Document Source: Order of Battle of the United States Army, World War II, European Theater of Operations. Office of the Theater Historian, Paris, France, December 20, 1945.

US 9th Armored Division, Westhousen, Germany, April 10, 1945

The 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, was constituted on August 29, 1917, and organized as Headquarters, 3rd Brigade, 15th Cavalry Division in December of the same year. The 3rd Brigade was demobilized on July 15, 1919, and reconstituted on August 10, 1921, within the newly-constituted 1st Cavalry Division. Although never officially reorganized, the Brigade was inactive until its October 15, 1940, activation and redesignation, and conversion to HHC, 9th Armored Division Trains. Renamed 9th Armored Division, and activated on July 15, 1942, at Fort Riley (Kansas). On June 10, 1943, the unit moved to Goff (California) and then to Camp Ibis (California) on August 1, while participating in the #3 California Maneuvres in the Desert Training Center. The 9-AD moved then to Camp Polk (Louisiana) on October 25, 1943, for the Third Army #5 Louisiana Maneuvres. The division staged then at Camp Kilmer (New Jersey) on August 14, 1944, until departed the New York POE on August 18 and arrived in England on September 1. The 9-AD landed in France on October 3, crossed into Luxembourg on October 20, into Belgium on December 18, returned to France on December 23, got back to Belgium on February 22, 1945, and entered finally Germany on March 2, 1945. The 9th Armored was sent back to Hampton Roads POE in the USA on October 13, 1945, and was sent to Camp Patrick Henry (Virginia) where it was deactivated.

crossCasualties

Killed in Action 549
Wounded in Action 2198
Missing in Action 1194
Captured 11
Battle Casualties 3952
Non-Battle Casualties 1459
Total Casualties 5411

Commanding General

Jul 15, 1942 / Aug 27, 1944, Maj Gen Geoffrey Keyes
Aug 27, 1944 / Deactivation, Maj Gen John W. Leonard

Artillery Commander

Aug 27, 1944, Col Joseph W. West

Chief of Staff

Aug 27, 1944 / Oct 17, 1944, Col Albert G. Kelly
Oct 17, 1944 / Nov 26, 1944, Col Joseph L. Gilbreth
Nov 26, 1944 / Mar 25, 1945, Col Harry W. Johnson
Mar 25, 1945 / Deactivation, Col Walter Burnside

9-AD Destroyed Halftrack - AT Mine

Assistant Chief of Staff G-1

Aug 27, 1944, Lt Col Carl N. Smith

Assistant Chief of Staff G-2

Aug 27, 1944, Lt Col Ewing L. Lusk Jr

Assistant Chief of Staff G-3

Aug 27, 1944, Lt Col John S. Growden

Assistant Chief of Staff G-4

Aug 27, 1944, Lt Col Rollie W. Adams

Assistant Chief of Staff G-5

Aug 30, 1944, Maj Howard P. Morley

Adjutant General

Aug 27, 1944, Lt Col Sidney Sogard

CO Combat Command A

Aug 27, 1944 / May 3, 1945, Col Thomas L. Harrold
May 3, 1945 / Deactivation, Brig Gen Thomas L. Harrold

US 9th Armored Division Moving through Limburg Germany 1945

CO Combat Command B

Aug 27, 1944 / Nov 2, 1944, Brig Gen Edwin W. Pilburn
Nov 2, 1944 / Mar 23, 1945, Brig Gen William Hoge
Mar 23, 1945 / Deactivation, Col Harry W. Johnson

CO Reserve Command

Aug 27, 1944 / Sep 12, 1944, Lt Col Adna C. Hamilton
Sep 12, 1944 / Nov 26, 1944, Col Adna C. Hamilton
Nov 26, 1944 / Jan 21, 1945, Col Joseph H. Gilbreth
Jan 21, 1945 / Mar 23, 1945, Col Walter Burnside
Mar 23, 1945 / Apr 28, 1945, Lt Col Charlie Wesner
Apr 28, 1945 / Deactivation, Lt Col Farris N. Latimer

Statistics

Activated Jul 15, 1942
Arrived ETO Aug 27, 1944
Arrived Continent (D+111) Sept 25, 1944
Entered Combat (First Elements) Oct 23, 1944
Entered Combat (Entire Division) Dec 16, 1944
Days in Combat 91

Campaigns

Ardennes
Rhineland
Central Europe

Individual Awards

Distinguished Service Cross 1
Legion of Merit 7
Silver Star 162
Soldiers Medal 12
Bronze Star 845
Air Medal 23
Prisoners of War Taken 25.628

