U.S. 9th Armored Division
Encyclopedia
The 9th Armored Division (the "Phantom Division") was an armored division
of the United States Army
in World War II
. In honor of their World War II service, the 9th was officially nicknamed the "Phantom Division."
, the deception operation mounted by the Allies to deceive the Germans about the real landing site for Operation Neptune
, the amphibious invasion of Northern France. The 9th was assigned to a camp on the British coastline opposite of the German defenses in Pas-de-Calais, ostensibly as part of the "First US Army Group" (FUSAG) under Gen. John W. Leonard
.
After World War II, the unit returned state-side and was inactivated until 15 July 1963, when it was reassigned from the 9th Armored Division, and converted and redesignated as HHC, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In honor of their World War II service, the 9th was officially nicknamed the "Phantom Division."
History
The division was activated on 15 July 1942 at Fort Riley, KS. It reached the United Kingdom in September 1944.Fortitude
The 9th Division was one of several real U.S. Army divisions that participated in Operation FortitudeOperation Fortitude
Operation Fortitude was the codename for a World War II military deception employed by the Allied nations as part of an overall deception strategy during the build up to the 1944 Normandy Landings...
, the deception operation mounted by the Allies to deceive the Germans about the real landing site for Operation Neptune
Operation Neptune
The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, in Operation Overlord, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 , beginning at 6:30 AM British Double Summer Time...
, the amphibious invasion of Northern France. The 9th was assigned to a camp on the British coastline opposite of the German defenses in Pas-de-Calais, ostensibly as part of the "First US Army Group" (FUSAG) under Gen. John W. Leonard
John W. Leonard
John William Leonard was a US Army Lieutenant General who served during World War II and the Korean War.He graduated from the US Military Academy in 1915, as part of "the class the stars fell on"...
.
Combat Chronicle
- The 9th Armored Division landed in NormandyNormandyNormandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
late in September 1944, and first went into line, 23 October 1944, on patrol duty in a quiet sector along the LuxembourgLuxembourgLuxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
-German frontier. When the Germans launched their winter offensive on 16 December 1944, the 9th, with no real combat experience, suddenly found itself engaged in heavy fighting. The Division saw its severest action at St. Vith, EchternachEchternachEchternach is a commune with city status in the canton of Echternach, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher, in eastern Luxembourg. Echternach lies near the border with Germany, and is the oldest town in Luxembourg....
, and BastogneBastogneBastogne Luxembourgish: Baaschtnech) is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes. The municipality of Bastogne includes the old communes of Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardin...
, its units fighting in widely separated areas.
- Its stand at Bastogne held off the Germans long enough to enable the 101st Airborne101st Airborne Division (United States)The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
to dig in for a defense of the city. After a rest period in January 1945, the Division made preparations for a drive across the Roer River. The offensive was launched, 28 February 1945, and the 9th smashed across the Roer to RheinbachRheinbachRheinbach is a town in the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district , in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It belongs to the administrative district of Cologne .-Geography:...
, sending patrols into RemagenRemagenRemagen is a town in Germany in Rhineland-Palatinate, in the district of Ahrweiler. It is about a one hour drive from Cologne , just south of Bonn, the former West German capital. It is situated on the River Rhine. There is a ferry across the Rhine from Remagen every 10–15 minutes in the summer...
. The Ludendorff BridgeLudendorff BridgeThe Ludendorff Bridge was a railway bridge across the River Rhine in Germany, connecting the villages of Remagen and Erpel between two ridge lines of hills flanking the river...
at Remagen was found intact, and was seized by elements of the 9th Armored minutes before demolition charges were set to explode on 7 March 1945.
- The Division exploited the bridgehead, moving south and east across the Lahn River toward LimburgLimburg an der LahnLimburg an der Lahn is the district seat of Limburg-Weilburg in Hesse, Germany.-Location:Limburg lies in western Hesse between the Taunus and the Westerwald on the river Lahn....
, where thousands of Allied prisoners were liberated. The Division drove on to Frankfurt and then turned to assist in the closing of the Ruhr PocketRuhr PocketThe Ruhr Pocket was a battle of encirclement that took place in late March and early April 1945, near the end of World War II, in the Ruhr Area of Germany. For all intents and purposes, it marked the end of major organized resistance on Nazi Germany's Western Front, as more than 300,000 troops were...
. In April it continued east, encircling LeipzigLeipzigLeipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and securing a line along the Mulde River. The Division was shifting south to CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
when the war in Europe ended on 9 May 1945.
Units of the 9th Armored Division
- 2nd Tank Battalion
- 14th Tank Battalion
- 19th Tank Battalion
- 27th Armored Infantry Battalion
- 52nd Armored Infantry Battalion
- 60th Armored Infantry Battalion
- HHB, Division Artillery
- 3rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 16th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 73rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion
- 89th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron, Mechanized
- 509th Counter Intelligence Corps Detachment
- Headquarters Company, 9th Armored Division
- HHCHeadquarters and Headquarters CompanyIn United States Army units, a headquarters and headquarters company is a company sized military unit, found at the battalion level and higher. In identifying a specific headquarters unit, it is usually referred to by its abbreviation as an HHC...
, Combat CommandCombat commandA Combat Command was a combined-arms military organization of comparable size to a brigade or regiment employed by armored forces of the U.S. Army from 1942 until 1963...
A - HHC, Combat Command B
- Headquarters, Reserve Command
- Headquarters, 12th Armored Group120th Infantry Brigade (United States)The 120th Infantry Brigade is an AC/RC unit based at Fort Hood, Texas.The unit falls under command of First Army, Division West and is responsible for training selected United States Army Reserve & National Guard units in Texas & the South-Western U.S....
- HHC, Division Trains
- 2nd Medical Battalion
- 131st Armored Ordnance Maintenance Battalion
- Military Police Platoon
- 9th Armored Engineer Battalion
- 149th Armored Signal Company
- 656th Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 22 February 1945 past 9 May 1945)
- 811th Tank Destroyer Battalion (attached 14 November 1944 to 8 January 1945)
- 482nd AAA Automatic Weapons Battalion (attached 22 November 1945 to 9 January 1945; 22 February 1945 to 9 May 1945)
Ancestor Units
The 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, was constituted on 29 August 1917 and organized as Headquarters, 3rd Brigade, 15th Cavalry Division in December. The 3rd Brigade demobilized on 15 July 1919 and reconstituted on 10 August 1921, within the newly-constituted 1st Cavalry Division. Although never officially reorganized, the Brigade was inactive until its 15 October 1940 activation and redesignation and conversion to HHC, 9th Armored Division Trains, and deployed to Europe, receiving campaign-participation credit for operations in the Rhineland, the Ardennes-Alsace, and the Central Europe theatres of war, and awarded two Meritorious Unit Commendations, with embroidered streamers reading: Europe 1944 and Europe 1945.After World War II, the unit returned state-side and was inactivated until 15 July 1963, when it was reassigned from the 9th Armored Division, and converted and redesignated as HHC, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
External links
- The 9th: The Story of the 9th Armored Division (WWII unit history booklet)
- "Official 3d Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Homepage"
- Fact Sheet of the 9th Armored Division from http://www.battleofthebulge.org