A Brief History on the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade or “Iron Brigade”

The 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade’s origins date to 1917 when it was organized in Camp MacArthur, Texas, as the 57th Field Artillery Brigade. Part of the 32nd “Red Arrow” Division, the brigade was created from existing artillery batteries of the Wisconsin and Michigan National Guard. The 157th fought with distinction in five World War I campaigns – Alsace, Champagne, Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne and Meuse-Argonne.

The 57th was reorganized in 1920 in the Wisconsin National Guard and mobilized into federal service in 1940 for training prior to World War II. During the war, the 57th was redesignated as the 32nd Division Artillery and fought in New Guinea and the Philippines.

The unit reconstituted in Wisconsin in 1947 and mobilized for a third time in 1961 when President Kennedy activated the 32nd Division for stateside training during the Berlin Crisis. As part of an Army-wide reorganization, the unit separated from the 32nd Division in 1967 and renamed the 257th Artillery Group. It regained its original 57th Field Artillery Brigade designation in 1978. In 2008, the U.S. Army reorganized the 57th Field Artillery Brigade as the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade headquartered in Milwaukee’s historic Richards Street Armory.