Ninth Army (United States)

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Ninth Army
Ninth Army shoulder sleeve insignia
Active15 April 1944–1945
2012–2020
Country United States
Branch United States Army
TypeField army
EngagementsWorld War II
Commanders
Notable
commanders
GEN William Hood Simpson

The Ninth Army was a field army of the United States Army, most recently garrisoned at Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. It was the United States Army Service Component Command of United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM or AFRICOM).

Activated just eight weeks before the June 1944

European Theatre of Operation were designated with odd numbers; even numbered field armies served in the Pacific Theatre of Operations
.

History

Lieutenant General William Hood Simpson, commander of the Ninth Army (Life, 12 March 1945)
U.S. 9th Army crossing the Rhine River. Wallach. M2, steel treadway, pontoon bridge, late March, 1945)

The first responsibility for Ninth Army, upon its arrival on 5 September was to take part in the final reduction of the German forces holding out in the French port of Brest. After the surrender of the town fifteen days later, Ninth Army was sent east to take its place in the line. It came into the line between Third Army and First Army.

In November, Ninth Army was shifted to the very northern flank of

Rhineland Campaign
.

In late February 1945 the Ninth Army launched

German Army Group B under Walter Model. By 4 April, Ninth Army had reached the Weser[2] and was switched back to 12th Army Group.[3]

The end was now clearly in sight, and as part of Ninth Army, along with the newly arrived

.

Units

Units included the 2nd Infantry Division, the 8th Infantry Division, 8th Armored Division, the 2nd Ranger Battalion, the 5th Ranger Battalion, the 29th Infantry Division, the 30th Infantry Division, the 6th Armored Division, the 104th Infantry Division, the 7th Armored Division, and the 79th Infantry Division .

Reactivation

In 2012,

U.S. Army Africa was re-designated as US Army Africa (Ninth Army) under the Army modularization program.[4]

Following its reformation, the army controlled the following units;[5]

  • United States Army Africa Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion,
    Caserma Carlo Ederle, Italy
  • 207th Military Intelligence Brigade
    (Operational Control)
  • Fort Riley, Kansas
    • Fort Riley, Kansas
  • Fort Stewart, Georgia
  • OUA Division, Liberia

In 2020, U.S. Army Africa was merged with U.S. Army Europe to form a new command, U.S. Army Europe-Africa.[6]

Insignia

The nine-sided figure indicates the numerical designation of the organization. The shoulder sleeve insignia was approved on 21 September 1944. The red and white colors reflect that the headquarters of the Ninth Army was the headquarters of the Fourth Army under a new name[7]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Ardennes-Alsace, Sullivan, Gordon R.
  2. ^ Video: Allies Overrun Germany Etc. (1945). Universal Newsreel. 1945. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  3. ^ "The U.S. Ninth Army's Breakout: Crossing the Roer and the Rhine". Warfare History Network. 30 December 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  4. ^ "US Army Africa: History". 30 December 2012.
  5. ^ CurrentOps.com. "United States Army Africa". currentops.com. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  6. ^ Lucas, Ryan (1 October 2020). "Army Consolidating Europe, Africa Commands". Association of the United States Army. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  7. ^ Prefer, Nathan N. The Conquering 9th: The Ninth U.S. Army in World War II Casemate March 9, 2020

References

  • The Struggle for Europe; Chester Wilmot

External links

  • Interviews with William Hood Simpson. 30 June 1976, 7 July 1976, University of Texas at San Antonio: Institute of Texan Cultures: Oral History Collection, UA 15.01, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.