Shoulder sleeve insignia of the U.S. Ninth Army.

The US Ninth Army was one of the main US combat commands used during the campaign in northwest Europe in 1944 and 1945. It was commanded from its inception by Lieutenant General William Simpson. It had been designated Eighth Army, but on arrival in the UK it was renamed to avoid confusion with the British formation of the same designation. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (754x732, 16 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (754x732, 16 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... World map showing location of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

Ninth Army was the fourth US Army to come into action in France, after First Army which had taken part in the initial Overlord landings, Third Army which had first been used just after the breakout from Normandy, and Seventh Army which had landed in southern France on 15 August. 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 in between Third Army and First Army. The United States First Army was first activated in August 1918. ... The US Third Army was first activated as a formation during the First World War. ... The Seventh United States Army, also known as USAREUR, is the main American force in Europe. ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... Location within France Brest, at the tip of Brittany Brest (population of the city: 146,000 inhabitants as of 2004 estimates; population of the metropolitan area: 303,484 inhabitants as of 1999 census) is a city in the Bretagne région, north-west France, subprefecture of the Finistère d...

In November, Ninth Army was shifted to the very left flank of 12th Army Group. It undertook operations to close the front up to the Roer River. December 16 saw the opening of the last great German offensive of the war, the Battle of the Bulge. Ninth Army was isolated from the headquarters of 12th Army Group, and it was thus placed under the command of 21st Army Group along with First Army. Simpson reoriented his command quickly to help in the reduction of the salient that the Germans had created. Many of Ninth Army's units passed to the command of First Army, which was doing the main work of reducing the German salient from the north. In the meantime, the remainder of Ninth Army continued to hold the line along the Roer. When First Army and Third Army had finished reducing the salient, First Army returned to the command of 12th Army Group, but Ninth Army remained under the command of 21st Army Group for the remainder of the Rhineland Campaign. The 12th Army Group was the largest and most powerful American formation ever to take to the field. ... December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The German Ardennes Offensive1, popularly known as the Battle of the Bulge, started in late December 1944 and was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during World War II. The German army had intended to split the Allied line in half, capturing Antwerp and then proceeding to... The British 21st Army Group was an important Allied force in the European Theatre of World War II. Commanded by Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery it initially controlled all ground forces in Operation Overlord. ... The Battle of the Siegfried Line was one of the final Allied campaigns1 of World War II of the Western European Campaign and details the fights on and around the Siegfried Line. ...

Late February and Ninth Army launched Operation Grenade, which was the southern prong of a pincer attack coordinated with Canadian First Army, with the purpose of closing the front up to the Rhine. By 10 March, the Rhine had been reached in all sectors of Ninth Army's front. It was not until after 20 March that Ninth Army units first crossed the Rhine itself. However, after doing so, the Army quickly struck east around the north of the Ruhr. An enormous pocket soon formed containing the German Army Group B under Model. By 4 April, Ninth Army had reached the Weser. Shortly afterwards, Ninth Army found itself switched back to 12th Army Group. Operation Grenade was the plan for The US Ninth Army to cross the Roer (Rur) river in February 1945. ... The Canadian First Army was the overall command for the Canadian military forces in Europe during World War II. It was formed in early 1942 to command two corps composed of the three infantry divisions, two armoured divisions, and two armoured brigades that had assembled in England. ... The Rhine canyon (Ruinaulta) in Graubünden in Switzerland Length 1,320 km Elevation of the source Vorderrhein: approx. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (70th in Leap years). ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in Leap years). ... The Ruhr in Essen-Kettwig The Ruhr is a large river in western Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia) starting near the town of Winterberg in Sauerland and ending in the Rhine in the city of Duisburg. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... Weser watershed The Weser is a river of north-western Germany. ...

The end was now clearly in sight, and as part of Ninth Army, along with the newly arrived Fifteenth Army, reduced the enormous Ruhr pocket, other elements reached the Elbe on 18 April. 2 May saw the whole of Ninth Army's front reached the agreed demarcation point with the Russians, and the advance ceased. The US Fifteenth Army was the last field army to see service in northwest Europe during World War II. It was first activated in early 1945, with Lieutenant General Leonard Gerow assuming command on 15 January. ... April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ...