VII Corps was organized at the end of World War I on 19 August 1918, at Remiremont, France and was inactivated on 11 July 1919.On the same date, the headquarters company, VII Corps, was withdrawn from the Organized Reserve and allotted to the Regular Army.In late December 1941, VII Corps headquarters was moved to San Jose, California as part of the Western Defense Command and as it continued to train and prepare for deployment.VII Corps led the initial assault of Operation Cobra, the First 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.It consisted of 1,487 tanks, 1,384 infantry fighting vehicles, 568 artillery pieces, 132 MLRS, 8 missile launchers, and 242 attack helicopters.[14] The 1st Armored Division would head north to engage the Iraqi Republican Guard in the Battle of Medina Ridge.The cost in lives was 36 US and UK dead; trifling, in terms of expected casualties, for the war the two armies had trained for against the Soviets.Virtually every manoeuvre battalion in the 1st and 3rd Armored Divisions, 1st Inf Div (M), and 2 ACR received the Valorous Unit Award.VII Corps HQ returned to Germany and was disbanded as part of the post-Cold War American defense spending cuts.A farewell ceremony was held in downtown Stuttgart at Schlossplatz, where the VII Corps colors were retired on 18 March 1992.
VII Corps Cold War NATO assignment
Organisation of VII Corps in 1989 (click to enlarge)