1st Army Division (Peru)


The 1st Army Division, formerly the Northern Army Detachment, is a combined infantry division unit of the Peruvian Army that specialized in combat patrol in mountain forest terrain, combined arms, counterinsurgency, jungle warfare, and maneuver warfare.

History

First founded as a Region, its headquarters were relocated by Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro's administration from Lambayeque to Piura in 1930. It was then reorganized under Manuel Prado's administration and renamed as the Northern Army Detachment in January 1941, under the command of then General Eloy Ureta. After hostilities broke out with Ecuador on July of the same year, the division took on a major role during the conflict, carrying out an offensive on the Ecuadorian coast.
In the 1960s, the unit was again renamed to the 1st Military Region, and again in 2003 as the Northern Military Region. In 2012, by Legislative Decree No. 1137 “Peruvian Army Law”, the military regions again became army divisions. As a result, the unit's name was again changed to its current one.
The division's coat of arms features a Sun of May and other features that represent certain elements of the division.

Organization

The 1st Army Division is formed by the following units:
  • 1st Infantry Brigade
  • 1st Cavalry Brigade
  • Artillery Group Crl. José Joaquín Inclán
  • 6th Jungle Brigade
  • 7th Infantry Brigade
  • 32nd Infantry Brigade
  • 9th Armored Brigade
  • 1st Services Brigade