M4 of the 9th Armored Division, Leutesdorf 22 March 1945

Order of Battle – WW-2

Headquarters Company
Combat Command A
Combat Command B
Reserve Command
2nd Tank Battalion
14th Tank Battalion
19th Tank Battalion
27th Armored Infantry Battalion
52nd Armored Infantry Battalion
60th Armored Infantry Battalion
89th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized)
9th Armored Engineer Battalion
149th Armored Signal Company
9th Armored Division Artillery
3rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion
16th Armored Field Artillery Battalion
73rd Armored Field Artillery Battalion
9th Armored Division Trains
131st Ordnance Maintenance Battalion
2nd Armored Medical Battalion
Military Police Platoon
Band

Private Alvin Harley of the 9th Armored Division gets a kiss from a little French girl with a German Shepherd by his side in Abancourt, France on Valentine’s Day 1945

Attachments

Antiaircraft Artillery

482nd AAA AW Bn (SP) – Nov 2 1944 / Jan 8 1945
482nd AAA AW Bn (SP) – Feb 22 1945 / May 9 1945

Armored

Hq & Hq Co, 12th Armored Group – Dec 4 1944 / Jan 8 1945
Combat Command R (10-AD) – Dec 22 1944 – Dec 26 1944

Cavalry

18th Cav Recon Sq – Mar 21 1945 / Mar 22 1945

Field Artillery

400th Field Artillery Bn – Feb 28 1945 / Mar 13 1945
667th Field Artillery Bn (155-MM HOW) – Feb 28 1945 / Mar 13 1945
60th Field Artillery Bn (9-ID) (105-MM HOW) – Mar 3 1945 / Mar 6 1945
84th Field Artillery Bn (9-ID) (105-MM How) – Mar 7 1945 / Mar 9 1945
186th Field Artillery Bn (155 How) – Mar 26 1945 / Apr 20 1945
987th Field Artillery Bn (155 Gun)(Btry A) – Apr 1 1945 / Apr 19 1945
987th Field Artillery Bn (155 Gun)(- Btry A) – Apr 1 1945 / Apr 23 1945
38th Field Artillery Bn (2-ID)(105-MM How) – Apr 2 1945 / Apr 5 1945
406th Field Artillery Group – Apr 2 1945 / Apr 5 1945
200th Field Artillery Bn (155-MM Gun) – Apr 3 1945 / Apr 5 1945
953rd Field Artillery Bn (155-MM How) – Apr 3 1945 / Apr 5 1945

Infantry

109-IR (28-ID) – Dec 20 1944 / Dec 22 1944
1/310-IR (78-ID) – Mar 1 1945 / Mar 9 1945
3/310-IR (78-ID) – Mar 1 1945 / Mar 9 1945
60-IR (9-ID) – Mar 3 1945 / Mar 5 1945
2/310-IR (78-ID) – Mar 5 1945 / Mar 9 1945
47-IR (9-ID) – Mar 7 1945 / Mar 9 1945
311-IR (78-ID) – Mar 8 1945 / Mar 9 1945
1/60-IR (9-ID) – Mar 8 1945 / Mar 9 1945
309-IR (78-ID) – Mar 8 1945 / Mar 9 1945
38-IR (2-ID) – Mar 25 1945 / Par 5 1945
C Co, 2-ECB (2-ID) – Mar 25 1945 / Apr 5 1945
1/23-IR (2-ID) – Apr 2 1945 / Apr 5 1945
2/273-IR (69-ID) – Apr 9 1945 / Apr 19 1945
3/273-IR (69-ID) – Apr 9 1945 / Apr 20 1945
3/38-ID (2-ID) – Apr 9 1945 / Apr 21 1945

Tank Destroyer

811-TDB (SP) – Nov 14 1944 / Jan 8 1945
656-TDB (SP) – Feb 22 1945 / May 9 1945

Detachments

Armored

CCB to V Corps, Dec 12 1944 / Dec 16 1944
A Co, 19-TB to 4-ID – Dec 16 1944 / Dec 19 1944
CCB to 106-ID – Dec 16 1944 / Dec 21 1944
2-TB to 101-A/B – Dec 19 1944 – Dec 30 1944
CCR to 101-A/B – Dec 19 1944 / 31 Dec 1944
CCA to 10-AD – Dec 20 1944 / Dec 26 1944
CCB to 7-AD – Dec 22 1944 / Jan 7 1945
14-TB to 82-A/B – Dec 23 1944 / Dec 24 1944
CCA to 4-AD – Dec 27 1944 / Dec 30 1944
CCB to 28-ID – Jan 9 1945 / Jan 10 1945
2 Plats, 14-TB to 78-ID – Feb 16 1945 / Mar 17 1945
CCB to 9-ID – Mar 3 1945 / Mar 5 1945
CCB to 9-ID – Mar 9 1945 / Mar 12 1945
CCA to 1-ID – Mar 3 1945 / May 8 1945

A Belgian girl kisses an American anti-aircraft gunner after the liberation of Liege, Belgium 1944



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