The Origins of the Iraqi Army
On 6 January 1921, the Headquarters of the Ministry of Defense was established. Initially, the Army was formed of volunteers between 18 and 40 years old with serving terms ranging from two years for Infantry to three years for the other arms, consisting mainly in those days of Cavalry, Packed Artillery and Animal Transport. On the 28 July, 1921, the First Infantry Regiment was formed and placed under Iraqi Officers that had service records in the Turkish Army. The Army was organized on a Regiment basis at the beginning. This was changed later and the Infantry Brigade was considered to be the standard fighting formation. It was designed and equipped to operate on various types of Iraqi terrain which varied from mountains in the north to deserts and marshes in the south. In mid-1936, though, the Army was reorganized on a Divisional basis, with the First Infantry Division (1ID) and the Second Infantry Division (2ID) being created on the 15 April 1936. ...