stuttgart Citizen ( Stuttgart , Germany ) : P 10